Feds grant $2.8M to fight human trafficking in Florida

U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announced Tuesday that the Middle District of Florida has received $2,879,856 from the federal government in the fight against human trafficking.

The funding will help the state’s efforts to combat human trafficking and to provide services to trafficking victims.

“The scourge of human trafficking is the modern-day equivalent of slavery, brutally depriving victims of basic human rights and essential physical needs as it erodes their sense of dignity and self-worth,” said Attorney General William P. Barr. “The Department of Justice is relentless in its fight against the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. Working with state and local law enforcement and community victim service providers, we will continue to bring these criminals to justice and deliver critical aid to survivors.”

“These awards will assist our partners as they continue the critically important work of rescuing, recovering, and assisting victims of the heinous crime of human trafficking reclaim their lives,” said U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez. “We will continue to aggressively go after the perpetrators of these horrible crimes and support our partners and the victims, in every way possible.”

Nationally, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) awarded over $97.4 million to state, local and tribal jurisdictions, service providers and task forces all over the country, while OJP’s National Institute of Justice awarded the remaining $3.5 million to support research and evaluation on human trafficking. Awards were made to the following recipients to support efforts that combat human trafficking and/or provide services for human trafficking survivors:

· Catholic Charities, Diocese of Venice, Inc. $500,000

· Citrus Health Network, Inc. $499,995

· United Way of Pasco County, Inc. $498,000

· Goodwill Industries – Suncoast, Inc. $349,895

· Latisha’s Home Foundation Florida, LLC $350,000

· Living Above the Noise, Inc. $681,966

For a complete list of individual grant programs, award amounts, and jurisdictions that will receive funding, click here (pdf). More information about OJP and its components can be found at www.ojp.gov.