They are a vulnerable population: survivors of domestic abuse and human trafficking.
Victims can be male or female, and they come from every cultural and socioeconomic background. To help them escape abusive situations, experts agree that providing emergency shelter is not enough, and that survivors need services to help them become independent, heal and move on.
Here are agencies that provides services to those affected by domestic violence or human trafficking:
The Lodge
The Lodge offers a 50-bed emergency shelter for female domestic abuse victims and children in Miami-Dade.
Male victims are sheltered in a hotel and are offered the same services as female victims, said Angela Diaz-Vidaillet, CEO of The Lodge.
A new shelter to be completed in 2020 will add 60 beds in South Miami, as well as a pet shelter. The shelter helps about 500 people a year.
The Lodge also assists abuse victims with court advocacy, helping them secure restraining orders through three attorneys funded by the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Advocates also work with child protection investigators to help keep children with parents. In the shelter, there is a children’s program and in-house counseling through partnerships with other community agencies.
A grant helps pay for transitional housing for eligible clients, covering six months to 24 months rent on a sliding scale so survivors can get back on their feet.
Advocacy and therapeutic referrals are available to anyone who needs help, not just shelter residents, Diaz-Vidaillet said. “A lot of these women don’t have a place to go when there is domestic violence. Our court system and law enforcement does not necessarily hold perpetrators accountable, and the amount of work that someone has to do to prove that there was domestic violence is extraordinary,” she said.
“A lot of times victims don’t come forward in domestic violence cases, because they don’t want to hurt the man. Why? Because he’s the father.”
https://www.thelodgemiami.org
305-693-1170
Miami-Dade County shelters
The Miami-Dade County Violence Intervention and Prevention Services for Families division provides a variety of services for domestic abuse victims. It helped 9,069 people in the past year.
Domestic Violence Outreach Units are located in courthouses and offer advocacy to help victims with protective orders, relocation assistance, safety planning and referrals.
“Whatever the situation, whatever the victim needs, whether it’s helping to get the electric bill paid or therapy assistance, we can help navigate the process,” said Ivon Mesa, administrator in charge of Violence Intervention and Prevention Services for Families.
The Coordinated Victims Assistance office is a one-stop shop, a family justice center that is the only one of its kind in Florida, Mesa said. The county has partnered with 40 agencies to offer services including advocacy, immigration assistance, legal services, emergency food and clothing and therapy, among other needs.
The county operates two emergency shelters called Safespace Shelter North, which has 54 beds, and Safespace Shelter South, which has 51 beds. The shelters offer up to eight weeks of assistance to get victims out of a crisis and include food, diapers and other necessities.
Two apartment buildings offer transitional housing for up to two years for eligible victims. Offering 54 units in one facility and 90 units in another, recipients must have some type of income. Assistance is available to help victims apply for jobs and food stamps, and to assist them in independent living.
“These services are important, because it can make a difference in a victim leaving abuse or having to escape an abusive relationship. We have to understand their basic fundamental needs: providing food for their children, making sure their children are safe,” Mesa said.
“Without these services, they wouldn’t be able to do this own their own. They would have to stay in an abusive relationship because their children need a roof over their heads.”
https://www.miamidade.gov/socialservices/care-violence-victims.asp Coordinated Victims Assistance: 305-285-5900
Women in Distress
Women in Distress in Broward County operates one of the oldest and largest emergency shelters for domestic abuse victims, both women and men, in the state.
The 132-bed shelter helped 731 victims and children this past year. Its 24-hour crisis line fielded 27,000 calls. Services also include advocacy for children and adults, alone and in groups, an educational component in schools and a financial empowerment program. Services are offered in multiple languages.
“We help survivors with financial literacy, how to find a job, how to build a resume. The idea is to equip people with the skills they need to get on with the chapter in their life that’s free of violence,” said Mary Riedel, Women in Distress president and CEO.
“Financial abuse of a survivor is a big factor. Emotional, verbal, financial and sexual abuse are all factors. In many cases for survivors, work or education has been interrupted. They haven’t had access because of the abuse. In many cases they are starting over.”
In October, Women in Distress opened a pet shelter at its emergency shelter because many victims stay in abusive situations rather than leave their pets. “It’s about keeping families together and safe,” Riedel said.
The agency has six attorneys who work with survivors to secure restraining orders and offer legal assistance. Last year, they helped 438 survivors. Three advocates work with child protective teams.
