Intended for agencies and groups that serve victims of human trafficking who have been harmed by and need to be healed from their victimization, this paper reviews options for their housing that may be available in a community.
Housing options are grouped under the broad classifications of emergency shelters, transitional housing, rental assistance, and permanent housing. Emergency and short-term shelters are generally designed for crisis situations that require immediate housing, but only for a limited period and often in shared bedrooms with limited privacy. Brief descriptions are provided for homeless shelters, domestic-violence shelters, human trafficking shelters, and hotel vouchers. A second category of housing, called transitional housing, involves not only temporary housing, but also supportive services for individuals and/or families. Housing ranges from shared rooms to individual apartments. Program services typically last between 6 months to 2 years. During this time, residents build their savings and search for secure permanent housing options. Transitional housing programs may be accessed through referrals from homeless or domestic violence shelters. The housing service of rental assistance refers to programs that provide full or partial rent payments that support a survivor in obtaining or maintaining a private unit or apartment. Rental assistance is time-limited and will vary according to each program or agency. Victims likely to have an income soon are good candidates for rental assistance. Regarding permanent housing for human trafficking victims, there are two main categories: tenant-based rental assistance and affordable developments. Under tenant-based rental assistance, a program subsidizes survivors where they are currently housed. Affordable developments are units that have subsidies, usually from government housing programs, that reduce the rent.