The coalition to abolish slavery and trafficking (cast) will provide comprehensive legal services to survivors in LOS angeles county in california

The Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs awarded a $1,066,634 Project Grant to the Coalition To Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST) under the Services for Trafficking Victims program (CFDA 16.320). The grant will enable CAST to provide comprehensive legal services to survivors of human trafficking in Los Angeles County, California over a 3-year period from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2026. Key objectives include: 1) delivering legal assistance to victims, 2) collaborating with law enforcement and service providers to identify and refer trafficking victims, and 3) conducting training for complementary providers to improve trafficking awareness and response. CAST has extensive experience working with diverse populations of trafficking victims and promoting racial equity in service delivery. The organization also serves as a sub-grantee to support survivor engagement and community outreach initiatives for other federal anti-trafficking projects.

The project goal is to ensure that cast and its partners have the capacity and skills to respond to the specialized, comprehensive legal needs of victims of all form of human trafficking in LOS angeles. The objectives are to provide comprehensive legal services to victims of human trafficking; collaborate with federal, state, and local law enforcement, local service providers, and community- and faith-based organizations to ensure trafficking victims are identified and referred for appropriate services; and conduct training for complementary service providers and pro bono partners to improve their knowledge of human trafficking and their ability to identify and respond to victims. Cast has experience working with diverse populations of trafficking victims, promoting racial equity, and contributing to access to services for communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by inequality.cast also offers extensive training to its staff on delivering services with the goal of racial equity and builds partnerships with grassroots organizations in communities of color to increase the rate of victim identification among them.