A new hotline has been established in Malheur County to help victims of human trafficking get help.
The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization set up the local number so people can get quicker help.
The hotline number is 503-309-3263. It’s monitored 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, but organizers hope to soon provide service 24 hours a day every day.
Edith Gonzalez is managing the Malheur County operation. She joined the Portland-based nonprofit last summer and recently another part-time advocate has joined her.
“We provide trauma-informed care,” Gonzalez said. “Safety is our priority.”
Hotline callers can get immediate local help such as housing or transportation out of the area and away from abusive circumstances, Gonzalez said.
That involves victims of both sex and labor trafficking, she said.
Until recently, victims relied on a statewide hotline operated by the community organization.
Now, “it’s very local,” she said.
The local hotline went live in December and the community organization has so far helped three victims, including one person who was brought in by bus and then had their documentation taken.
Gonzalez said she has worked in the area in migrant education all her life, including in Nyssa.
“I know the needs of the community very well,” she said. “I hope we get a lot of phone calls.”
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