UB School of Law, MVLS get $600K grant to expand human trafficking prevention project

The University of Baltimore School of Law and Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS), the largest provider of pro bono civil legal services in Maryland, Tuesday received funding from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to significantly expand their Human Trafficking Prevention Project (HTPP).

The HTPP supports survivors of human trafficking and populations put at high risk of exploitation due to experiences with interpersonal violence, sexual assault, housing instability and other types of trauma or systemic inequities with critical legal services that create a path to stability. The grant will provide nearly $600,000 over the course of three years to extend the reach of the program in Baltimore and into more rural areas of Maryland, as well as increase the number of staff who will deliver free legal services and full representation to survivors.

Created in 2015, the Human Trafficking Prevention Project provides criminal record relief to survivors of human trafficking and other at-risk populations to remove barriers to employment, housing, public benefits, and student loans caused by having a criminal record so they can move forward with their lives. In addition to criminal record relief, the HTPP, through its partnership with MVLS, provides access to a wide range of civil legal services, including legal representation for cases involving family law, tax and bankruptcy, landlord/tenant, name and gender marker changes, and consumer matters. The HTPP collaborates with victim service providers and Human Trafficking Task Forces around Maryland to lead free trainings on human trafficking prevention and criminal record relief.

Since its creation, the HTPP has helped more than 900 survivors create opportunities for self-sufficiency through education and free civil legal services. With the generous funding, the HTPP will hire a paralegal and two staff attorneys to assist more survivors of trauma and exploitation and to grow the regional scope of the project.

This project is authorized by the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 (18 U.S.C. § 3014(h)(2)) and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 (22 U.S.C. § 7105(b)(2)).