Rep. Scholten Announces $1.2 Million Grant to Combat Human Trafficking in West Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (MI-03) visited Safe Haven Ministries in Grand Rapids to congratulate the dedicated staff on their recently awarded grant. The $1.2 million investment will be split to fund a joint task force between Safe Haven and the Kent County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO). The grant comes from the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime and is known as an Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking Grant. Together, Safe Haven and KCSO will collaborate to combat human trafficking – a local issue that has national implications. Rep. Scholten authored a letter of support to the Department of Justice to bolster Safe Haven’s application.

“Before serving West Michigan as your representative, I served our community as a social worker and an immigration attorney,”  said Scholten. “Throughout my career, I have helped people – particularly the most vulnerable – who were being trafficked and abused. Make no mistake, human trafficking does not always look like it does in the movies. It is happening right in front of us. We need victim advocates and resources to fight this crisis and break the cycles of violence and abuse. Safe Haven is equipped with the personnel and space to compassionately and effectively serve our most vulnerable neighbors, and with this grant and partnership with KCSO, they will be able to empower survivors.”

“It is past time that we treat each form of violence as a separate symptom, all violence is interconnected,” said Safe Haven’s CEO Rachel VerWys. “Human trafficking is a serious problem in West Michigan and across the country. With this grant, we will be working to implement Safe Haven’s effective theory of change and deploy our experienced personnel to put an end to this exploitative suffering. And by taking steps to end human trafficking, we’re making strides to reduce harm across the board.”