Mayor's Task Force on Human Trafficking - October 25, 2017 - Minutes

Meeting Date: 
October 25, 2017 - 1:30pm
Location: 
1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Place
City Hall, Room 305
San Francisco, CA 94102

Mayor’s Task Force on Anti-Human Trafficking Meeting

October 25, 2017                              1:30-3:30pm                       City Hall, Room 305

1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Place, San Francisco, CA 94102

 

 

Attendees:

Jen Callewaert, DPH Environmental Health Branch; Victoria Chan, Advancing Justice Asian Law Caucus; Minouche Kandel, Department on the Status of Women; Elise Hansell, Department on the Status of Women; Rachael Chambers, Department on the Status of Women; Saerom Choi, APILO; Frances Byrne, Freedom House; Catie Hart; Rita Jovick, Catholic Sisters Against Trafficking; Tia Linnen, Love Never Fails; Katie Hoch, Not for Sale; Abigail Ellis, US Senator Dianne Feinstein; Antoinette Flores, DPH Environmental Health Branch; Marie Gaillac, SFCATH Interfaith; Karina Zhang, Human Services Agency; Ummra Hang, CAB Member/Runaway Girl; Rosalia Lopez, SFUSD; Cristy Dieterich, Newcomers Health Program; Alix Lutnich, RTI; Patrick Buckalow, Huckleberry House; Carly Devlin, Huckleberry Youth Programs (HART); Mei Hung, Asian Women’s Shelter (AWS); Danny East, Not for Sale; Leah Price, Tahirih Justice Center; Elisabet Medina, Safe and Sound; Mary Steiner, United Nations Association SF (UNA-USA SF); Beverly May, CAMTC; Laurel Botsford, Shared Hope International (SHI); Menaka Mohan, Katy Tang’s Office; Angie Miot-Nudel, Larkin Street; Lili Gamero, Mayor’s Office; Katherine Yoo, API Legal Outreach; Antonia Lavine, SF Collaborative on Anti Human Trafficking, National Council of Jewish Women (SFCAHT NCJW); Jackie Ortiz, SFDA/Victim Services; Delia Montiel, SFDA Victim Services

 

  1. Welcome, Introductions/Check-In, Agenda was approved [Catie Hart /Mei Hung] approve agenda

 

  1. Minutes from June 28, 2017 were approved [Frances Byrne /Leah Price]

Cristy requested that her name be corrected in minutes: spelling is Cristy Dieterich

 

  1. Strategic Planning Retreat in 2018

Attendees were asked to provide feedback regarding an upcoming Mayors Task Force Retreat, and the following data was provided:

  • 20 respondents (out of 32 attendees) indicated preferring a whole-day event, while 0 respondents indicated they wanted two half-day events.
  • Members wanted to see the following topics covered at the retreat:
    • Promoting or providing opportunities for trafficked survivors, such as job placement and paid scholarships;
    • Implementation of AB 1227 (Human Trafficking Prevention Education and Training Bill, approved Oct 7, 2017);
    • Follow up on SB 1193 (posters in establishments) outreach: enforcement strategies, establishments this pertains to, and visiting additional places of business;
    • How SB 1322 (Decriminalization/Youth Sex Work) fits within the conversation of addressing human trafficking;
    • Addressing youth trafficked from social services;
    • International Aspects of Human Trafficking;
    • Concrete Prevention Measures, improving identification in particular;
    • Legislation in prevention of human trafficking;
    • Possibilities of collaborating with other task forces (i.e. North Bay Task Force) for power mapping, policy impact, and networking;
    • Assessing unaddressed needs of survivors and beginning to address them through the actions of the Task Force;
    • Setting clear goals and objectives for the group moving forward, and including who is at the table when these discussions are happening
  • Members who have attended previously noted these successes:
    • Providing clear comparison with other jurisdictions, which provided a metric of best practices;
    • Having food at the event;
    • Brainstorming session that included assessment of goals and collaborative efforts to find solutions.
  • Members also noted what could be improved:
    • Discussion of intersections with other collaboratives, like the Family Violence Council and the DV consortium
    • Clearer information on who (individuals and agencies) are responsible for planning and implementing the goals

