 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Contact: ACF Press Office
(202) 401-9215
Programs to Reduce Human Trafficking Receive $2 Million
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the award of over $2 million in grants to state and local organizations to identify and help victims of human trafficking.
The funds are part of the Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking Regional Program, whose purpose is to enhance anti-trafficking efforts in the U.S. by building regional capacity for the identification and service of victims. The grantees are responsible for maintaining an anti-human trafficking coalition in their region, conducting public awareness activities and providing training and technical assistance on human trafficking issues to local organizations.
“Human trafficking is an outrage that society cannot tolerate,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, Curtis L. Coy. “The funds we award today will boost our ongoing efforts to find these often-hidden victims and get them the services they need to rebuild their lives.”
Under the Rescue and Restore program, each grantee must sub-award at least 60 percent of its funds to local organizations that identify and work with victims of human trafficking, thus building the capacity of such groups to carry out their mission and expanding the network of care for trafficking survivors.
The funds, administered by ACF’s Office of Refugee Resettlement, were awarded to the following organizations:
- Church United For Community Development (La.) – $150,000
- Civil Society (Minn.) – $100,000
- Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (Calif.) – $250,000
- Contra Costa County, Office of the County Administrator (Calif.) – $226,000
- The Curators of the University of Missouri – $100,000
- Free For Life Ministries, Inc. (Tenn.) – $100,000
- Illinois Department of Human Services – $249,000
- International Rescue Committee, Inc. (Wash.) – $250,000
- Justice Resource Institute (Mass.) – $202,000
- Practical Strategies, Inc. (Wis.) – $100,000
- Sacramento Employment and Training Agency (Calif.) – $238,000
- Southeastern Network of Runaway Youth and Family Svc. Inc. (Fla.) – $185,000
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 designated HHS as the agency responsible for helping victims of human trafficking become eligible for federally funded benefits and services. As part of this effort, HHS initiated the Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking campaign, a multi-faceted effort to address this issue.
For more information please visit: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking/index.html