Free to Thrive Launches New Program to Help Human Trafficking Survivors Impacted by COVID-19
Written By: Jamie Beck and Suzi Day
Survivors at Risk of a Regressive Crisis
Victims and survivors of human trafficking are among the most vulnerable populations in our community, and they are especially at risk during this COVID-19 crisis. Free to Thrive's survivor clients include homeless and indigent individuals, current and formerly incarcerated women, LGBTQ+ individuals, current and former foster youth, victims and survivors of domestic violence, individuals with mental and cognitive disabilities, and individuals who are incredibly vulnerable to being trafficked.
Survivors are at an increased risk of facing severe setbacks because of COVID-19 as they become more vulnerable to homelessness, food insecurity, domestic violence, unemployment, extreme financial hardship, and re-exploitation. For more information on the impact of COVID-19 on human trafficking victims and survivors, please read our blog on that topic here.
Ongoing Legal Services
Our incredible legal team at Free to Thrive continues to serve our clients remotely amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Our work has not stopped as new and current clients continue to request our support. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Free to Thrive has assisted clients with legal needs, such as restraining orders and emergency child custody matters. In the photo above, our Family Justice Program Manager & Senior Staff Attorney Nick Moore is in the empty courthouse filing a restraining order for one of our clients.
Free to Thrives’ attorneys are also updating clients on the status of their legal cases in light of the unprecedented closure of all courts and suspension of jury trials. Even with the courts closed for most matters, Free to Thrive's attorneys are still hard at work on their cases and meeting with clients remotely while they await the reopening of the courts.
As we move forward, we anticipate our clients having new legal needs related to the economic impact of COVID-19 such as eviction/landlord tenant, debt collection and more. We are preparing for an uptick in these types of legal needs through additional training for our staff attorneys and cultivating relationships with new pro bono attorneys and community partners in these specialized areas of service.
New STEER Program
Right now, one concern for Free to Thrive's client population is a regressive crisis as a result of the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. They are even more at risk of having serious setbacks if they experience homelessness, food insecurity, financial hardship, domestic violence, or re-exploitation. Moreover, navigating much needed-resources is an extremely stressful and challenging process for anyone just trying to survive. For survivors living with severe PTSD and other trauma-related diagnoses, navigating critical community resources poses an even greater challenge, so much so that a victim or survivor may not follow through, just give up and not seek help at all.
Free to Thrive knew that we needed to do something to respond to the critical needs of survivors and their families during COVID-19, so we launched our Survivors of Trafficking Essential Emergency Resources (STEER) program. STEER provides personalized, holistic, and trauma-informed one-on-one emergency resource guidance to human trafficking survivors. This brand new program is designed to equip survivors and their families with the tools they need to access available resources and feel a sense of security in this age of global uncertainty. STEER helps clients connect with a breadth of community resources.
Free to Thrive’s initial step in implementing this new program was to create a COVID-19 basic needs assessment and contact current and former clients to identify any challenges they are facing during this crisis. This questionnaire asks about basic needs such as physical health, food security, housing, employment, mental health, and financial needs. While many of our clients are doing well, others, like so many members of our community, are facing severe challenges.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, Free to Thrive has helped over 57 clients with 116 different needs. Free to Thrive has provided clothing to 6 clients with help from our community partner Sharia’s Closet. The above picture is of our incredible Community Outreach Coordinator & Client Liaison Dion Sayles McKinney with Founder, President and CEO of Sharia’s Closet, Shamine Linton, picking up clothes for a Free to Thrive client.
We have also helped 7 clients locate food distribution sites near them, 6 find shelter, 2 connect to mental health services, 3 with family assistance, 3 with safety planning, and 50 with assistance getting their federal stimulus checks. We have supported many of our clients through this crisis by providing them mentorship and emotional support.
This critical support breaks down barriers to survivors’ access to life-changing resources and provides critical one-on-one support to survivors and their families, thereby empowering them during these challenging and uncertain times. It ensures that survivors’ most basic needs are met and helps build a bridge from exploitation to independence. Most importantly, this program helps provide them with stability and prevents regressive crisis in the aftermath of COVID- 19.
Free to Thrive helps clients make these connections to services through existing and new community partnerships with other organizations serving vulnerable populations. Free to Thrive’s community partners include:
Access, Inc.
Alabaster Jar Project
Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition
Feeding San Diego
Freedom from Exploitation
GenerateHope
Goodwill Industries of San Diego
Home Start, Inc.
Kitchens for Good
La Maestra Community Health Clinics
La Mesa City of Hope
Neighborhood House
North County Lifeline, Project LIFE
Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest
Project Concern International
Salvation Army Door of Hope
San Diego Employment Solutions
San Diego Family Justice Center
San Diego Youth Services, STARS Program
Second Chance
Sharia's Closet
We will continue to expand this program and our partners to better serve our clients and support them through this crisis and beyond. We expect that in the next 3-6 months we will see an increase in the number of survivors in need of resource navigation and supportive services. The most critical needs moving forward will be: housing, job opportunities, mentorship and mental health services.
Survivors Are Resilient
Although survivors may face additional challenges in the face of this global pandemic, Free to Thrive’s clients remain strong and undeterred on their path to a life of success. Survivors of human trafficking are the most resilient and courageous people you will ever meet. If anyone is going to get through this crisis, they are. One client recently commented to us:
“Life couldn't be better. No more abusive relationship. I'm already planning on buying a house. Oh yeah and still clean and sober. I never knew that life could be like this without drugs and alcohol and bad relationships. Life is so great and cool. I have my own career, my own money, my own life. And I realize that I am not one of those people that needs someone else to complete them. I totally complete myself and love myself and you can't even have a relationship unless you are happy by yourself.”
Survivors have overcome severe trauma and other seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and are fiercely determined to move forward with their lives. Our clients have developed incredible survival skills and will undoubtedly persevere through this crisis, and whatever else life has in store for them. We are reminded of a quote from Brené Brown, “Vulnerability is the path to courage.”
We have learned so much from our clients, like how to turn adversity into an opportunity for growth. One only has to look at the stories of Cierra and Wilnisha.
You can support Free to Thrive and its survivor clients by donating much needed funds to continue to provide these essential services to human trafficking victims and survivors
Jamie Beck is the President and Managing Attorney of Free to Thrive
Suzi Day is Free to Thrive’s Director of Development and Survivor Empowerment
Free to Thrive is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers human trafficking survivors by providing them legal services and connections to other supportive services