Not Just Surviving, but Thriving

MISSSEY is a Black-led, survivor-led, survivor-informed nonprofit organization founded in 2007 devoted to “motivating, inspiring, supporting, and serving sexually exploited youth.” MISSSEY proposes to implement the “Not Just Surviving, but Thriving” project. Its purpose is to increase the reach and availability of comprehensive, trauma-informed, culturally-relevant supportive services to help minor victims of sex trafficking in Alameda County and the San Francisco Bay Area to exit trafficking and exploitation.

Project Activities: Through this project MISSSEY will reach more trafficked youth with its trauma-informed, gender-responsive, survivor-informed and BIPOC youth-centered services. The project will provide Drop In Center services including crisis response, basic needs assistance, and connections to community resources; intensive one-on-one Transformation Coaching (case management) including specialized assessment, safety planning, life coaching, and warm referrals to our network of service partners; housing assistance; clinical therapy; and free food access.

Expected outcomes are that MISSSEY will have the capacity to provide direct services to at least 105 additional minor victims of trafficking per year (serving 315 new unduplicated individuals over the 3 year grant period) who it would not otherwise serve.

Intended beneficiaries are minor girls and gender-expansive youth who are survivors of sex trafficking, ages 12-18, many of whom also experience labor trafficking. Black girls make up the majority of trafficked youth in Oakland, and 87% of MISSSEY’s clients are African American. Nearly all come from high-poverty neighborhoods, and last year, 85% of MISSSEY’s clients lacked stable housing.

Four community partners are subrecipients on this project. Dream Youth Clinic will provide health care to clients referred by MISSSEY, and refer trafficked young people to MISSSEY for assessment and services. Justice At Last will accept referrals to provide legal services to MISSSEY clients. Urban University will provide job readiness training and job placement to pregnant and parenting MISSSEY clients. The San Francisco Coalition Against Human Trafficking (SFCAHT) will refer young victims of trafficking to MISSSEY who call its 24/7 Human Trafficking Hotline.