- The Justice Department awarded

more than $35 million in grants

to groups that provide safe housing

for survivors of human trafficking.

Attorney General William Barr

joined by first daughter, Ivanka Trump

discussed the grants thatwill provide six to 24 months

of help for transitional

or short term housing.

Victims say it's helping

in more ways than one.

- My hopes, my aspirations,

my personal vision for my future

was of no concern to my trafficker.

So personally, this experience to be heard

and to feel valued

has helped me advance

on my own path of wholeness

and I am forever grateful.

- I think COVID made theneed all the more urgent.

In many cases,

victims find themselvessheltering in place

with their traffickerswithout another option.

So like with so many other things,

COVID has really underscored urgency.

- The money can also be used

to help victims find a job

and receive occupationaltraining and counseling.

Joining us now with more onthese grants is Linda Smith.

She's the Founder and President

of Shared Hope International,

which works to supporttrafficking survivors

and bring justice to their perpetrators.

Linda, these grants comeat a very challenging time

for victims of sex trafficking.

How have you seen thepandemic affect them?

- Well, from the first week

that we realized peoplewere being laid off,

we went right back to all

the survivor networks in the nation

and shared help as well as other groups

started reaching out one by one

to help them the way any family does.

What we found is the youth,

the youth shelters, et cetera,

were being closed

and there was really not

a home to shelter in.

So you saw the best of the church.

The 35 million is a goodsign from the administration

and the Department of Justice

that they recognize the pandemic.

But the long term result of this damage

and the pedantic is that

the buyers have increased their buying

and the sellers are increasingthe deception online

and we're seeing a big market

that will require more prevention,

but also more money.

Somebody asked me not very long ago,

it was like,

Well, you're a conservative Christian

and I used to be over children

and family services forthe State of Washington.

A member of Congress,

a conservative botheconomically and socially.

How can you spend more government money?

Well, the reality is some of that money

should be going tocrisis of these children.

But my answer is in general,

most faith groups arealready doing something

you just need to rev up more,

stand beside these groups

that are faith based groups

that are providing the services.

We the faith communityare the funding source

and the provider of thatintimate one-on-one care

and the provider of thatprotection and knowledge.

In America, it is thebackbone of the whole movement

is the faith communities action.

So it's good to see thepresident stand with 35 million

and his a symbol

which is very good

and 35 million isn't to laugh at.

- And quickly Linda,

how might these grants help victims

who've felt caught both by traffickers

and the economic realities of COVID-19?

If you can break it down quickly

how the grants are gonna help.

- Well, there is about variety of grants.

They've been in the works of file

at the Department of Justice

and they go to interventionand prevention,

which would mean theycan go to just anybody

on the street trying to help

or helping street people.

It can help the survivor

who is out there,

who has lost a job

and barely connected

and it could help things like that.

Then there are some that deal with just

the survivor housing

and it can help in that way.

Temporarily it's very, very important.

I don't know if the 35 million

will be distributed soon or not.

I have to ask that question yet.

But bigger, it just simply says it's there

so many people don't know it.

And so you that hear this

don't think the government's doing at all,

they shouldn't and don't.

Step up and help somebody local.

So the grants are a good sign

of the proactive nature

of this presidency fighting trafficking,

the trafficker and the survivor.

And we just recently sent messages saying,

"Hey, go after the buyer,

"they're driving this market."

And we hope that they will pick

this up as an issue also- All right.

- Riding those that drive the market.

- All right. Linda Smith

of Shared Hope International.

Thank you, Linda, for your time.