Youth who have been or could be human trafficked have a new place to find support in Owen Sound.
The Women’s Centre Grey Bruce Anti-Human Trafficking Program for Youth has moved to a new private location on the east side of Owen Sound.
Fund Development & Communications Manager Krystal Stukas said the program and shelter moved from 2nd Ave E in Owen Sound to a facility with more room.
"It's a much larger space that allows for growth in program and we're now able to house eight youth comfortably between the ages of 15 and 18 are at risk of being or have previously been human trafficked," she explained.
Stukas said the new shelter received a Residential Children’s Licence allowing for up to eight live-in program participants at the new location. It is a residential graduated program where participants receive supportive listening counselling, flexible programming to allow fufillment of school and work commitments, opportunities to learn valuable life skills, and goal setting through the duration of their participation in the live-in program.
"We also have meeting rooms like a private counseling room in case anyone needs to have different service providers like CAS, or different private clinical counselors come in for different meetings, she explained. "We're kind of trying to make this a really great hub for anything at risk youth or survivors of human trafficking might need."
Stukas said they originally launched the program in December 2020 thanks to some provincial funding, and they were running on limited capacity at the old rented site. She said more youth required help than expected. She said human traffickers are busy in the region.
"Geographic isolation. Volume of tourist towns in the area like Tobermory, Port Elgin and Kincardine. And the direct line into and out of the city via highways 21, 6, and 10," she continued. "It' remains an underreported crime. And Grey Bruce is definitely not immune."
Clients are referred by community partners, in consultation with police, school boards, parents or guardians. Youth can also self-refer.
"So we have a live in component of the program and it's imperative to these survivor's individual healing journeys, and they also access education around the dangers of human trafficking for those youth at risk," she pointed out. "And we also have an outreach component that serves at risk youth in the community."
She said sometimes youth from other regions need to come to the shelter to flee their home town.
"Human traffickers are drawn to young people who are vulnerable," she revealed. "So those who live in poverty or might not have a great group of friends or family around them. They lure them in with promises of love and support or friendship."
An Adopt-A-Room fundraiser is underway to help with renovations at the new location.
"We've had an adopt a room program a fundraising program going on to kind of help fund those renovation costs and we've hit $112,000 of our $150,000 goal which is amazing," exclaimed Stukas.
Anyone interested in helping can email donations@thewomenscentre.org or visit thewomenscentre.org/adoptaroom. If you are interested in learning more about AHT programming and admissions, visit www.thewomenscentre.org/aht.
If you are a young person who feels unsafe or are experiencing abuse, call or text the 24/7 crisis line 226-668-0357 or email youthresidence@thewomenscentre.org. For emergency situations, call 9-1-1.