NSPN Member and Licensed Safe Place Agency, Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development, Works to End Human Trafficking
Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development, Arizona Partnership to End Domestic Trafficking
How long has your agency provided RHY services?
Tumbleweed has been providing homeless and runaway services since 1974. Tumbleweed was awarded the Demonstration Domestic Trafficking grant on October 1, 2014. The Arizona Partnership to End Domestic Trafficking has been in providing trafficking specific services and community efforts for 15 months.
Which RHY funded programs do you currently operate?
Our trafficking specific program is funded by the FYSB 2014 Demonstration Grant for Domestic Trafficking. We also have a Basic Center and Transitional Living Program.
Briefly describe your service area:
Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development work with runaway and homeless youth age 12-25. Our partner agencies provide services for homeless youth and young adults and individuals who have experience trafficking age 18 and older.
What are some of the aspects of your DVHT program that you would highlight as successful?
The Arizona Partnership to End Domestic Trafficking combines three direct service agencies, along with a legal provider and two training and education agencies. The direct services agencies are able to leverage each other’s services if a client might need alternative placements, services and/or access to additional programs one might offer. Within the Partnership, we can follow best practice and keep a trauma-informed lens by being able to share information with the client’s consent to avoid client re-traumatization and provide more streamlined services access agencies. This has been a success that impacts our clients, case managers and improves program development by having a vast understand of our clients’ needs. Another success is our capacity to train, with our trainer Dr. Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, the Arizona Partnership to End Domestic Trafficking has trained 682 professionals and community members in the first year on human trafficking.
What are some of the challenges you have faced as an RHY grantee serving victim-survivors of human trafficking?
Our clients are homeless and extremely vulnerable to traffickers. Our client’s desire to achieve stability; however the process can be lengthy and can face many challenges. Many of our clients are in intimate relationships with their traffickers, experience domestic violence and have years of traumatic experiences that impact their ability to function in traditional educational and vocational programs. For some of our clients, the reliance on supportive services to meet their basic needs have been immense while establishing stability. Finally, the need for counseling services was an initial barrier as many clients do not have health care or even identification making the process complex and often frustrating for clients.
Please share a short story of success, keeping in mind the confidentiality of all involved:
Sarah* arrived at Tumbleweed’s day resource center in February 2015. She had been trafficked through strip clubs and ended up in Arizona to reconnect with her birth family. She found herself homeless and being exploited. She was able to leave the life of trafficking shortly after being able to get into a shelter for young adults. Sarah has accessed our Learning Center, job skills development programs and regularly attended our Sex Trafficking Awareness and Recovery group while in the shelter. With the assistance of this grant, Sarah’s case manager connected her to our legal provider as she had concerns about warrants for her arrest in other states. With the knowledge provided about her criminal record she is moving forward toward applying for a finger print clearance card. After residing in our shelter for a couple months, she was able to move into her own place with the assistance of our program. In November 2015, she received multiple job offers, has been working full time and is able to pay a portion of her rent and bills.
*Name and some dates where changed
What information or experience would you be willing to share with other grantees?
The Arizona Partnership to End Domestic Trafficking hosted a Trafficking Summit in 2015 and is planning another for 2016; we created supportive materials available for distribution to assist in training and education. We are happy to share our documentation, flyers and program development to agencies!
What information would be helpful for you to receive from other grantees?
We believe it is important to understand other programs developed for trafficking victims, what is going well and obstacles. We would love more information on engaging domestic labor trafficking victims.
How does your organization address Human Trafficking?
Our case managers are trained on sex and labor trafficking to help identify signs, techniques for engagement and how to assist victims of trafficking. We provide educational materials developed by Arizona State University and the Blue Campaign to agencies in Pima and Maricopa County to distribute. We table at events including victim services, LBGTQ events and host our own Summit to engage the community on learning about human trafficking in our community.
To learn more about Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development, please visit: www.tumbleweed.org
Contact Name: Melissa Brockie, MSW, Director of Health and Wellness
Phone Number: 602-741-7353
Email: [email protected]
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