The Minnesota Department of Health is soliciting proposals for Regional Navigator and supportive services to prevent and address sex trafficking of youth in Minnesota.
Donor Name: Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)
State: Minnesota
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 02/23/2023
Size of the Grant: up to $110,000 or up to $180,000
Grant Duration: 3 years
Details:
The No Wrong Door model underlying the Safe Harbor system operates on the assumption that no single system or profession is adequate to identify and address the needs of at-risk and exploited youth. Youth deserve a trauma-informed multidisciplinary response from all intersecting community and system partners. Intersecting partners can include, but are not limited to, law enforcement, child protection/child welfare, prosecutors, juvenile justice professionals, youth serving community agencies, domestic and sexual violence agencies, child advocacy centers, homeless serving organizations, school professionals, mental health, health care, and substance use providers, and possibly more depending on the community.
Three state agencies distribute Safe Harbor and related funds: the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH); the Department of Human Services (DHS); and the Department of Public Safety (DPS). MDH administers funds for Regional Navigators, Supportive Services, protocol implementation, and evaluation. DHS administers funds for outreach, emergency shelter, supportive housing, and specialized foster care. Additionally, DPS administers funds to local and county law enforcement entities to aid in the investigation and coordination of sex trafficking cases.
MDH prioritizes health equity and seeks to ensure underserved or disproportionately affected populations have equitable opportunities to achieve their desired health and wellness outcomes. Among MDH’s goals with this RFP is to support grants that further expand Safe Harbor access in underserved areas and populations.
Program Goals
Regional Navigator Grants
- Improve community capacity to identify sexually exploited youth in Minnesota.
- Train and raise awareness of sexual exploitation, along with trauma-informed intervention and prevention approaches.
- Identify, screen youth for exploitation, and/or train professionals to do so.
- Increase available services and effectiveness of those services to enhance positive outcomes for youth.
- Identify and map out resources available in regions for exploited youth.
- Identify gaps.
- Share resources with professionals interacting with youth upon request/ referral or as needed.
- Navigator agencies (not individuals) available 24/7 by phone for initial screening and/or referrals.
- Build regional capacity to respond to exploitation.
- Train community and county service providers to serve population.
- Provide short-term or crisis services to youth as needed but primarily provide referrals to long-term services and supports.
- Enhance coordination and collaboration between systems (criminal justice, health care, child protection and welfare, etc.), professionals serving, interacting, and engaging youth, and survivor subject matter experts.
- Assist systems and existing service providers to enhance their knowledge and change or create new responses.
- Convene and facilitate regional meetings between service providers, including Tribal (grantees and non-Safe Harbor grantees) to enhance collaboration.
- Build bridges between youth and survivor subject matter experts, local services providers and/or systems.
- Raise awareness of Safe Harbor Protocols and provide resources or referrals for protocol implementation.
- Engage survivor subject matter experts in program development, implementation, and evaluation.
- Communicate and provide input to state agencies and other partners on the progress of Safe Harbor model.
- Participate in bi-monthly or quarterly webinars and/or in-person with MDH.
- Participate and/or facilitate meetings with other Safe Harbor and non-Safe Harbor providers as necessary.
- Enter and track data on client demographics, needs and services into REDCap database.
- Provide quarterly reports on grant progress through REDCap database.
- Track incoming and outgoing referrals, relationships, and contacts.
- Participate in providing input to the statutorily mandated biannual Safe Harbor evaluation.
Supportive Service Grants
- Build and improve community collaborations
- Collaborate and work closely with other Safe Harbor/No Wrong Door programming, specifically MDH staff, Regional Navigators, DHS Shelter and Housing grantees, and related partners in DHS Child Welfare/Child Protection, DPS law enforcement, as well as local community or system-based actors and survivor subject matter experts
- Increase Safe Harbor/No Wrong Door Services and Referrals
- Increase services specialized for at-risk or sexually exploited youth in Minnesota
- Engage frequently with other Safe Harbor/No Wrong Door grantees on referral processes and constant evaluation and feedback to enhance coordination of referrals and systematic responses to sexually exploited youth
- Participate in Safe Harbor trainings
- Communicate and provide input into the state agencies and other on the progress of the Safe Harbor system
- Participate in communication as prescribed by MDH, included monthly reports and bi-monthly or quarterly webinars or in person meetings
- Enter tracking data on client demographics, needs and services into REDCap database
- Provide quarterly reports on grant progress through REDCap database
- Track incoming and outgoing referrals, relationships, and contacts
Funding Information
For both Regional Navigators and Supportive Services grants:
- Regional Navigator Grants
- Estimated Amount to Grant per year Approximately $925,000
- Estimated Number of Awards Up to 9
- Estimated Award Maximum per year $110,000
- Regional Navigator Funds: July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2026 (Total duration of all funds available)
- Supportive Services Grants
- Estimated Amount to Grant per year Approximately $1,921,667
- Estimated Number of Awards Up to 25
- Estimated Award Maximum per year $180,000
- Supportive Service Funds: July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2026 (Total duration of all funds available)
Eligible Applicants
Organizations eligible to apply in this competitive process include, but are not limited to, local public health, social service agencies, nonprofit organizations, Tribal governments, units of government, schools and/or school districts, health care organizations, and other interested agencies demonstrating experience and/or expertise in working with sexually exploited youth and/or youth at-risk for sexual exploitation.
For more information, visit Minnesota Department of Health.
