Seeking Home: Why Short-Term Housing is Often the Missing Link in Aftercare

In November of 2024, Hope Center Indy welcomed its first short-term resident through the Safe Nights program.

And now, at just a little over a year, the program has provided more than a thousand safe nights, offering survivors somewhere safe they can go. 

These safe nights allow survivors of trafficking to stay anywhere from one night to sixty. 

The goal is to foster rest and stability before making a long-term decision in their healing journey.

Thus far, Hope Center has seen 11 short-term residents transition into our long-term program through Take Heart Residential.

Despite the accomplishments made with Safe Nights, oftentimes, many do not know about the leap of faith that was required to jumpstart the short-term housing initiative. 

"In order to open our short-term program, we needed to hire 4 full-time staff members and 1 part-time staff member, including a direct care coordinator, residential technicians, and support for the intake process." - Mary Wilkinson, Associate Director.

But, we realized that if we truly sought to support women and their journey towards healing, we needed to bridge a significant gap, a missing link, in the care of domestic human trafficking survivors.

The Frequently Missing Link

Where can I go?

When a trafficking survivor exits their situation, they are often faced with this looming question: Where can I go?

According to the Safe House Project, 80% of survivors return to their exploitative pasts when faced with a lack of safe housing. 

This reality means that even if someone exits a trafficking situation, it often does not lead to escaping these traumatic cycles long-term without immediate support and care. 

The Deep Need for Short-Term Housing

The problem of short-term housing for women running from trafficking is the radio silence that answers back to their crying question: Where can I go now?

According to a study from the Institute for Survivor Care, “a safe place to stay a few nights” is the help most needed by survivors. 

From Polaris’ data analysis of the statistics from the National Human Trafficking Hotline, the top five risk factors for recruitment include relocation at 54%, followed later by unstable housing and homeless youth.

Studies reported from the University of Pennsylvania connect homelessness with recruitment, showing that up to 22% of participants were approached by their trafficker upon the first night of homelessness. 

In addition, an Am J Public Health report states that approximately 28% of street youths and 10% of shelter youths participated in survival sex while homeless. 

This link between homelessness and trafficking highlights the housing need and vulnerability for the majority of women exiting these environments. 

When we consider the widespread, deep need and urgency of emergency housing in the domestic trafficking crisis, one yes, one bed, one more night becomes a “Come and rest with me” (Mt. 11:28-30).

Safe Nights

Hope Center Indy saw this frequently overlooked need, one that was missing in our own care of survivors, and stepped out in faith to meet it.

Despite the cost and risk of taking on six more positions and expanding services, we recognized that if we only attended to women in long-term care, a cycle of trauma would continue for many others.

"Survivors need short term housing because on their journey, it is the first step on a long road to healing and recovery. It must be low barrier so they can come directly out of crisis and into safety the moment they’re ready, without delays or obstacles. The goal of the short term phase is to provide safety creating stability, giving them the foundation they need to transition into long term housing and succeed." - Jenn Starr, Director of Residential Ministries

Meeting survivors where they are, these stays through the Safe Nights program aim to offer immediate support and care at critical moments.

Without lengthy intake processes or sobriety requirements, those exiting trafficking situations have greater access and, in most cases, a higher likelihood of transitioning into long-term care. 

Many times, emergency housing for survivors links together the stages of exiting and long-term healing. 

We are asking our team of supporters to answer that first looming question: “Where can I go?” and bridge the gap. Please consider helping a survivor of sex trafficking to find an immediate, safe place to stay by sponsoring a safe night here.