United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS) has been awarded a $753,212 grant to provide direct services and human trafficking help to victims of human trafficking statewide, with a particular focus on eastern Wisconsin.
The competitive federal grant, awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, will enhance the quality and quantity of services available throughout the state to victims of sex and labor trafficking.
UMOS, headquartered in Milwaukee, is the largest Hispanic-managed nonprofit in the state of Wisconsin. The organization has operations in Arkansas, Florida, Minnesota, Missouri, and Texas, as well as throughout the state of Wisconsin. The new funding will also be used to increase the capacity of communities around the state to respond to human tracking through the development of interagency partnerships, professional training and public awareness activities, UMOS said in a press release. This three-year grant was awarded to experienced service providers to offer comprehensive services.
“We are once again appreciative of the opportunity to increase our efforts to help victims get through the difficult issue of sex and/or labor trafficking,” says Lupe Martinez, President and Chief Executive Officer of UMOS, in a statement. “We will also increase opportunities to alert and train individuals and communities to recognize and combat this issue, while providing services to those in need.”
The UMOS Latina Resource Center is the only bi-lingual, bi-cultural comprehensive services center in the state that provides human trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault victim services under one roof.
Over the past two years, UMOS has trained 1855 law-enforcement officers, service providers, medical providers and partner agencies.
