Shelter
There is a shelter crisis for trafficked victims in the United States. The Home Foundation estimates that there are less than 100 beds nationally for an estimated 100,000 identified traffic victims annually. Placing trafficked victims in existing homeless or domestic violence shelters is not an ad- equate solution due to the unique needs of this population.
Traffickers often search for their escaped victims (which they view as lost income), and may track the victim to the shelter, putting the other shelter residents at risk. Also, trafficking victims (especially children) may need a higher level of security than a homeless or domestic violence shelter can provide. Finally, trafficking victims have ex- perienced a unique set of traumas which other shelters may not be equipped to address.
