Love Never Fails: East Contra Costa Program Expansion
Like far too many other locales around the world, East Contra Costa County is home to a number of human trafficking victims and survivors, who often lack the support services they need to restore their lives. Love Never Fails (LNF) is an organization dedicated to changing that dynamic by empowering “all people to express and experience their best sense of humanity by restoring, educating and protecting those who are human trafficked and their communities.”
LNF already had a presence in Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, and Sacramento counties when it approached the John Muir Community Health Fund (CHF) with a plan for also addressing the needs of human trafficking victims and survivors in East Contra Costa County. To help, the CHF provided LNF with a 12-month annual program grant of $79,150 so it could begin its work in collaboration with the Family Justice Center. When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, LNF had to adapt its initial plan and largely conduct its work remotely. Nevertheless, in 2020 LNF was able to:
- Hire a full time Senior Program Manager
- Execute an MOU with the East County Family Justice Center
- Make connections with more than 20 community-based organizations
- Shift from street outreach to virtual outreach to reach hundreds of East Contra Costa County victims of human trafficking, and provide wraparound services to 240 of them
- Participate in Project Roomkey at Motel 6 in Pittsburg, which has provided 200 “Welcome” toiletry kits that helped LNF connect with many victims of human trafficking
- In partnership with Tri Delta, launch a 12-week Human Trafficking Bus Campaign to bring awareness of the human trafficking issue in East Contra Costa County
In 2021, the CHF continued to support implementation of the LNF strategic plan, by providing $70,000 to support the hiring of a part-time Outreach Coordinator to work with the Senior Program Manager. This will enable LNF to continue to strengthen its presence in the county and expand its outreach, education programs and services. Moreover, its initial efforts have enabled LNF to secure or be in negotiations to secure an additional $217,800 for programmatic expenses from approved and pending private foundation grants and public support, including the Contra Costa County Workforce Development Board, the Contra Costa County Office of Education, Los Medanos College Foundation and Antioch Community Foundation.
That support helped LNF successfully meet its goals for 2021, including hiring the Outreach Coordinator who delivered in-person outreach and direct services at the Motel 6 and Executive Inn. In addition, LNF continued to conduct many of its activities in virtual formats, due to the ongoing pandemic. The activities included:
- Increasing human trafficking awareness by:
- Launching additional media campaigns
- Providing human trafficking education classes to 25 youth at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Contra Costa County
- Providing human trafficking education to 25 educators and after school providers
- Increasing community outreach and direct services by
- Strengthening relationships with the Family Justice Center, Antioch Community Foundation, John Muir Health, and Alliance to End Abuse
- Continuing to conduct virtual outreach to victims of human trafficking and provide referrals to counseling, case management, housing and other services as needed
- Implementing workforce development programs that can help victims and potential victims, by providing:
- LNF IT Business classes and paid apprenticeships to 100 East Contra Costa residents, funded by Contra Costa County Health Services
- COVID-19 unemployment technology training to 40 clients
- STS Academy ASSET IT classes for seven at-risk students
- Career assessments and digital literacy classes to 20 Motel 6 residents
- LNF IT Business classes and paid apprenticeships to 100 East Contra Costa residents, funded by Contra Costa County Health Services
For 2022, LNF’s final year of support from the CHF, the organization aims to build on its established presence in East Contra Costa County. With the Senior Program Manager and Outreach Coordinator now embedded into the organization’s general operating budget, LNF intends to add a Case Manager position, seeded by $40,000 in funding from the CHF, to provide trauma-informed case management services to clients and provide programmatic continuity between LNF staff and community partners. Additional key activities and goals for 2022 include:
- Building and retaining partnerships throughout Contra Costa County
- Continuing community outreach and providing direct services including distributing wellness kits at outreach events and wrap-around services to Executive Inn residents
- Navigating clients to support services
- Continuing IT Business classes
- Participating in Contra Costa County Multidisciplinary Case Review Team meetings
- Partnering with Contra Costa County Probation to target youth in Juvenile Hall
LNF will support the costs associated with the Case Management position by embedding that role in the organization’s operating budget. Additionally, the organization has garnered significant financial support for its programmatic expenses from Contra Costa County Probation and Health Services departments.