{"id":1555,"date":"2019-04-03T16:51:54","date_gmt":"2019-04-03T16:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fighttrafficking.org\/news_atc\/more-than-four-walls-the-anti-trafficking-housing-landscape-the-reality-of-finding-shelter\/"},"modified":"2019-07-12T17:29:39","modified_gmt":"2019-07-12T17:29:39","slug":"more-than-four-walls-the-anti-trafficking-housing-landscape-the-reality-of-finding-shelter","status":"publish","type":"news_atc","link":"https:\/\/www.fighttrafficking.org\/demo\/news_atc\/more-than-four-walls-the-anti-trafficking-housing-landscape-the-reality-of-finding-shelter\/","title":{"rendered":"More Than Four Walls: The Anti-Trafficking Housing Landscape & The Reality Of"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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More Than Four Walls: The Anti-Trafficking Housing Landscape & The Reality Of<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Date: Friday, November 16, 2018<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Location: Houston, Texas<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s Saturday evening at the National Human Trafficking Hotline, and we\u2019ve had non-stop calls since mid-afternoon. I know there are people on hold waiting to be helped, so I type my notes from my last call as quickly as possible, while not skipping any details. I put on my phone\u2019s headset, take a breath, and take the next call in the queue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The voice on the other line is quiet and nervous. She tells me she\u2019s 30 and just escaped a situation where her boss forced her to work 16 hours per day cleaning the house without pay, enough food, or ever being allowed to go outside. She doesn\u2019t want to go back to that situation and is hoping I can help her find somewhere safe to stay. I\u2019m awed at her bravery \u2013 and tell her so. I promise her I will do my best to help. She says she doesn\u2019t want to call the police because her boss told her the police will deport her. Since her boss made her outstay her visa, that threat is very real. I assure her I\u2019ll only do what she\u2019s comfortable with, and we don\u2019t have to involve the police. \u2018Do you know where you are?\u2019 I ask. \u2018A bus station in Houston.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I breathe a sigh of relief when she says Houston. It\u2019s a big city and she identifies as female. I open my database to see who I can call for emergency shelter. I check the time \u2013 9 PM on a Saturday. This might be rough since some programs only take new clients during business hours. I put the survivor on hold and call one of the local shelters. The advocate on the other end tells me that yes, they do have a bed available for tonight, and they will be able to speak to the survivor to coordinate. I smile and complete the transfer. Sometimes it works out perfectly.\u201d \u2013 National Human Trafficking Hotline Advocate<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the more than 3,000 (and growing) social and legal service providers that are part of the National Human Trafficking Hotline\u2019s referral network, about 36% provide some form of housing to survivors of human trafficking and just over 900 of those offer emergency shelter for crisis situations. Most offer emergency shelter options to cis-female survivors and are concentrated near large cities, leaving gaps in some rural areas. Despite the anti-trafficking community\u2019s great strides to create a safety net for survivors, there are still many systematic and inadvertent barriers that block survivors from accessing the critical housing they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I write my notes, I think back to a case that wasn\u2019t so easy. A 19 year old survivor was leaving a sex trafficking situation when she texted the National Hotline. She told me she was in a wheelchair and didn\u2019t want to call because she was Deaf. She talked about her service dog, Copper, and how he keeps her strong. Unfortunately, all I could think about is how difficult it is to find a shelter that allows dogs \u2013 even when they\u2019re service animals. A fellow advocate and I called around to local shelters near her. The first four shelters we called said no to the dog immediately. I finally spoke to someone who understood that he\u2019s a service pup. My heart sank immediately when she told me the shelter only had top bunk beds available. They wouldn\u2019t be able to open up an accessible bunk for several days. Not an option for this survivor. I told the survivor what happened, but she never texted back \u2013 probably due to frustration. I understood; closed doors hurt.\u201d \u2013 National Human Trafficking Hotline Advocate<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emergency shelter is the most requested referral survivors seek when reaching out to the National Hotline in crisis situations. All too often, the need for housing and emergency shelter far exceeds the options available. This is amplified when some housing systems haven\u2019t put viable options in place for people with disabilities or who have service animals. Moreover, organizations equipped to serve people with disabilities or special needs may not be experienced with trauma or human trafficking \u2013 and vice versa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI shake my head and move to take another call. After a bit of static, I make out a man\u2019s voice. He tells me he\u2019s being forced to work on a ranch in Ideal, South Dakota, and wants to escape. He\u2019s looking for a safe place to go and does not want to involve law enforcement. I rub my temples with one hand and check the time \u2013 10:30 PM. I pull up my database again and increase my radius to 150 miles. There\u2019s not a single shelter that serves male trafficking survivors. Looks like Ideal, South Dakota isn\u2019t so ideal. I explain these limitations to the survivor and together we develop a plan to keep him safe \u2013 he\u2019s going to spend tonight at the ranch, but tomorrow he might be able to catch a ride with a friend driving through town. He\u2019s grateful for any help at all and thanks me. I just wish there were options available to him.\u201d \u2013 National Human Trafficking Hotline Advocate<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there have been extraordinary efforts made across the country to fill gaps in services to trafficking survivors, shelters are most often only available to cis-female survivors of sex trafficking. That\u2019s the common perception of who a trafficking survivor is. The reality is that trafficking can happen to any person regardless of gender, in any part of the world \u2013 even Small Town, USA. While most shelters will serve cis-gender female survivors, those that serve cis-gender male, transgender, or gender non-binary folks are hundreds fewer. When you eliminate options only available to victims who experienced sexual or domestic violence (which is not the case in many labor trafficking situations), the provider landscape is more desert than oasis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s tough that the best option we have sometimes is to make a plan with the survivor to mitigate safety risks until a shelter bed opens or until there are other options available. But I know it\u2019s getting better. This year, 76 new shelter and housing options were added to the National Hotline\u2019s network \u2013 with more than two-thirds offering emergency shelter to all survivors regardless of gender. Some shelters that only served female domestic violence victims a few years ago have evolved and widened their doors to now serve all survivors of human trafficking. When funding or policies limit shelters\u2019 ability to serve certain populations, many shelters find creative options through hotels, motels, or other safe houses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shelter is not just four walls and a roof \u2013 it\u2019s an embodiment of hope to survivors. It means they can be secure and leave a terrible situation, while knowing that they are believed and cared for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about how housing systems can disrupt and prevent human trafficking. If you are a human trafficking service provider apply here to have your program added to our referral network. Stay informed! If you\u2019d like to help make an impact on the lives of human trafficking victims and survivors join our Grassroots Network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: The locations and identifying details of the cases described have been changed to protect the privacy of callers and potential victims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read polarisproject.org (source) blog here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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