In January 2021, restore released a road to recovery report outlining actionable pivots and emerging best practices from nine leading anti-trafficking service providers across urban settings in the United States where trafficking is prevalent. The purpose of the report is to share the ways in which service delivery and organizational strategy are being adapted in the anti-trafficking field to respond to covid-19.Following this report, restore was invited by the presidents interagency task force to monitor and combat trafficking in persons senior policy operating group to present findings from our road to recovery report on February 24th. Subsequently, restore was invited by the state departments office to monitor and combat trafficking in persons to advise their policy work on mask and vaccine protocols for survivors of trafficking during the pandemic. On March 18th, restore and its partner new life community health center presented to the international programs advisor and program assistant recommendations related to these medical care requests.In response to these presentations, we received word in May 2021 from the president's task force for human trafficking that the department of state has implemented, as a result of the report and our recommendations, u.S. Foreign assistance by way of direct cash assistance/vouchers to survivors of trafficking through an emergency victim assistance program.Client servicesin 2021, restore received 477 referrals and identified 63% of referrals who had not yet been identified as survivors of human trafficking. Restore served 255 clients in our core services and had 11,838 points of contact with survivors. Restore served 199 clients in case management with 1,132 hours of case management and 42 clients in counseling with 415 hours of counseling. Clients completing case management and counseling services on average had an 18% increase in mental wellbeing scores at 12 months after receiving services. Restore became part of the survivor inclusion initiative. The survivor inclusion initiative is a project of the liechtenstein initiative for finance against slavery and trafficking (fast), which aims to mobilize the financial sector against modern slavery and human trafficking in accordance with target 8.7 of the United Nations sustainable development goals so survivors have access to basic banking services, such as checking and savings accounts. Restore has solidified partnerships with 3 banks so survivors have access to banking services as there are many barriers survivors experience when trying to access banking services, such as lack of identification and criminal records from their trafficking. We have assisted 29 survivors with opening up a bank account. Housingin 2021, restore served 49 clients in our housing program. Restore provided 11,713 nights of safe housing for survivors and those at risk of trafficking. Twenty-four percent of new clients to restore reported being homeless which dropped to five percent for those who engaged in restores services. Our rapid re-housing and flexible-funding service was delivered to 36 survivors and 21 child family members to secure safe, stable, independent living and 127 survivors received emergency rental assistance. Restore served 7 survivors in our transitional home and provided emergency housing via restore-specific hotel partnerships for 7 survivors. Six clients were assisted with emergency housing vouchers through HUD and 10 clients were assisted with the emergency rental assistance program (erap) through nyc funding. Restores leadership in housing includes co-chairing the shelter subcommittee on the Brooklyn human trafficking task force (bkhttf) alongside safe horizon, Brooklyn das office, and the FBI New York office. Restore was also invited to be on the domestic violence sub-committee as part of New York city continuum of care (coc). The coc oversees all HUD funding for New York city.Restore formed a new partnership with safe stays by reloshare, a platform similar to expedia that allows restore to book hotels for survivors without them needing any form of identification. Not having identification is often a barrier for survivors. When providing emergency housing in hotels, staff often have to use their identification to check in if a survivor does not have their own. This new partnership allows survivors to check in on their own. Economic empowerment (ee)in 2021, restore served 147 survivors in our economic empowerment program, and maintained mean scores for participants general satisfaction with the program above the target score of 4.0.Due to the job and business partner losses experienced during the pandemic, restore focused on re-employment of current and previous year program graduates as well as business partner re-acquisition. In 2021, 49 survivors (52% of those looking for work) were employed again, and restore acquired 17 new business partners which provided work contracts for 11 survivors. Restore expanded its entrepreneurship training service to include incubation and pro-bono partners, helping 12 survivors launch a business successfully. Five participants generated income in various industries including, the nonprofit sector, cosmetology and beauty consumer goods, and social media influencer marketing. In addition, 64 survivors were member-owners of a restore-incubated social enterprise originally launched in 2016.In September 2021, restore nycs ee program piloted a new service and awarded 14 education grants to help participants in the economic empowerment program achieve career-related goals. This education grant provided cash assistance to participants in need of financial aid to enroll in post-secondary degree programs, advanced esl classes, or earn an industry-recognized credential. Altogether, there were a total of 41 applicants.Restore also established a vocational training partnerships with streetcode academy, a non-profit organization in california bridging the digital divide and empowering people of color in technology and coding classes, and st. Nicks alliance, a nonprofit organization in Brooklyn, NY, providing paid financial services and essential worker training to low- and moderate-income earners in New York city.

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