My Nonprofit Reviews

I have been lead organizer for a Howard County, MD anti-human trafficking volunteer group for several years. During this time, HopeWorks has proven to be a model program for serving victims of gender-based violence and has provided emergency shelter to women who have been sex trafficked and referred to them by local law enforcement. Last March, in response to our county's increasing numbers of sex-trafficked victims, HopeWorks hired its first full-time Human Trafficking Coordinator. This person has trained HW staff to better respond to the unique needs of HT survivors, beginning with the first interview that now allows staff to more easily identify these women who many times do not self-identify as victims; they are expanding residential housing, provisioning 10 survivors in 7 months this year compared to 6 in the past 2 years; and in general are using new strategies to respond to the unique and intense needs of these clients. In addition, HopeWorks is working in the community, educating the public about human trafficking and training specialized groups such as medical personnel and are coordinating with local, regional, and state-level anti-trafficking groups. Howard County AGAST members(Advocacy Group Against Slavery & Trafficking) are so very grateful for HopeWorks' commitment to serving survivors of human trafficking.