Kristi House partnered with Survivors’ Pathway to expand Human Trafficking Services

From 2021 to 2023 Kristi House operated a grant award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services with a partner to serve males, LGBTQ+ individuals and labor human trafficking victims. The announcement from 2021:

MIAMI, April 15, 2021 – Kristi House announced Survivors’ Pathway will join in partnership on its grant from the Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. Kristi House’s program for sex trafficked girls, Project GOLD, is working in collaboration with Miami-based Survivors’ Pathway to expand services to males, LGBTQ+ individuals and labor trafficking victims in their Project TEAM initiative.

Kristi House operates Project GOLD—the first and longest-running program in large Miami-Dade County dedicated to child sex trafficking. The program is based at the Project GOLD Drop-In Center, the first such site in Florida developed exclusively for underage girls overcoming trafficking and the only one in South Florida.

Established in 2010, Survivors’ Pathway is a not-for-profit organization addressing violence and exploitation as well as sex and labor trafficking in males and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender+ identifying youth and young adults who are overcoming violent crimes, particularly from the Latino community. Their center for justice provides advocacy, counseling and supportive services to thousands of individuals annually.

This partnership combines the means and expertise to expand and enhance services to young trafficking victims for whom services are currently scarce or highly limited. The goal is to provide the wrap-around services needed to facilitate survivors’ stability and resilience, and end their exploitation and trauma. Domestic trafficking victims up to 24 years old are being served by Project TEAM.

“Survivors’ Pathway is a trusted, experienced organization serving victims of severe violence,” CEO Amanda Altman said. “Their partnership on this project enables much-needed, specialized services to trafficked males and LGBT+ individuals in our community. We are so pleased to have their partnership to reach highly vulnerable populations.”

This three-year program is building upon services to some 650+ girls since Kristi House began its program for sex trafficked children in 2007. It is providing Survivors’ Pathway major support to focus direct services to male and LGBTQ+ human trafficking victims. An Evaluation Team comprised of experienced university researchers led by Dr. Stephen Ferrante is tracking project progress, objectives and outcomes.

The grant is enabling Kristi House to continue deepening its understanding of interventions and emotional healing for young human trafficking victims.

This announcement is supported by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the United States (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $359,800 with 100 percent funded by ACF/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACF/HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit the ACF website, Administrative and National Policy Requirements.