Today we’d like to introduce you to Tatyana Ferguson.
Tatyana, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My family and I came to the United States as refugees from the former Soviet Union in the winter of ’98. Our sponsors, the Vineyard family, walked alongside us and helped us start from scratch to build a life. My brother, Roman Rusev, and founder, started Hands United so that we can give back to those that are in a state of vulnerability, and show them the same compassion and support that we were so lucky to have found. All they really need is someone to believe in them, empower them as they work through their vulnerabilities, and provide opportunities.
We worked with marginalized populations on the Westside of Atlanta, providing job training, and GED prep courses. During this time, we were faced head on with multiple situations involving sex trafficking. We were stunned that something like this happens right here in the United States. As immigrants, we heard of this happening to those migrating to the States and not having adequate support (we were very fortunate to have a wonderful support system) but never realized that it happens right here in our backyard, to citizens.
The more we learned about it, the more infuriated we became and eager to join the fight in the anti-trafficking efforts. We started conversations with local nonprofits that were doing incredible work in this space. We asked what was needed or missing, and listened to where we could step in. Learning that the average age of entry into the industry is 12-14, broke our hearts, and we decided to bridge the gap by providing a restorative housing program serving victims of DMST (Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking) and labor trafficking.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No, not at all. Human Trafficking is one of the largest criminal enterprises worldwide, closely following drug and illegal arms dealing. Fighting this injustice is intimidating and can be overwhelming at times. The level of trauma that victims experience makes their restorative journey more difficult, and relapse more likely. With all of that said, having a coalition of organizations working together gives us strength in continuing the work and hope to make sure that we consistently show up for each survivor, no matter where they are in their journey.
Please tell us about the organization.
Hands United provides a restorative housing program for underaged survivors of human trafficking. We serve both girls and boys, walking alongside them as they start rewriting their stolen stories. It is a 2 year program with 4 phases designed to rebuild a healthy developmental foundation that can be cultivated and focused on prioritizing the survivors’ needs. We believe establishing sustainablecollaborations and strategic partnerships not only produces cost effective and high quality services but results in a strong community of support. This ensures that awareness of the issue does not go unnoticed with local businesses and strengthens the relationship among the nonprofit organizations.
With such a diverse community of partnerships, we are able to provide specialized services that can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the residents. Working together also allows to consistently share best practices and improvements to provide the best care for our residents.
We specialize in providing tangible and sustainable career opportunities post-graduation with a high ceiling. A common issue with survivors graduating programs is that their income-producing activity is a job, not a career, with a low ceiling. The income they earn/able to grow to earn can’t compete with what they made in the commercial sex industry, forcing them to relapse. Creating strategic and sustainable opportunities with companies and providing specialized training and skills courses, makes our residents competitive in the workforce. This jump starts their wealth-building journey on a healthy and self-dependent path.
We play a small yet effective role in the prevention aspect of the fight. Our focus in this arena is the digital platform and how it has dramatically transformed the industry and its operations. In this digital era, an online presence is a necessity for the upcoming generations, so we work with parents and youth to ensure that it is a responsible one. We train parents on how to have two-sided conversations on cyber safety and listen to our youth as they express their concerns and questions on the reality of human trafficking in the digital world.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
One of the first lessons we learned is that the most effective way to get across to youth is to listen to them first. We spent a lot of time talking, training, and teaching that we quickly became just another voice that doesn’t listen to their concerns and talks at them. Listening to what their real-life concerns are and vulnerabilities in the digital world, allowed us to navigate the material that we teach them. This changed the efficacy of the information they received because it resulted in strategies and protective measures that were relevant to their world.
Applying this lesson to our residents as well, we learned that we have to listen to what they need. As a restorative program, we strive to focus on evidence-based strategies, but there are times when the survivor knows what’s best for them and we need to listen. Doing this not only empowers them to take ownership of their journey but shows them that we aren’t here to control them but instead to fight for them, alongside them.
Pricing:
- Monthly donation of $50 provides basic professional use computer training
- Monthly donation of $100 covers general maintenance on the house that they call home
- Monthly donation of $250 provides healthy and specialized meal planning for two weeks
Contact Info:
- Website: www.handsunited.org
- Email: tferguson@handsunited.org
- Instagram: hands_united
- Facebook: HandsUnited
- Twitter: HandsUnited1
- Other: Linked In: Hands United
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