A Message from Margie Quin, CEO
THE VOTES ARE IN!
The Tennessee General Assembly approved Governor Lee’s budget which includes a historic $3.5 million-dollar investment to End Slavery Tennessee. The FIRST-EVER seven figure funding for End Slavery Tennessee (ESTN) will enable our agency to begin a five-phase plan to increase affordable, safe housing opportunities and intensify trauma informed care in a clinical environment. The state’s support will enable ESTN staff to walk along-side survivors through a two-year healing journey that begins and ends with safe and stable housing.
Research indicates human trafficking survivors need on average two years of support before they can begin to address the extensive, complex trauma experienced from being trafficked. Transition periods are the most common times for setbacks and regression. Increasing the length in programming and creating affordable, safe housing provides smoother transition periods towards independence in a phased approach. We anticipate the extension of housing opportunities will foster the confidence and skills needed to successfully transition into the community.
We are grateful the Governor has prioritized funding for human trafficking nonprofits. We ask the community for continued support of ESTN’s operations and vision to create a slave-free Tennessee. Thank you, Governor Lee, for investing in the present and future of human trafficking survivors in Tennessee!
Friends, let’s build something truly beautiful for human trafficking survivors in Tennessee – a community of healing, housing and hope.
“On behalf of the End Slavery Tennessee Board of Directors, we are thrilled to see the support from Governor Lee and the Tennessee Legislature for the work that ESTN is doing in our community. This unprecedented $3.5 million appropriation will have a drastic and lasting impact on the fight against human trafficking in the State of Tennessee. This money will provide human trafficking survivors with a safe haven to recover, heal, and grow as they transition back into their communities. ESTN has been educating community members, law enforcement, and teachers about the dangers of human trafficking for a decade, and this money will allow ESTN to provide healing, housing, and hope for survivors on a larger scale than ever before.”