The central purpose of these cooperative agreements is to increase the identification and protection of human trafficking victims in the United States and to increase public awareness about human trafficking. The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) seeks to accomplish this purpose by awarding cooperative agreements to organizations that will serve as regional focal points for an intensification of local outreach to and identification of victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons. Each successful applicant will be required to lead or actively participate in a community-led effort within a state to bring together and leverage local resources to address human trafficking in a region such as a Rescue & Restore Coalition or law enforcement task force ("coalition"). Also, each successful applicant must sub-award at least 60 percent of grant funds received to local organizations that can identify and/or work with victims of human trafficking. A successful applicant must be the planner, fiscal agent, monitor, and technical assistance provider for the sub-awardees. The grant recipient may retain no more than 40 percent of the grant award. ORR seeks to award one cooperative agreement per geographic area for a period of three years. The Director of ORR will give priority to geographic locations with reported high incidence of human trafficking. The Director of ORR may give priority consideration to applications that demonstrate three or more years of experience in identifying and assisting both sex and labor trafficking victims, making service referrals for trafficking victims, providing referrals to law enforcement, and providing technical assistance and trainings on human trafficking.
Objectives of this program are:
(1) To increase the number of adult and minor foreign national, U.S. citizen and lawful permanent resident victims of trafficking who are identified and connected to their respective service delivery systems, which may include the National Human Trafficking Resource Center and HHS issuance of Certification (adults) and the Eligibility Letter or Interim Assistance Letter (children). The primary applicant must establish, in coordination with its proposed sub-awardees, realistic and achievable numerical targets for each of the following: the number of victims identified; the number of victims referred to service providers; and the number of victims who receive Certification, Eligibility or Interim Assistance Letters as a result of grantee's or its sub-awards' efforts (for victims who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents). Continuation funding for years two and three will be contingent upon the applicant's ability to meet targets identified. Each primary applicant must include information on its past record of identifying foreign and domestic victims; obtaining Certification, Eligibility or Interim Assistance Letters for foreign victims; and providing referrals of victims to or receiving victim referrals from both law enforcement agencies and service providers. In addition, if an applicant was previously awarded Federal anti-trafficking grants or contracts, it must describe the purpose of the award and the results achieved with Federal funding;
(2) To lead or actively participate in a local, regional and/or state-wide anti-trafficking coalition that may include State or local government personnel, such as the State Refugee Coordinator; community health officials; local service providers; community-based organizations; ethnic organizations; law enforcement officials; family court and juvenile justice officials; victims of crime; and others working collaboratively to end trafficking in their community. Award recipients who lead anti-trafficking coalitions must ensure coalition membership includes representatives from relevant sectors of the community and plan and execute training opportunities for coalition members. Award recipients who lead anti-trafficking coalitions must provide target numbers for membership objectives, members' anti-trafficking outreach and public awareness activities, and for training opportunities for coalition members. Applicants should provide letters of support from relevant law enforcement agents in the geographic region. If an applicant does not lead the coalition, it must obtain letters of support from the coalition leader or other coalition members;
(3) To build capacity by providing training and technical assistance on human trafficking to local organizations. Applicants must establish target numbers for numbers of persons trained in social service agencies and law enforcement agencies who are not members of the coalition. In addition, applicants must demonstrate knowledge of the TVPA and the federal definition trafficking in persons. Applicants are encouraged to provide training to the following sectors: social service organizations (including runaway shelters, homeless shelters, substance abuse treatment centers, domestic violence organizations and shelters, sexual assault responders and organizations dealing with women issues); schools; faith-based organizations and congregations; ethnic and mutual assistance organizations; legal services organizations; social service agencies dealing with child victims of crime; public health entities (including emergency room staff, clinic staff, family planning clinics, crisis pregnancy centers and schools of public health and social work); Government officers (including local, State, law enforcement, ACF regional offices and consulates); immigration organizations; business/labor organizations; transportation industry; juvenile justice systems; and child welfare agencies;
(4) To build capacity by providing financial assistance (via sub-awarding 60 percent of funds) and training and technical assistance to existing local organizations that can identify and/or work with victims of human trafficking. Sub-awardees must be knowledgeable about human trafficking and well-positioned in the community so that they can conduct awareness of human trafficking and/or identify victims of human trafficking. Sub-awardees are not required to have previous anti-trafficking experience, but must be able to contribute to the applicant's goals and expected results. The applicant must include in the application the name of each proposed sub-awardee organization and include as an attachment a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or a signed letter of intent and draft sub-award agreement with a detailed description of the sub-awardee's activity and how its work will contribute to the project objectives;
(5) To educate the public about the dangers of human trafficking, how to identify victims, and the protections that are available for victims. Applicants are encouraged to use Rescue & Restore campaign messages and materials. Activities may include demand reduction strategies, such as the development and dissemination of information and education materials targeted to the potential beneficiaries, users, or purveyors of labor or commercial sexual activities provided by or as a result of activities by victims of trafficking. Applicants must provide target numbers for numbers of people reached during public awareness activities; and,
(6) To create a Regional Promising Practices Compendium that ORR may make available to the human trafficking community via the Internet. This compendium should include promising practices and lessons learned, including those specific to the region, regarding victim identification, law enforcement collaboration, service provision, coalition growth and sustainability, working with sub-awards, and public awareness and outreach activities. This compendium should cover the hands-on anti-trafficking work being conducted in the region and the direct experiences of the applicant and its sub-recipients. The recipient must first submit the compendium to ORR within 30 days of the conclusion of the first year of the project, and submit updated versions at the end of the second and third years.