In September 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) entered into an interagency agreement to develop an initiative to address the housing needs of human trafficking victims. This agreement created an Interagency Working Group, which included the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Victims and Crime (OVC), HUD and other agencies, which met during 2018 to assist with the development of the initiative. Valuable information was also gathered from listening sessions with stakeholders and survivors. During the summer of 2019, HUD released the Specialized Housing and Services for Victims of Human Trafficking Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). However, HUD and OVC have since concluded that OVC is now well positioned to lead the administration of this DOJ housing program for trafficking victims. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused, and we appreciate the time and work that communities have offered to better serve victims of human trafficking and people experiencing homelessness.
On Tuesday, December 3, 2019, OVC released the FY 2020 NOFA for Housing Assistance for Victims of Human Trafficking (Grants.gov: Opportunity number OVC 2020-17755). HUD encourages communities to work with organizations serving human trafficking survivors to explore housing challenges for this population and consider applying for this program. HUD is committed to continuing its work with DOJ and HHS to address the needs of trafficking survivors. |
