Who We Are

In 2014, community partners from law enforcement, the DA’s office and service providers and other anti-trafficking agencies identified the need to address human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) collaboratively in Central Oregon. A Community Needs Assessment was completed, and a Community Action Plan was created.

J Bar J Youth Services applied for funding through the Office of Trafficking in Persons to provide direct services to adult and minor victims of human trafficking. This program was held under Cascade Youth and Family Center.

In 2018, J Bar J Youth Services applied for funding through the Oregon Department of Justice to fund a Human Trafficking Task Force. This led to the the Deschutes County CSEC Response Team being certified through the Oregon Department of Justice’s Trafficking Response and Intervention Program, a multi-disciplinary team dedicated to understanding, identifying, and responding collaboratively to child sex trafficking in Deschutes County.

In 2019, J Bar J Youth Services decided to create a new standalone program, the Anti-Trafficking Project (at:project.) The at:project provides support to victims and survivors of human trafficking in Central Oregon. The project assists survivors by connecting them to community resources at any stage from crisis to stabilization. We promote a personalized healing-centered approach, focused on the emotional, physical, legal protection of people, and respectful of their cultural and gender identification, and citizenship status. The at:project serves adults and minors, including people who are considered high-risk, suspected, or confirmed victims of sex and/or labor trafficking. All services are voluntary, confidential, and free.

The at:project continues to grow and support survivors of human trafficking through direct services and by providing training and awareness education to our community.

The Anti-Trafficking Alliance of Central Oregon (ATACO) is a multi-disciplinary collaboration of agencies working together to coordinate and leverage local resources to provide a comprehensive approach to human trafficking and exploitation that brings trained, skilled, trauma-responsive services to: 1) identify and recover victims of human trafficking; 2) proactively investigate, identify, apprehend and prosecute those engaged in human trafficking; and 3) provide trauma-informed, victim-centered services to those impacted by human trafficking and exploitation.

We recognize that Human Trafficking – both sex trafficking and labor trafficking – knows no borders and that by working together – law enforcement, victim service providers, youth-serving systems, healthcare providers, and other allied partners – across our region, we will be better equipped to identify, investigate, prosecute, and provide survivor-center services to those impacted by exploitation and trafficking. For more information, please email the at@jbarj.org, attention ATA Coordinator.

The Cannabis Workers Program was created in 2022 under the Anti-Trafficking Project (at:project). We work directly with workers affected by the illegal marijuana market in Central Oregon. Through this program we serve individuals who have worked in the marijuana industry who have experienced wage lose, experienced unsafe living and working conditions, experienced violence, labor exploitation or are victims of human trafficking. We work with people across every stage – from crisis to stabilization.

In recent years, the illegal marijuana market has expanded in the country. Although it is not possible to know the actual impacts of this problem due to the underground nature in which it occurs, recent reports indicate that this issue is growing in Central Oregon.

Through this Program, we offer a support network including medical, legal and law enforcement partners for those both in regular or irregular migrant work situation affected by labor trafficking.

The at:project is a program of J Bar J Youth Services. J Bar J Youth Services has been providing services to at-risk youth in Central Oregon since 1968 and continues to add programs to address the unmet needs of struggling youth in the area. Now with eight programs, each providing a spectrum of services, J Bar J is the largest social services organization helping youth in Central Oregon. Visit the website to learn more.

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