The Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking will welcome the new Pitt County Department of Social Services Director Sharon Rochelle to the Thursday, March 16, to discuss her focus as the leader of the county department.

She has more than 30 years of experience in the social services field. She has served as the first deputy commissioner of Family Well-Being in Erie County, New York, and the as the director of social services in Powhatan, Virginia.

Rochelle’s focus will be improving the services to Pitt County citizens and developing a strong, resilient workforce.

“We are happy to have Ms. Rochelle come and speak to the coalition,” said Pam Strickland, PCCAHT coordinator.

“It is important that we all work together as a community to develop strong social support services, and one of the cornerstones to that community strength is the department of social services. We are happy to welcome Ms. Rochelle to our table and to the coalition.”

The meeting of the Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking will begin at 9:30 a.m., March 16, at the 1412 S. Evans Street, Greenville (Heart for ENC Conference Room).

The speaker for the February meeting of the Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking, which is at 9:30 a.m., Feb. 16, at 1412 S. Evans St., is Briana Brantley, special projects coordinator with the Pitt County Coalition on Substance Use (PCCSU).

Brantley is currently the coordinator for the Thriving Families Program under PCCSU.

With Pitt County reporting overdose deaths at 25.6 percent, according to North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, it can only be surmised that the intersections between human trafficking and substance use disorders are expansive in the community.

“We are happy to hear how PCCSU is addressing substance use disorders in Pitt County,” said PCCAHT facilitator Pam Strickland.

“Substance use disorders create a population more vulnerable to being trafficked, and that is because an untreated disorder of this nature offers traffickers an avenue into a person’s life and an avenue to exploit that person. Not to mention substance use disorders among parents leave children unprotected, and sometimes traumatized. When we grapple with issues like substance use, then we are also attempting to deal with human trafficking in our community.”

Brantley is a graduate of East Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in health services management and a master’s in public health.

GREENVILLE (NC): The Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20, at the Oakmont Baptist Church fellowship hall, 1100 Red Banks Rd, Greenville, N.C.

The guest speaker for this session will be Lindley Brickhouse, MSN, RN, administrator at Access East for the Healthy Opportunities Pilot.

According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services website, “The Healthy Opportunities Pilots is the nation’s first comprehensive program to test and evaluate the impact of providing select evidence-based, non-medical interventions related to housing, food, transportation and interpersonal safety and toxic stress to high-needs Medicaid enrollees.”

“As we look at the needs of survivors of human trafficking in Pitt County, we are met with issues around housing, food, transportation, safety and mental health concerns,” said Pam Strickland, facilitator of the Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking.

“We are happy to have Ms. Brickhouse share her knowledge of this new program and connect our local service providers with the necessary resources to ensure comprehensive victim/survivor care.”

Lindley has been a registered nurse for 34 years and has been at Vidant Health for 35 years. She served in multiple roles throughout her nursing career, including patient care, leadership roles and quality.

She was born and raised in Eastern North Carolina and obtained her BSN from East Carolina University in 1988 and MSN from Aspen University in 2020.

She joined Access East in the fall of 2021 to help launch the Healthy Opportunities Pilot.

The Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking will convene on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. at 1412 S. Evans Street (conference room located behind the Heart for ENC building)

At this meeting, Laura King, executive director of the Center for Family Violence Prevention, will be discussing the potential the Family Justice Center has to provide a stronger continuum of care for victims of violence in Pitt County. 

Fair trade coffee and Krispy Kreme doughnuts will be available to enjoy. Together we can end human trafficking in North Carolina.

Email Melinda Sampson if you have any questions at melinda@encstophumantrafficking.org.

The Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking will welcome Robin Tant, foster parent, to discuss her experience with fostering children during the May meeting as recognition of National Foster Care Month.

Tant is the nutrition program director at the Pitt County Health Department. She has worked at the health department for around 15 years and has been a dietitian for almost 23 years. 

She graduated from East Carolina University with a bachelor of science in nutrition and dietetics and holds a master’s degree in public administration with a concentration in health.  She has a passion for both children and animals. She has been a foster parent since Feb. 14, 2020.

“Robin has a perspective that we need to hear as a coalition,” said PCCAHT facilitator Pam Strickland.

“We know that foster children are more vulnerable to the grooming and recruitment tactics of predators and traffickers. Robin’s lived experience with fostering children can not only guide our work in the community but also has the capacity to bring people to the table who are interested in becoming foster parents themselves.”

The May meeting is slated for 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 19, at the Heart for ENC conference room on 1412 S. Evans St. PCCAHT will be meeting in person this month without any virtual option.

The Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking will welcome Hannah Parham, MSW, supportive housing director of First Fruit Ministries, to discuss housing programs during its virtual meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 17.

First Fruit Ministries is located in Wilmington and includes programs that are catered to the human trafficking survivor population. First Fruit Ministries accepts referrals from outside New Hanover County, which will be a connection that is needed for Pitt County organizations.

