Our RISE Program in North Carolina has supported 68 human trafficking survivors through short-term or long-term aftercare since it was launched just over three years ago.
We are usually working with about 15 survivors through this program at any one time, providing trauma-informed care and support.
Staff at our RISE program work with survivors to provide both short-term and long-term care (over the course of one year). Through our short-term program, we ensure that the immediate and emergency needs of survivors are met, and also help individuals to access residential programs. We have supported 29 survivors through short-term aftercare since the RISE program began.
Meanwhile, survivors in our long-term care are supported through treatment plans, and have regular contact with a member of our team as part of their recovery. To date, we have worked with 39 individuals in their long-term recovery. We prioritize survivors’ rights, safety, wellbeing, needs and their individual hopes for the future.
One of the survivors we have supported is Marie*, who was referred to us by a domestic violence shelter.
Marie was trafficked as a child but had never received any professional support or services. This lack of aftercare meant that she had carried trauma into her adulthood. When we met her, she was struggling with poor mental health and facing time in jail.
Marie had a few key goals: to regain custody of her children, to find and maintain employment, and to move into stable housing.
Through our work with Marie, she has been able to achieve all of these goals. We have also provided therapy to help her address the trauma she was facing and the effects this was having on her life.
Maris Bey, our Clinical Program Lead in North Carolina, said: “It is so rewarding to see the positive impact of our work in people’s lives, especially when survivors are supported to achieve their goals despite so many barriers. This is just one story, but we want to celebrate all 68 of the survivors who we have worked with so far through this program. We continue to find ways to meet survivor’s individual needs, such as readmitting survivors to the program or extending time in services as needed. The relationships our staff have with the survivors we support are the backbone of what we do, and are invaluable to survivor success.”
*To protect survivors’ identities, Marie’s story is a composite of real cases from the RISE Program
