The grants to prevent and respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and SEX trafficking against children and youth program supports comprehensive, community-based…

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded a $499,993 Project Grant to Fair Girls Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., under the Consolidated And Technical Assistance Grant Program to Address Children and Youth Experiencing Domestic and Sexual Violence and Engage Men and Boys as Allies (CFDA 16.888). The 36-month grant will fund the implementation of the HEALS Project, which provides comprehensive prevention, intervention, treatment, and response services aimed at enhancing the safety and well-being of youth aged 11-24 who have been impacted by or are at risk of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking in Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland. Key services include operating a drop-in center, offering a 24/7 crisis hotline, providing referrals to confidential housing, delivering trauma-informed wrap-around services, conducting human trafficking awareness training, and developing survivor-informed curricula for schools. The project addresses the OVW priority to advance equity and expand economic justice and financial advocacy for survivors, as well as the program-specific priority of technology abuse.

The grants to prevent and respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and SEX trafficking against children and youth program supports comprehensive, community-based efforts to develop or expand prevention, intervention, treatment, and response strategies to address the needs of children and youth impacted by domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and SEX trafficking, including support for their non-abusing parents, caregivers, and legal guardians. With this grant funding, the fair girls will implement the heals project (helping expand awareness and lifesaving services for survivors) program, providing comprehensive prevention, intervention, treatment, and response services aimed at enhancing the safety and well-being of youth aged 11-24 (purpose area 2) who have been impacted by or at risk of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and SEX trafficking in washington, DC and montgomery county, MD. MOU partners on this project include the leaders institute and amara legal services. The project will: 1) provide access to the fair girls drop-in center to serve victims of human trafficking or youth at risk for trafficking; 2) provide referrals to vida home confidential housing facility to human trafficking survivors; 3) provide access to the 24/7 crisis response hotline; 4) provide access to trauma-informed wrap-around services, ensuring personalized support in reclaiming government identification, crisis counseling, legal support, financial literacy training, and connection to free medical and mental health treatment; 5) develop human trafficking 101 training, including technology-based predation and abuse and online recruitment into trafficking; 6) deliver trauma-informed training to law enforcement, prosecutors and court staff, the juvenile justice system, school teachers and administrators, and healthcare providers, including youth organizations and community centers, and youth homeless services personnel; and 7) develop and deliver the tell your friends curriculum training with assistance from youth with lived experience as survivors of human trafficking to middle school and high school high-risk youth. The project addresses the OVW priority to advance equity and tribal sovereignty and expand economic justice and financial advocacy for survivors and the program-specific priority of technology abuse. The timing for performance of this award is 36 months.