What You Can Do Now to Fight For Survivors

Earlier this year, we supported a young mother who had been trafficked from down south to up north with her 4-month-old baby. She arrived with absolutely nothing—no belongings, no support, and nowhere to go. After she was able to escape at a gas station, she was taken into a local shelter. That’s when they reached out to us.

Because of the federal funding we receive, we were able to act immediately. Within hours, we mobilized to get her safe, assess her needs, and begin coordinating support. Our team worked with a partner agency to locate a private pilot who could transport her back down South – a safe, trauma-informed route that took her far away from the individuals who had trafficked her.

Within just five days of enrollment, we were able to reunite her not only with her extended family, but also with her 3-year-old daughter, whom she had been separated from. She left here not only physically safe, but with the dignity and agency she deserved.

This kind of outcome is only possible because of the resources federal funding allows us to provide—rapid response, coordinated care, and safe transportation for survivors with nowhere else to turn.

Without these funds, we would have had to turn her away. The shelter would have had no one to call. The baby, the mother, and her 3-year-old daughter might still be apart.

Survivors cannot wait. Lives are on the line every single day these funds are delayed.

An FNUSA Member

Our current funding under OVC has allowed us to serve 157 survivors of trafficking over the last year, with many survivors coming in and out of services as needed, totaling 185 cases. Survivors came to our program from 7 of the 16 counties in Maine, supporting people from both urban and rural communities.

During the last three years, we received nearly 350 referrals coming into our program, meaning this funding source alone has supported 45% of the survivors we have served – and we have risen to the need with a team of just two caseworkers under this grant. This funding has impacted so many lives and created a path forward to healing, hope, and a better life for people in need.

The work with survivors is holistic – we believe that the power of choice, autonomy, and joy cultivate healing. We help build strong communities, increasing our community’s capacity to identify ways to support survivors of trafficking, training over 1900 members of our community. Equipping more people to support the dynamic and complex needs of trafficking survivors means that the impacts of this funding stretch far beyond the casework it supports.

Preble Street

For over seven years, we have provided comprehensive support to survivors of trafficking. Our staff works closely with each client, offering individualized assistance through a holistic trauma-informed approach. Supporting survivors of trafficking often requires more than simply providing resources or referrals-it can involve navigating complex and sensitive situations, as illustrated by the following client story. For confidentiality, the client will be referred to as “Sam”.

Sam was initially connected to a partner agency within one of the counties we serve. The agency reached out to us for additional screening and a potential referral. Upon further assessment, we identified indicators of labor trafficking and immediately began collaborating with the referring agency to develop a coordinated response, as this was an active trafficking case. Sam, a newcomer to the area and originally from another country, expressed deep distress. She had long sensed that something was wrong but didn’t know where to turn or how to seek help. Unfamiliar with the local systems and community, Sam shared with both us and partner agency staff her desire to leave the trafficking situation and relocate.

Together, we and the partner agency arranged for Sam to be placed in a safe shelter while a relocation plan was developed. We coordinated with another partner agency in a different county to secure safe housing for Sam. Once relocated, she began working with new agency’s staff while maintaining close contact with us and the original referring provider.

From the beginning, Sam demonstrated resilience and a positive outlook on her healing journey. She began counseling and gradually learned to navigate her new community. We maintained regular communication with the relocated agency to ensure Sam’s needs were met and to establish a plan for continued services. Thanks to the funding of our anti-trafficking programs, Sam was able to secure a year-long placement in transitional housing. During this time, she received in-kind goods, groceries, rental assistance, and support in accessing public benefits. She was also connected to legal services through our staff attorney, who guided her through her legal process. Sam quickly adapted to her new environment, becoming more comfortable and engaged in her community. She began volunteering at a local museum and grocery store, studied the Driver Handbook, and successfully obtained her driver’s license. Within a few months, Sam secured employment and purchased her first vehicle.

The support Sam received through our survivor-focused funding empowered her to achieve a higher level of self-sufficiency and become an integrated member of her community. Sam’s journey is a testament to the resilience of survivors and the transformative impact of coordinated trauma-informed support. Through our collaborative efforts with our partner agencies, Sam was able to transition from a place of vulnerability to one of empowerment and independence. Her story highlights the importance of comprehensive services, community integration, sustained funding, and advocacy in supporting survivors of trafficking. We remain committed to walking alongside survivors like Sam, ensuring they have the resources, support, and opportunities needed to rebuild their lives and thrive.

An FNUSA Member

Last year, our case management program supported 53 survivors of trafficking with comprehensive advocacy services, including accompanying them to court, securing protective orders, and providing interpretation. Without funding, survivors will be forced to navigate the complex legal system alone or may choose not to seek life-saving legal protections.

An FNUSA Member

Some limited examples of the impacts on human lives that the OVC enhanced funding has provided:

• Preble Street has provided rental assistance to a survivor of sex trafficking so she could have life-saving surgery to address her cancer, which was left unattended after the trauma of her victimization left her without housing. With time and space to heal and a fridge full of food, she could recover and return to work.
• Relocation fees have been paid to ensure survivors are in communities that allow them to be with their support systems and out of the environment of their trafficking.
• Thanks to this funding, our team has shown up again and again to support survivors exit their trafficking situations, bringing food, clothing, and someone to sit with as they figured out what happens next.
• Even after having experienced severe forms of labor trafficking, we’ve seen survivors thrive in employment settings that treat them with dignity and give them an opportunity to be a support to others.
• A survivor who experienced unsheltered homelessness for years was finally prioritized for permanent supportive housing where she has THRIVED. Not only is she getting the mental health and medical care she deserved, but she also has friends and a sense of community.
• Preble Street has aided victims involved in state and federal cases, taking care to have their voices heard throughout the process. This type of support ensures that they have the resources to successfully maintain their recovery during such traumatic processes, and have had someone to process with each step of the long, arduous journey that is an investigation. Without this support, these victims might have experienced major setbacks, including experiencing homelessness or being forced to return to their traffickers.
• Families have successfully reunified after victimizations robbed them of their health and home.

Preble Street

Last year, 241 survivors found safety at our emergency shelter and other housing programs. Without federal funding, we will have to reduce our housing options for survivors, leaving many survivors in vulnerable situations or forcing them to seek unsafe housing, such as staying with their abuser or trafficker.

An FNUSA Member