ALPHA House of Pinellas County Issues TraffickingFree Zone Declaration ALPHA House joins forces with the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking to combat sex trafficking.
TAMPA, Fla., March 6, 2019 — ALPHA House of Pinellas County has issued a proclamation
declaring the organization a TraffickingFree Zone in collaboration with the U.S. Institute Against
Human Trafficking (USIAHT).
ALPHA House provides housing and supportive services to homeless pregnant women and
teens, new mothers with infants, and families experiencing crisis pregnancies.
“At ALPHA House, it is of utmost importance to us that we protect the lives of women and
young girls who come to us seeking refuge. We believe that implementing the TraffickingFree
Zone program will better enable us to do just that,” said Jennifer Stracick, executive director of
ALPHA House of Pinellas County. “We look forward to this partnership with U.S. Institute
Against Human Trafficking as we link arms to abolish this atrocious crime in our community.”
The TraffickingFree Zone program is an integrated approach to ending sex trafficking in a city or
community through multi-sector partnership involving law enforcement, government,
businesses, schools and community-based organizations. The ALPHA House of Pinellas County declaration comes shortly after Mayor Rick Kriseman issued a proclamation stating St. Petersburg, Florida a TraffickingFree Zone.
“We applaud ALPHA House’s commitment to protecting the lives of women and children,” said
Geoff Rogers, CEO and co-founder of the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking. “Their
decision to become a TraffickingFree Zone will make Pinellas County stronger and better
equipped to combat the demand for sex trafficking. USIAHT is thrilled to work alongside their
team to eradicate trafficking in our community.”
County-by-county, the TraffickingFree Zone program focuses on arresting and prosecuting sex
buyers instead of those who are being sold, educating community members on sex trafficking
and implementing numerous other demand-reduction techniques.
“We are grateful that ALPHA House is joining the fight to end sex trafficking,” said Micah
Washinski, Pinellas County TraffickingFree Zone Program Manager at the U.S. Institute Against
Human Trafficking. “ALPHA House is an amazing residential maternity program, and the only
one in Pinellas County. Their declaration to become a TraffickingFree Zone elevates their
commitment to protecting the lives of women and young girls in our area.” Florida consistently ranks third in the nation for the number of calls made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. TraffickingFree Zones have already been implemented across Florida in Pasco County, Pinellas County and the Cities of Clearwater, New Port Richey and Dade City.
To learn more about USIAHT and its work to end sex trafficking in the United States, visit
https://usiaht.org. To learn more about the TraffickingFree Zone program and how you can
bring it to your community, visit https://traffickingfreezone.com.
About USIAHT
The U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking (USIAHT) is a faith-based, non-profit
organization fighting human trafficking in America. We work to prevent trafficking by
combating demand in new and innovative ways, raising awareness, influencing policy, educating
our youth and disrupting trafficking activities. We seek to rescue and rehabilitate victims by
collaborating with organizations that are expert at rescuing abducted youth currently engaged in
the sex trade. We also collaborate with federal, state and local government officials. With offices
in Tampa, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Austin, we are addressing the national
problem and also providing on-the-ground services. To learn more, go to https://usiaht.org.
