CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Officials say a housing assistance program for survivors of human trafficking will be developed in New Hampshire with a federal grant, making it the first transitional housing of its kind in the state.
The Concord Monitor reports that a $600,000 grant will be used to sign a lease on a building in central New Hampshire and hire staff to support women escaping sex trafficking at a restorative safe house, “Brigid’s House of Hope.”
The executive director for the new program, Bethany Cottrell, said there has been a recognition for years that the biggest gap in service is housing for survivors and victims of human trafficking, and this grant is going to help identify those in need of services and allow them to transition into the community with independence. Cottrell is also the human services director for Merrimack County.
The house will have space for six women when it first opens, but the goal is to eventually support eight, and provide up to a year and a half of support.
The planning for the housing began in 2018 and was delayed by the pandemic. Jails and prisons have referred women whose involvement in the criminal justice system is linked to their histories of trauma and exploitation.
Cottrell said that Brigid’s House of Hope will eventually expand the types of support offered, including rental assistance for survivors who may not be well-suited for communal living, and help male survivors and those who have families.