BILL WOOLF: Human trafficking is compelling another person to engage in either commercial sex or forced unfair labor.
SUSAN WILLIAMS: It's an insidious crime that is present all around us.
GONZALO MARTINEZ DE VEDIA: Human trafficking including sex and labor trafficking really can take root in any community from coast to coast urban, rural, any demographic.
BILL WOOLF: It's something that cuts across all races, ethnicities, gender, socioeconomic classes. It truly does not discriminate.
GONZALO MARTINEZ DE VEDIA: Any organization or Tribe that wants to do more on human trafficking no matter how much they've already done in the past is going to find something new at the Capacity Building Center.
BILL WOOLF: The Office for Victims of Crime is the largest federal funder of programs to combat human trafficking domestically here in the United States.
The Office for Victims of Crime oversees the Human Trafficking Capacity Building Center.
SUSAN WILLIAMS: The coaching the mentoring, the hands-on support; these are all resources that are available to organizations and Tribes throughout the country.
ABBE HORSWILL: The Human Trafficking Capacity Building Center is a coaching and development hub …
SUSAN WILLIAMS: … to support the work of organizations in the field in order to better serve victims.
GONZALO MARTINEZ DE VEDIA: The spirit of the partnership between a local group and the Center is that they each bring their own set of knowledge to the table.
ABBE HORSWILL: When the Center receives a request for assistance we work to understand each organization’s unique goals and develop a fully customized response to help achieve them.
SAMANTHA SAMUEL: We launched our first anti-trafficking department at our agency last year. I reached out to the Center to get guidance on what programming we might be able to offer survivors.
The peer-to-peer experience really exceeded my expectations. It was important to me to be connected to agencies that were trauma informed and survivor centered and there have been agencies that I've always admired and wanted to be connected to but didn't really know how to go about doing it. It was nice to have the Center be able to bridge those connections.
BILL WOOLF: One of the exciting things about the Center is that it proactively goes out into communities to support organizations. Organizations that may not currently have access to other federal resources like grant funding.
Applying for federal funding can be a daunting task.
SUSAN WILLIAMS: The Center can work with organizations and Tribes to leverage grant funding and to provide some guidance around grants management and around financial systems.
BILL WOOLF: The Human Trafficking Capacity Building Center can serve all types of organizations working in the human trafficking field from non-profit organizations to Tribal organizations.
ABBE HORSWILL: There is no cost to work with the Center.
BILL WOOLF: It's is absolutely free.
SUSAN WILLIAMS: The coaching, the mentoring, the hands-on support these are all services that are entirely supported with federal funding.
BILL WOOLF: The Human Trafficking Capacity Building Center will work with existing organizations or Tribes to help identify where their needs are, connect them to available resources, help them navigate the various challenges based on lessons learned in the field over the past 20 years.
SAMANTHA SAMUEL: I would highly encourage other organizations to engage with the Center. I know that as a victim service provider on the ground it can feel challenging in terms of resources.
They met us where we are in our anti-trafficking program and helped us visualize where we want to go and provided us tools in feeling confident in getting there.
ABBE HORSWILL: Organizations and Tribes should contact the Center because it’s a free resource available to support their anti-trafficking efforts and help build their capacity to serve victims of human trafficking.
Many organizations are already doing a great job delivering victim services but need support around finances, partnerships, management, data collection, and other administrative and programmatic challenges. These are all areas where the Center can help.
SAMANTHA SAMUEL: I feel empowered and more equipped now to be able to have this network that I can connect to.
ABBE HORSWILL: I encourage you to contact the Center to ask questions, seek resources, talk about your capacity building goals.
We are excited and eager to help.