Senator Cooney Gets Funding For Cosmetology Training Program For Human Trafficking Survivors

Senator Jeremy Cooney announced $125,000 in funding for Miss Julie’s School of Beauty. Data shows that many survivors of human trafficking are arrested for the very situation they were previously forced into, and therefore struggle to find employment due to previous convictions. Miss Julie’s Salon provides survivors and those at risk with an opportunity to earn a cosmetology license and enter into a rewarding career, at no cost to them. Because an NYS-granted cosmetology license removes the necessity of a background check, graduates are free to pursue an independent living without the necessity of explaining their traumatic history.

Grant funding will be used to build-out a space for the cosmetology school in the historic Sibley Building in Downtown Rochester. Once completed, the school will provide instruction to an estimated 8-16 students at a time, through a 10-month course of study, including hands-on training.