Local group asks Seminole County to expand human-trafficking awareness and school outreach

Members of 1 More Child addressed the board during public input to raise awareness about human trafficking and to ask for help reaching schools and community groups in Seminole County.

Christine Dupree, who identified the organization and said it covers Seminole and Brevard counties, reported the group has "about 41 open cases" involving people from infancy through age 26 and described the organization’s services: case management, wraparound supports, referrals from Florida Department of Children and Families and community partners, and outreach and training. "Human trafficking is a critical issue," Dupree said, noting national hotline figures for 2023 reported in her remarks (she said the national hotline received 2,100 human-trafficking reports and that about 1,600 involved children).

Advocate Angelica (last name not provided) and peer mentor Yolanda James described work with survivors (mentoring, life-skills coaching, assistance with shelter and services). The group said it has encountered difficulty scheduling awareness and training sessions in Seminole County schools and asked commissioners to help identify school or district contacts. The sheriff's office was referenced as a partner; Dupree said the organization works with local human-trafficking detectives and that the sheriff's office had recently included organization speakers at an initiative event.

Commissioners acknowledged a proclamation for Human Trafficking Awareness Month had been approved earlier in the day on the consent calendar and thanked the group for its work and request for help with outreach and school access.