Bridges to the Future
Kristi House’s program to provide educational support, vocational training, jobs skills development, internships and career planning for girls overcoming sex trafficking is supported by a major grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Victims of Crime. Matching support is provided by The Children’s Trust, The Miami Foundation, The Batchelor Foundation, Regions, and other private donors.
Kristi House’s Project GOLD—the first and longest-running program in large Miami-Dade County dedicated to child sex trafficking—operates the first and only Drop-In Centers in South Florida exclusively for girls overcoming trafficking. At the Drop-In Centers, girls receive restorative services, including case management, therapy, advocacy, transportation, and educational and recreational enrichment.
Experience has demonstrated that in addition to wrap-around services, positive adults and a non-judgmental, trauma-informed, survivor-focused approach, girls need education and employment assistance to help them find paths to futures not involving trafficking.
Project GOLD Bridges to the Future addresses this vital component with one-to-one counseling, educational and vocational support and connections in the community to identify strengths, forge linkages and routes out of trafficking. Project GOLD girls in Bridges receive vocational/skills training, tutoring, financial counseling, job readiness assistance, education programs, and assistance with educational and professional certifications, internships and apprenticeships.
Staff and community specialists bring vocational and career counseling experience to the program with guidance from highly experienced university researchers and community professionals likewise dedicated to making a difference in girls’ futures. This program is building upon service to some 600 girls since Project GOLD began. In Bridges’ first four years–made possible with major support from the US Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, The Children’s Trust, and private funders–the program has logged the following achievements:
- Education sessions: 931
- Employment sessions: 813
- Internships: 9
- Jobs: 143 jobs obtained
- Graduations: 24 graduations from HS, GED, post-secondary, and certificate programs
Bridges began in 2019, and has been going strong with major support from the US Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, The Children’s Trust, and private funders. Since inception, the program has logged the following achievements:
We invite businesses and agencies in South Florida to join us in helping provide young women with on-the-job training and meaningful internships to help them forge their path out of trafficking.