O.R.D.
Online Resource Directory
Step 1
Call 1-801-526-0950 and schedule an appointment with a counselor
Step 2
At your appointment, apply for temporary financial assistance. This will give you 90 days of financial aid. For financial aid to continue after this, you will either need to get a job or be diagnosed with a disability.
Being trafficked is a very traumatic experience. You may not be seeing all of the effects yet, but it is very common for the prostituted to develope Dissociative Identity Disorder or at least PTSD. This is as a result of the prolonged and extreme stress. This can be debilitating and prevent you from being able to hold down a steady job for a while. It may be best for you to request an evaluation, which DWS should pay for. If you are diagnosed with DID or PTSD, then you may recieve disability.
Step 3
Either apply for disability with your diagnosis or find a job with the help of your counselor. If you are working, but your income is not sufficient, then you are eligible for continued financial assistance of various kinds that your counselor can explain to you.
Step 4
Relax, and give yourself time to heal. Know that it won't happen as quickly as you would like but that it will eventually happen.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
For some reason, this is where it gets very real for some people. This is where a lot of people turn around and go back, or end up relying on individuals for their support instead of the state. Believe us, the state can absorb the cost better than your friends and this is what taxes are for. Some feel that it is an act of failure to apply for financial assistance, but if you view it as a leg up instead of a hand out, it will get you where you need to go. Remember, this is how society demonstrates that it cares about what happens to you. This is how society tries to ensure that no one has to be left behind. If you are willing to use the system that was made for you, then you will be able to empower yourself.