 

  1. Agency Presentations
  • Catie Hart, https://www.catiehart.com/
    • Personal history as a human trafficking survivor, navigated through working with law enforcement, and now looks to education projects
    • Her education centers on addressing perpetrators and/or potential perpetrators and is part of a prevention effort
    • Work involves direct engagement with counties to address state-presented mandates that have gone un or underenforced in education centers, and works especially with high school-aged individuals
    • Goals with addressing Trauma Informed literacy, planning a conversation, and understanding impact broadly
      • This includes her work “Love vs Exploitation,” which addresses dynamics of dating violence and relationships as they pertain to human trafficking (understanding boyfriends/pimps)
    • Tools that are state specific, given the situation that an individual may be in (i.e. addressing 8th grade foster care children vs college students)
    • She has additionally received a grant to explore experiences of survivors like herself and address prevention from the ground up by working with a former exploiter
    • Additionally, is doing work in collaboration with Elisabet at Safe and Sound to address youth in these systems (sex work especially)

Huckleberry Youth Programs

  • Carly Devlin, Huckleberry Advocacy and Response Team (HART)
    • Primary goal of providing services to young people who are being impacted
      • Mission Statement: “Huckleberry’s mission is to educate, inspire, and support underserved youth to develop healthy life choices, to maximize their potential, and to realize their dreams”
    • Understanding in many cases how to give someone the most options possible to address whatever issue they may be facing, and additionally understanding that troubled behavior comes in many forms, as young people may not appear to be facing trauma when they are
    • 24/7 response line that ensures that their needs are met (network)
    • There is an emphasis on meeting people “where they’re at,” including meaningful and purposeful engagement on the part of those on the team
    • Facilitation of creating teens that can independently navigate these resources is also important for long term actualization
    • Defining basic needs, however, is sometimes a challenge by definition of a variety of what groups consider to be “needs”
    • Much of the work done to ensure schools are up to date on what youth may need is within the Health education departments that work with most schools at 8-9 graders to talk about power and healthy relationship building
  • Patrick Buckalew, Huckleberry House
    • Huckleberry House was established in 1967 to provide resources for young people in need of a safe place to stay when home is not a safe alternative
      • Much of the mission is the same, but with more case management and family therapy services
    • Youth engagement and needs are on a spectrum: ranges from cases of developing a routine with after school programs or therapy to high need cases addressing mental health, undocumented families, substance abuse, long separations, etc.
      • Psychometric intake that allows for a variety of approaches when addressing trauma
      • The basis of the work, however, is in family therapy and ensuring that there is a return to copacetic homes
    • 95% of young people end up back home or safely with a family member or guardian, and majority of work is in family strengthening and reunification
    • Built into a lot of the systems of the city, such as the police department, who releases juveniles into their care in instances of apprehension for minor crimes 
      • Lots of parents, for these reasons and their history, know the group, and there is a strong sense of attachment and connection
    • The site has 6 beds, and most individuals who stay in the house are in and out within a week of coming in
    • Family therapy is available for individuals and families up to age 21
    • Language capacity is robust in Spanish, with additional speakers of Mandarin and Cantonese and partners who speak Tagalong and Korean

 

  1. Committee Reports: Executive Committee

The Executive Committee presented a draft of membership rules. Membership will be tracked over the course of a year, and agencies should strive for consistent membership of 1-2 representatives per agency. This was reiterated as something members should be aware of moving forward, and encouraged to sign in consistently.  

 

  1. Announcement: SF Collaborative Against Human Trafficking 2017 Conference

SF CAHT is holding a conference on Monday, October 30, 2017 from 8:30-4 pm at the San Francisco Federal Building, Conference Center. The event is titled Industries Impacted by Human Trafficking: Business and Community Fighting Back. Information can be found online at https://industriesimpactedbyhumantrafficking.eventbrite.com

 

  1. 2017 Task Force Report/Agency Updates

The task force report has not been completed yet, but ideally will be ready for distribution at the December 13 meeting.

 

  1. Agenda items for next meeting October 25, 2017
  • Secure meeting location, encourage maintaining strong attendance record