Homelessness, the Lack of Secure Housing and Human Trafficking

Survivor VoiceWheel of Risk
Written By Emily Robinson

One of the biggest factors driving people to take risky job opportunities and putting them at risk for trafficking is their need for money and shelter. A lack of basic needs makes people vulnerable, as Polaris in their report “On-Ramps, Intersections and Exit Routes: A Roadmap for Systems and Industries to Prevent and Disrupt Human Trafficking,” stated, “64% of survivor respondents [of human trafficking] reported being homeless or experiencing unstable housing when they were recruited into their situation [of trafficking]” (2018). Between January 2015 and December 2017, The National Human Trafficking Hotline had 1,548 individuals report unstable housing situations at the start of their experience of exploitation (Polaris, 2018).  What this indicated to Polaris is that a lack of secure and safe housing available to individuals in poverty and at risk for homelessness set them up to have their situations taken advantage of by exploitative individuals. 

Housing is also a way traffickers control their victims, threatening them with homelessness and the removal of their housing to control and manipulate them. Polaris also found 64% of individuals could not leave their situation because there was nowhere else for them to go (2018). The lack of secure and safe housing available to individuals in lower income brackets keeps them trapped in situations they may want to leave but are unable to do so. It becomes a situation where you are “damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” You can leave, but then you are homeless, you are threatened with being homeless if you don’t do what you’re told, and there are no viable options available because, if you are being exploited you most likely have no identification, no job, no car, and no way to get into an apartment in the first place (Clawson, Dutch, Salomon & Grace, 2009). 

The need for safe shelter for survivors of human trafficking is emphasized by this statistic: of the 529 beds available to victims in the United States there are no beds for labor trafficking and only two designated for men (Polaris, 2012). Though this number has increased dramatically since 2012, with 2,143 beds available to commercially sexually exploited individuals, 87% are for adult women, with none designated for men. In fact, there are still nine states that do not offer shelter beds at all (St. Francis Ministries, 2019).

Besides emergency shelters, it is a long excruciating process for survivors to access low income housing. As one study put it, “Although documented trafficking survivors are eligible for federally subsidized housing programs, they face long (or closed) waitlists and can move to the top only if they are fleeing imminent violence, meaning they are currently residing with the perpetrator of their trafficking. Therefore, government housing simply is not an option for many survivors” (Clawson et al. 2009). In 2021, this is still a relevant issue, with waiting lists taking upwards of 3-5 years to give individuals access to low income housing. For survivors of trafficking who need stable housing in order to heal, many trafficking survivors are forced to stay in poverty, at risk for homelessness, to accept unsafe housing situations, living from one transitional house to another, or continuing to be exploited just so they can have a roof over their head (Batts, 2020). 

This is one of the big barriers for survivors to overcome in their healing journey toward stability and safety. It is a problem that does have solutions if local and federal government systems are willing to invest in valuing housing for at-risk and marginalized populations. Having a shelter over your head is a basic need, and not having it is a key risk factor for human trafficking. “Traffickers understand this as well, often scoping out shelters for potential victims to exploit. Traffickers promise safety, comfort and stability for individuals and families who have nowhere else to turn. These vulnerable individuals are then forced to work or provide sexual services, or once again be faced with living on the streets” (Polaris Project, 2021). This is a dilemma no human being should have to face, but for these individuals it is one that is all too common. Even after leaving their trafficking situation, the lack of secure and safe housing keeps survivors in a unique place of vulnerability. Dependent on systems that move slowly, or not at all. These gaps need to be addressed to help survivors become empowered individuals with autonomy and choice, as well as keeping them protected against further exploitation (Doran, Jenkins & Mahoney, 2014). 

References 
  • Batts, Rebecca Anne. 2020."Using trauma-informed and victim-centered approaches to provide assistance to survivors of human trafficking." PhD diss., Valdosta State University. Retrieved November 16, 2021.(https://www.proquest.com/openview/b8ce74e6f0973f03dbc45191aea80c04/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=51922&diss=y).
  • Clawson, H., Dutch, N., Salomon, A., and Goldblatt Grace, L. (2009). “Study of HHS programs serving human trafficking victims.” Washington, D.C.: Health and Human Services. 
  • Doran, Liza, Darci Jenkins, and Megan Mahoney. (2014). “Addressing the Gaps in Services for Survivors of Human Trafficking: An Opportunity for Human Service Providers.” Human service education: a journal of the National Organization for Human Service Education. 34.1.
  • Polaris Project. (2012). “Shelter Beds for human trafficking survivors in the United States.” Washington, D.C.: Polaris Project. 
  • Polaris Project. (2018). “On-Ramps, Intersections and Exit Routes: A Roadmap for Systems and Industries to Prevent and Disrupt Human Trafficking.”  July 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2021. (https://polarisproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/A-Roadmap-for-Systems-and-Industries-to-Prevent-and-Disrupt-Human-Trafficking-Housing-and-Homelessness-Systems.pdf). 
  • Polaris project. (2021). “Human Trafficking does not Happen in a Vacuum.” Accessed August 18, 2021.(https://polarisproject.org/blog/2021/01/human-trafficking-does-not-happen-in-a-vacuum/).
  • St. Francis Ministries. 2019. “Finding Shelter.” Retrieved on November 15, 2021. (https://saintfrancisministries.org/trafficking-research/).
Emily Robinson

Emily Robinson (They/Them) is a lived experience expert consultant in familial, cult, labor trafficking and the sex industry.  They have received three years of training in master’s level counseling psychology coursework and as a lived experience expert has provided consultations to organizations such as Polaris, Dressember, Roller Skate to Liberate, and Survivor Alliance. With over 10 years of experience in the Anti-Human Trafficking Movement, they have performed research, created a one-of-a-kind program evaluation for direct service providers, and participated in advisory boards, trainings, and panels. As a lived experience expert holding diverse experience expertise and education, they offer a unique perspective on the multilayered experiences of exploitation, complex PTSD, and evaluation. Their passion is focused on research and program evaluation to help reduce client harm and increase the trauma informed health and growth of organizations.

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