The Yates County Youth Bureau and the Department of Social Services were approved for crucial funding through the NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) Safe Harbour Program.
That funding will go a long way to fighting human trafficking in Yates County.
The funding will continue for a five year period, and is designed to provide services, create resources, increase awareness and educate the community about the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) and Human Trafficking, according to the Chronicle-Express.
Alicia Avellaneda, Yates County Youth Bureau Director says the funding is a crucial part of the fight to inform, educate, and ready the community for the challenges.
“An integral key to our success was the creation of a full-time Human Trafficking Specialist, Mollie Kenerson,” said Avellaneda at the time to the Chronicle-Express.
More than 90 people showed up to a workshop the group held in October 2019. She says that the growth of awareness around this topic has been an important part of the growth process that the County has seen.
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