IRC in Turlock, Anti-Trafficking Housing Assistance Program PA 2

The International Rescue Committee, Inc. in Turlock (IRC), in partnership with the Alliance for Community Transformations (AFCT),will provide housing assistance and optional case management services for 50 victims of labor, sex, and other forms of human trafficking in California’s Central Valley. Target counties will be the rural and partially rural counties of Stanislaus, Merced, Mariposa, Tuolumne, and Mono. Funding will offer survivors new pathways to housing, with options to work towards economic independence, health, safety, and integration in their communities of choice.  IRC Turlock will appoint a full-time Housing Navigator to work directly with clients, and establish and train community stakeholders in developing coordinated responses and referral systems for survivors. IRC Turlock’s housing model will include emergency housing assistance through shelter placements, and rent and basic needs short-term assistance. Optional support services include access to state/federal benefits, job readiness training, mental health, medical care, legal services, and community integration. To strengthen the capacity of local housing and service partners to provide victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally-responsive care, IRC Turlock will lead 30 trainings with 350 stakeholders across all five counties to identify barriers to housing, and to develop coordinated response protocols for victim identification and referrals. Further to this goal, IRC Turlock will steward five new partnerships, join 1-2 homeless prevention coalitions to expand housing options and services, and conduct eight meetings annually with new landlords and five per year with established landlords and property agencies to facilitate placement of clients in homes of their own.