Commission backs regional 'Safety for the Bay' outreach campaign, hears funding and service gaps from county and coalition reports

The Santa Clara County Human Trafficking Commission on Sept. 8 voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Supervisors authorize the commission to sponsor or adopt the regional outreach and resource campaign SafetyForTheBay (Safety for the Bay) and to participate in regional messaging ahead of major sporting events.

The commission’s endorsement follows a presentation from the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking and a briefing from the county Office of Gender Based Violence Prevention (OGBVP). The coalition described an annual report summarizing service provider data and outreach work; OGBVP described the county’s contract portfolio and recent RFP cycle and flagged a series of federal funding cuts that affect survivor eligibility and service delivery.

Sharon Denoa, director of the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking, presented highlights from the coalition’s annual report. Among the figures presented: in the last fiscal year participating advocacy agencies reported 361 comprehensive case‑management services to survivors; 53 percent of adult advocacy clients were identified as survivors of sex trafficking and 45 percent were identified as survivors of labor trafficking (some clients received services for both); legal service providers reported 177 survivors received immigration or other legal services in the reporting period; and outreach and training events reached at least 1,600 people in the past year. The coalition described targeted sporting‑event work that includes in‑person advocate response, industry‑focused outreach (hospitality, transit and gig economy) and a billboard and transit campaign tied to SafetyForTheBay and VTA placements.

Carla (last name not stated), representing the Office of Gender Based Violence Prevention, outlined the county’s contract strategy and funding commitments. The office said it is overseeing roughly $13,700,000 in contracts for gender‑based violence services and noted at least six additional county contracts totaling almost $2.1 million that also address human‑trafficking‑related services. OGBVP said it shifted to funding service categories (survivor‑centered services across gender‑based violence) rather than funding narrowly defined trafficking services in order to be more flexible for providers. The office also said contracts starting July 1, 2024 were renewed for a second year under a multi‑year RFP process but acknowledged the county could not fund many proposals it received—OGBVP reported receiving over $2 million in proposals for a category budget of $900,000.

OGBVP and coalition representatives warned of several immediate gaps: recent and proposed federal funding changes (the presenter cited HR 1 at the federal level as reducing eligibility for some safety‑net programs), state grant reductions and local grant expirations have combined to reduce advocacy and legal capacity. The coalition listed recent grant reductions that removed roughly 1.5 full‑time advocates from local service rosters and flagged an upcoming end of a California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) or Office for Victims of Crime stream that supported younger clients. The coalition asked jurisdictions to consider modest financial contributions to a shared regional campaign; presenters said a proposed crowd‑funding target used in outreach planning was $8,000 per jurisdiction to support the SafetyForTheBay resource navigator, multilingual translations and QR code placements in public restrooms.

During the meeting the commission also approved a motion to invite business and hospitality stakeholders to engage with the commission (including the Bay Area Host Committee and transit and hospitality industry partners) and to explore options for honorary or ex‑officio participation to strengthen coordination for upcoming events. The Bay Area Host Committee representative said the host committee and other regional partners are coordinating messaging and are in regular contact with the coalition and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The commission’s votes on both the SafetyForTheBay endorsement recommendation to the Board and the invitation to hospitality and business stakeholders were recorded as unanimous.

Commissioners and presenters stressed the need for consistent regional messaging that avoids sensationalism, avoids stereotyping specific demographic groups, and ensures survivors see culturally appropriate, accessible routes to help. Presenters said the campaign messaging is being refined with community input, focus groups and translations, and that transit placements (VTA buses and light‑rail) are planned for the fall outreach push.