“Domestic violence touches everyone, though some more directly than others. It’s a crime, a public safety issue, a children’s issue, a workplace issue. It crosses all ethnic and socioeconomic lines,” Riedel said.
https://www.womenindistress.org
954-761-1133
Kristi House
Kristi House, which helps sexually abused children, aims to provide a stable, supportive influence for female human trafficking victims ages 12 to 18 through Project Gold. It is primarily an after-school program.
“We bring them there to provide structure and to keep them busy,” said Claudia Kitchens, CEO of Kristi House in Miami-Dade.
There are fun activities, tutoring and therapeutic services, including survivor-led group counseling and survivor mentoring, followed by a group dinner in the converted home that houses the program.
“The young women and our staff sit around a large table and we eat dinner together every night,” Kitchens said.
Project Gold has two vans that pick the young women up from school, home or foster home for the after-school program. Staff members also lend support for court, school and medical needs.
“We kind of work like a safety net,” Kitchens said. “We try to be all encompassing.”
The girls often have turbulent home lives and most were sexually abused as children, she said. Many are dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse and school problems.
Clients are typically referred by law enforcement or the Department of Children and Families. Project Gold helps about 20 to 25 girls a month, Kitchens said.
“We give them a safe, nurturing place to come to. We have requirements and we have expectations, and the girls have life plans that they’re working on,” she said. “We do all of those things to structure growth and development.
“But the other thing we give them is pretty much unconditional love.” http://www.kristihouse.org
305-547-6800
No More Tears
No More Tears, a nonprofit with an all-volunteer staff, offers a variety of services to domestic violence and human trafficking victims in South Florida, from emergency shelter to transitional housing to educational skills and medical care.
“We are typically not the first responders. We are the second responders,” said No More Tears founder Somy Ali. “The void we fill is if the big shelters don’t have a bed, they’ll call us.”
Emergency shelter could be in the form of a bed in a private home of a volunteer or a hotel room. Then Ali goes into action through social media to her extensive network of supporters, asking for food, bedding, clothing, even baby items.
“People are more likely to donate household goods and food rather than funds,” she said.
Ali, a former Bollywood actress, feels a keen kinship to survivors. Born in Pakistan, she witnessed domestic abuse growing up and was sexually abused by house staff members at age 5.
After moving to the United States, Ali founded No More Tears in 2007, initially to help immigrant women in arranged marriages who were being abused. Over the years, her reach has expanded to men and women seeking to escape abusive situations.
Depending on the need, No More Tears supplies rental assistance for an apartment, help with looking for a job, classes to develop job skills, driving lessons, legal assistance or medical care.
A network of attorneys, physicians, dentists and psychologists provide free or reduced-cost assistance that No More Tears pays to secure. No More Tears helps about 12 victims a month, and thanks to its extensive volunteer network, every dollar that is donated goes directly to the cause.
“It’s not just about giving them a bed,” Ali said. “It’s about helping them become independent so they don’t end up back on the street.”
https://nomoretearsusa.org
954-324-7669
Victim Advocates
The Miami-Dade Police Department’s Special Victims bureau offer Victim Advocates to help not only crime victims filing a police report, but anyone looking for services for victims of domestic abuse, human trafficking and sexual abuse.
Advocates are the link between victims and services available to them, said Elke Perez, a victim advocate.
“I can connect them with community, local, state and national resources, depending on the needs,” she said. “But primarily, it’s a follow-up contact after the incident to do crisis intervention and assessment for needs.”
Perez, one of four victim advocates, helped about 65 people in the past month. Planning for safety is part of the assistance offered, she said.
“Sometimes they’re not aware of what things to consider in a safety plan if they are still in a domestic violence situation and they’re trying to leave,” Perez said. “A lot of our work is education, awareness and safety planning.”
305-715-3300 svbinfo@mdpd.com
Project Phoenix
Project Phoenix at Camillus House in Miami provides emergency shelter for human trafficking victims ages 18 and older, including medical, substance abuse and therapeutic services in a 16-bed residential unit.
Project Phoenix’s holistic approach, which begins with a safe place to live, focuses on trauma recovery therapy, substance abuse treatment, social and life skills training and vocational development.
https://www.camillus.org
(305) 374-1065
THRIVE Clinic
THRIVE Clinic at UHealth, which stands for Trafficking Healthcare Resources and Interdisciplinary Victim Services and Education, is a medical clinic and outreach center to help human trafficking victims, including medical, psychological, education and job skills assistance with its community partners.
http://obgyn.med.miami.edu/research/thrive-clinic
305-243-1046
This story was originally published October 25, 2018 7:30 AM.