“We are happy to have Hannah join us this month,” Pam Strickland, founder of NC Stop Human Trafficking and facilitator of PCCAHT said.

“First Fruit Ministry has incredible programming that is needed across the state. They are innovative and compassionate in their approach to human trafficking survivor services. We want our local organizations to know more about them in case they find that their clients need assistance that aligns with First Fruit’s programming.”

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Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking will welcome Michele Marston-Stevens, program administrator with Koinonia Community Solutions, at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 17 virtually.

Marston-Stevens will address implementing youth education programs, developing affordable housing initiatives and creating economic empowerment strategies which are the focus points of Koinonia Community Solutions.

“We are excited to learn about Koinonia Community Solutions programs,” said Pam Strickland, PCCAHT facilitator and founder of NC Stop Human Trafficking.

“These programs are examples of what primary human trafficking prevention can be, but they also have the capacity to reduce revictimization through empowering people to have stable housing and gainful employment.”

Marston-Stevens was previously the Title I Regional Program Manager under the Federal WIOA Program overseen by the Rivers East Workforce Development Board.

She has spent more than two decades in the corporate, healthcare and educational sectors and is a Pitt Community College Alumni. She studied economics at East Carolina University with a focus on the economics of poverty and discrimination.

She is also a wife, mother and stepmother. She and her husband have also served as temporary foster parents, as well as directly assisted six women out of human trafficking over the last year.

She is a Greenville native who believes in advocating for the under-served and those who need assistance leveling up as they heal from trauma, escape poverty and receive the support they need to obtain a brighter future. 

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The Pitt County Coalition will hear from Liz Liles, founder of Daughters of Worth, about how she serves victims of human trafficking in Pitt County and surrounding areas at 9:30 a.m., Jan. 20, virtually. (Meeting was originally planned for in-person, but due to the recent COVID cases spike, it has shifted to a virtual platform).

Liles will speak on what her organization is seeing on the ground in the wake of the COVID pandemic and the community gaps in services.

“Liz is a long-time colleague who has worked closely with NC Stop Human Trafficking and a long-time member of the Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking,” said Pam Strickland, facilitator of PCCAHT and founder of NC Stop Human Trafficking.

“We are looking forward to hearing about what victimization looks like from the unique perspective of Daughters of Worth, and how we as a coalition can assist in filling the community gaps that have become apparent since the onset of the pandemic.”

For more information, visit https://pccaht.org/2022-meeting-minutes/

To join the meeting, click https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81564866018

The Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking will welcome guest speaker Nikki Locklear, director of the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault/Human Trafficking Program for the NC Commission of Indian Affairs within the NC Department of Administration, at 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 18 at Oakmont Baptist Church.

Locklear will discuss the intersection of how systemic oppression and discrimination against Native American people has led to a disproportionate level of human trafficking among indigenous people. Locklear will also discuss the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women across the country and in North Carolina.

Locklear is an expert in the domestic violence/sexual assault/human trafficking field, serving more than 13 years in advocacy and more than 10 years in direct services.

Throughout her career, she has worked on many projects in North Carolina to assist and inform victims of violence in tribal communities.

Most recently she has spearheaded a “Serving American Indian Victims” webinar series that is available through the NC Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s website.

She has served on the Regional Council for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and is currently serving on the NC Coalition Against Human Trafficking Board as a member of the Community and Faith based Committee.

She is also a member of the NC Domestic Violence Commissions Victim Services subcommittee and the Governors Crime Commission Advisory Board. For the past few years, she has written the Governors Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Awareness Day Proclamation. Her goal is to assist victims of interpersonal violence in North Carolina and in tribal communities in receiving culturally specific services that aid in supportive care.

“It is an honor to have Miss Locklear speak to our coalition this month,” said Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking Facilitator Pam Strickland.

“Her expertise in the field of human trafficking, domestic violence and sexual assault through the lens of serving tribal communities is invaluable. We cannot address the issue of human trafficking without understanding how systemic oppression continues to lead to the exploitation of Native American communities across this state, and frankly, the entire country.”

The Pitt County Coalition Against Human Trafficking will meet Thursday, Sept. 16, at 9:30 a.m. virtually.

The September meeting will feature guest speaker, Lillie Malpass (she/her/hers), the executive director of the Pitt County Coalition on Substance Use (PCCSU).

Malpass completed her masters in public health from East Carolina University in 2020. She is a certified health education specialist and is passionate about educating the community on substance use, trauma and recovery.

Originally from Hallsboro, N.C., Malpass now considers Pitt County her second home.

She is currently teaching two sections of HLTH 4611 – Program Evaluation for the Department of Health Education and Promotion at ECU.

“The intersection between substance use and human trafficking in Pitt County and all of North Carolina is large,” said PCCAHT facilitator Pam Strickland.

“It is important that we come to the table and talk about these intersections and how one leads to the other or vice versa. Ms. Malpass will offer our coalition insight into the issue in Pitt County, as well as an avenue for professionals at our table to collaborate with professionals and community members at hers.”

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