New Program for Survivors of Human Trafficking
Last Fall, United Way of Pasco County (UWPC) President and CEO, Charles Anderson, announced that the agency was awarded a grant from the United States Department of Justice, Office of Victims and Crimes to assist survivors of human trafficking.
The 3-year $498,000 grant will be used to provide direct service case management to adult men and woman who are survivors of sex, and labor human trafficking in all the Tampa Bay region.
According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Florida consistently ranks 3rd among the rest of the states for the highest call volume to the hotline. In addition, Tampa is a major hub for transportation of international and domestic goods, wealthy buyers, and host to major events, a perfect breeding ground for traffickers. These factors, among others, have created a massive need for services specifically for survivors of human trafficking.
Clients in the program will be able to receive assistance related to rent payments, utility bills, security deposits, and relocation cost. Clients will also be able access any needed wrap around services including but limited to, legal assistance, mental, physical, and internal health, job placement, education, substance abuse recovery, and family reunification.
Working directly with the clients will be UWPC’s new Intensive Case Manager, Ben Ortberg. Mr. Ortberg has a long history of working within the human trafficking field. As a law enforcement officer for local and federal police he encountered many cases involving victims of human trafficking. Most recently to joining the UWPC team, Mr. Ortberg was a domestic violence and human trafficking advocate. In his role he was responsible for assisting clients get the wrap-around services they needed including but limited to legal aid. One of Mr. Ortberg’ s main duties were to accompany the client to court and be a liaison between the lawyers and judges and the client. Mr. Ortberg graduated from Colorado Technical University, earning a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice.
The UWPC housing program is overseen and directed by the agency’s President and CEO Charles Anderson. Mr. Anderson has over 30 years’ experience in the health and human services industry and in non-profits. Prior to his time at UWPC, Mr. Anderson oversaw a human trafficking housing program at Catholic Charites, Diocese of Venice. In this program, clients were beneficiaries of free long-term housing and wrap around services.
The goal and objective of the UWPC housing program is to offer safe housing for survivors and their families along with linking survivors to other wrap around services. The UWPC Human Trafficking Housing Program is structured to offer short term (3-6 months) and long-term housing (6-24 months). UWPC will be working with a vetted network of health and human services agencies and local law enforcement to receive client referrals and to link survivors to wrap around services. Survivors and their loved one can also access the program by calling the UWPC hotline 2-1-1 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline 1-888-373-7888.
UWPC plans to officially open its doors to the program in a couple of weeks. The agency plans to host a virtual open house for all interested parties. Please visit the agency’s website https://www.unitedwaypasco.org/fighting-human-trafficking-program for the latest information. For specific questions about the program please contact Ben Ortberg at bortberg@unitedwaypasco.org.
Media Contact:
Laura Knight,
727- 247-2499