Dutchess County Task Force Against Human Trafficking

(Dutchess County, New York)

The mission of the task force is to prevent human trafficking by working collaboratively to raise knowledge and awareness in our county, to identify potential victims, and to provide comprehensive trauma-informed services. Give Way to Freedom is an active member of the task force; Courtney Albert is a member of the steering committee and chair of the training subcommittee.

Give Way to Freedom has again been awarded, for 2019, the contract and associated Safe Harbour funding, by the Dutchess County Department of Community and Family Services, to organize and facilitate trainings on human trafficking throughout the county. Several introductory levels as well as more in-depth specialized trainings are provided for service providers, corrections and parole officers, medical providers, students, law enforcement, and community members have already begun and will continue throughout the county. Give Way to Freedom continues to create and update an Introduction to Human Trafficking presentation for Dutchess County and facilitates a train the trainer training for other taskforce members.

Courtney Albert provides case consultation on human trafficking cases throughout the county and provides trauma-focused mental health counseling to survivors if requested.

• 2018 & 2017 Give Way to Freedom was awarded the safe harbor contract funding by the Dutchess County Department of Community and Family Services to organize & facilitate trainings. In 2018, Give Way to Freedom provided training to over 450 people in Dutchess County: introductory trainings to 165 providers, community-level training to 109 individuals, and more in-depth skill-building trainings to 182 professionals.
• In 2016, Give Way to Freedom collaborated with The Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie to create a trauma-informed youth screening tool.
• Give Way to Freedom was a key partner in the creation, distribution, and analysis of the Dutchess County 2015 Human Trafficking Service Provider Survey.