Trump Awards $35M in Grants to Help Human Trafficking Survivors
Administration to direct $35 million in aid toward housing for victims
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President Donald Trump's administration is awarding more than $35 million in grants to help survivors of human trafficking, according to reports.
The fund is being allocated through Justice Department grants to organizations that provide safe housing for victims.
The grants are being announced Tuesday at a White House event led by presidential adviser Ivanka Trump.
Attorney General Bill Barr, survivors of human trafficking, organizations that serve them, other administration officials will also be in attendance.
The $35m in Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Human Trafficking is being provided by the Office for Victims of Crime within the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs.
The fund aims to provide safe and supportive housing and services to those survivors
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The grants would be directed to 73 organizations across the U.S. to provide six to 24 months of transitional or short-term housing assistance for trafficking victims, according to Fox News.
Survivors would receive rental, utilities, or related expenses, such as security deposits and relocation costs.
The grants are also expected to provide funding for support needed to help those victims locate permanent housing, secure employment, and receive occupational training and counseling.
"In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, combating human trafficking in the U.S. and abroad is critical work," Ivanka Trump said in a statement ahead of the event, which is slated to take place Tuesday afternoon.
"DOJ's grant recipients are on the frontlines of this fight, ensuring that survivors across our country are afforded safe and stable housing and empowered with the support and resources they need to rebuild their lives.
"I am incredibly honored to join Attorney General Barr to highlight these organizations and their tireless and vital work."
Executives from organizations including Camillus House Inc., Alternatives for Girls, Jordan Community Resource Center, and the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking will appear at the event, joined by some survivors of human trafficking.
President Trump appointed a special adviser for the issue earlier this year.
During a trip to Atlanta in January to visit nonprofit groups that help victims, Ivanka Trump compared trafficking to "modern-day slavery" and said the White House is committed to ending it.
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In January, Ivanka Trump announced that the president would be proposing a $42 million budget increase for 2021 to support victims and efforts to prosecute criminals who take part in human trafficking.
Human trafficking is "believed to be" one of the largest-scale crimes in the world, with 24.9 million people trapped by human traffickers who make more than $150 billion in annual profit for the industry, Ivanka Trump said earlier this year, adding that there are no demographic limitations to human trafficking, which exploits society's most vulnerable populations like women and children.
"I signed nine pieces of legislation into law that directly prevent human trafficking, and we're just getting started," President Trump said in January.
