Runaway and Homeless Youth Services

This project supports efforts of local communities and organizations to develop or enhance their mentoring capacity, facilitate outreach to child victims or youth at risk (17 years old or younger) of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic sex trafficking, and increasing the availability of direct services to these youth. The population to be served is girls and boys, including LGBTQ youth who are at risk or are victims of CSE and DST. The grantees will develop or update strategies to recruit and maintain mentors to serve this population; begin or enhance efforts to identify and enroll girls and boys, including LGBTQ youth who are in need of services; and provide needed services to these youth. Grantees will join current and previously funded grantees and work with OJJDP's training and technical assistance provider to develop or enhance mentoring service models and mentor training based on best practices.

The Common Ground program will implement and enhance its mentoring program for survivors of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) and youth at-risk of experiencing DMST ages 10 to 17. The applicant’s Runaway and Homeless Youth Program currently operates a Basic Center located in the city of Royal Oak in Southeast Michigan, where they have served youth for 35 years. The goal of this project is to enhance the applicant's peer mentoring service, which is a component of Common Ground’s Basic Center Program, and develop a training model based on best practices to focus on the needs of youth ages 10-17, including LGBTQ youth, who are at-risk or are survivors of DMST. Common Ground will accomplish this goal by 1) Providing training to all staff on mentorship, working with LGBTQ youth, and working with youth survivors of DMST; 2) Providing direct services through the Sanctuary Basic Center including: a) a 24-hour shelter, b) trauma-informed counseling, c) case management, d) life-skills development, e) peer mentoring, f) Parent Support Partner Services, g) community outreach, and h) aftercare counseling/case management and follow-up care; and 3) Providing mentoring services up to 12 months. Through this project, Common Ground anticipates providing 120 youth with direct services through their Basic Center, and 30 youth with an ongoing mentoring relationship for up to 12 months. CA/NCF