In Pursuit of Possibilities

In Pursuit of Possibilities…to end human trafficking.

In an ever-changing world, succeeding in the work of anti-human trafficking needs flexibility and ingenuity – relying on the latest trends, data, and best practices of survivor leaders and organizations to lead our work, thinking out of the box to create the largest impact possible, and understanding strong relationships with collaborative partners are essential to help a victim of human trafficking, truly. And that collaborative approach isn’t complete without YOU.

Donors and sponsors are critical in keeping the work going. Your financial investment in FEE is providing resources and advocates to victims, engaging subject matter experts and survivor leaders for guidance, and ensuring that training for community members and system professionals are up to date and available at little to no cost.

So In the Pursuit of Possibilities, FEE believes that by addressing the largest problems, we believe we can make the most effective changes in the communities we serve. When FEE began almost ten years ago as a conversation, the goal was to understand the problem first and then work to find solutions using available resources. Today, FEE continues to take the same collaborative approach to find solutions to break down barriers.

So we asked ourselves, what can FEE do in the fight against human trafficking? Given our resources, what are the possibilities to invoke change? Disrupt the status quo?

What if we prevented trafficking before it even started?

Traffickers rely on past trauma and vulnerabilities in their victims. Partnering with other organizations ensures that access to healthy and safe relationship information and exploitation education is accessible to all teens in order to understand how their vulnerabilities are used in the grooming process. FEE provides updated, customized training to students and educators, creates awareness of available resources, and provides outreach on social media, where teens spend their time. Because youth who run away is identified as one of the highest risk factors for being trafficked, FEE is developing and leading a Runaway Task Force, to create a multi-disciplinary approach to identifying gaps in services and creating intervention tactics for chronic runaways. Intervention is critical to reducing victimization.

What if we could ensure that essential services are available to all survivors of human trafficking?

Even when resources are available, they are not accessible to the most vulnerable and marginalized community members. FEE commits to focusing on the equity gaps in human trafficking victim resources by working with partner agencies to ensure that all citizens are aware of and have access to information, resources, advocates, and programs that can be critical to survival.

What if we were able to fill in the gaps for survivors financially during critical stages?

Funding can take time, requires disclosure, or is unavailable to many victims of human trafficking. Essential services, such as safe housing and available shelter beds, can be complicated and unpredictable, especially with COVID restrictions. FEE bridges the gap by providing necessary funding for; medication expenses, transportation to out-of-state HT-specific programs, temporary shelter, and necessities such as food, gas, clothing, and toiletries on a case-by-case basis.