We are partners of the EU-funded project “Life Beyond the Shelter” together with Fundació Surt, CAW Antwerpen, SOLWODI International and Payoke Vzw as lead organization.

The project aims at ensuring positive long-term integration for adult-third country national victims of trafficking (VoTs) in the host society by reinforcing support in the transition from shelter life to independence through practical, innovative and empowering tools and solutions.

The five victims support organizations from Belgium, Italy, Spain and Germany forming the project consortium aim at making a decisive contribution to reinforcing social work practice in the long-term integration of VoTs through the following activities:

1. A long-term intervention kit including a gender-sensitive assessment of the needs of the VoTs in the long run and a guide to the services available to address them
2. Practical tools to facilitate  long-term integration of the VoTs such as:

• an independent living skills training curriculum to offer clients everyday life guidance on topics such as budgeting, household management,self-care, safety, social skills, job hunting, house-hunting, time management and navigating public administration
• about 80 indipendent living skills workshops will be delivered
• dedicated telephone help-lines will be set up, through which former victims of trafficking who have successfully integrated or local volunteers act as “buddies”, listeners or guides to ease victims leaving the shelter into their new environment
• a transition house will be tested in Antwerp, Belgium, where 10 clients leaving the shelter will be accommodated in the same property, mixed with local tenants, for a period of 1 year. It is expected that the group accommodation will allow social workers to offer integrated, centralized support, ensuring better and ongoing help to victims while at the same time maximising effectiveness in terms of costs and human resources. A case study will be produced.