Civil Legal Services to Victims of Human Trafficking

The Legal Project will continue to provide civil legal services to victims of human trafficking. The purpose is to continue its history of providing trauma informed, victim centered civil legal services to labor and sex trafficking victims in the Great Capital Region of New York State (11 counties: Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Washington, and Warren). Project activities will include trauma-informed legal consultations for trafficking victims; new and ongoing legal representation of trafficking victims; outreach to community organizations; providing continuing legal education programming, participation in community coalition meetings, working with pro bono attorneys, and hiring a full time bi-lingual paralegal. Expected outcomes include continuation and expansion of its trauma-informed, victim-centered legal consultation and representation of trafficking victims in immigration, family law, landlord tenant, and other civil legal services; community engagement and education; training for attorneys law enforcement, and community partners on the dynamics of human trafficking; outreach and engagement with community partners on the dynamics of human trafficking; and outreach and engagement with community partners and providers for the purpose of enhancing existing coalitions and referrals for labor and trafficking victims in the service area. The intended beneficiaries of the project are Albany and the 10 surrounding counties, many of which have high poverty rates and are rural. Vulnerable populations to be served include immigrants, farmworkers, and individuals with limited English proficiency making them more susceptible to trafficking, particularly labor trafficking. The Legal Project's