Survivors Highlight Barriers to Safe and Affordable Housing
SAFE Center Director of Equity and Community Partnerships Jatnna Gomez embraces Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights Executive Director Renee Battle-Brooks and other supporting partners at the April 2024 Human Trafficking Survivor Housing Panel, hosted by the MPower strategic initiative.
Published on the SAFE Center website | July 29, 2024
Housing is the greatest unmet need of the sex and labor trafficking survivors that the SAFE Center serves. Most of our clients are unstably housed, including almost 100% of our crisis intervention clients who may have recently exited their trafficker’s physical control. Recognizing these challenges, the SAFE Center convened a survivor-led panel to discuss obstacles to obtain and maintain safe and secure housing in Prince George’s County as well as recommendations for the types of resources that would most benefit survivors of trafficking in our area.
Panelists highlighted a need for better access to answers to their housing questions, support with credit repair in case their credit was ruined due to trafficking, and financial assistance for breaking leases, covering security deposits, and buying basic household items. From a long-term perspective, panelists emphasized the importance of affordable childcare, access to ongoing support – not only emergency-focused resources, and access to information about the housing market.
This panel was attended by a wide range of county stakeholders involved in housing, victim services, advocacy, the Health Department, the Department of Social Services, hospitals, the Office of the County Executive, the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System, and the local anti-trafficking field. To conclude the event, we heard important remarks and a call to action from Renee Battle-Brooks (Executive Director of the Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights) for these local stakeholders to come together and collaborate in innovative ways to address the needs of survivors.
The SAFE Center has invested additional resources into addressing the needs and concerns of our clients by hiring a dedicated Housing Services Specialist, Kinicki Hughes. The Housing Services Specialist will work with our Director of Equity and Community Partnerships, Jatnna Gomez, and our Economic Empowerment team to expand access to housing resources for trafficking survivors.
This April 2024 Human Trafficking Survivor Housing Panel was hosted by the SAFE Center in partnership with the Prince George’s County Human Trafficking Task Force, the Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights, and the Memories Foundation at South Bowie Library.
