Working With Survivors of Human Trafficking: Results From a Needs Assessment in a Midwestern State, 2019

Author: Preble, Kathleen; Nichols, Andrea & Cox, Ashley

Abstract: While the needs of human trafficking survivors have been documented in the academic discourse, the saliency of such needs is understudied. This study aimed to reveal the critical needs of service provision for human trafficking survivors in a Midwestern state as perceived by multidisciplinary service providers. Targeting health care, social service, law enforcement, public health, and other service providers involved in anti–human trafficking service delivery, we disseminated a survey using purposive and snowball sampling. Drawing from survey responses collected in 2019 from 107 service providers working with 422 survivors of human trafficking in the previous 12 months in a Midwestern state, we examined the saliency of needs from the perspective of service providers in the health care, criminal justice, and social service sectors. Respondents indicated on a Likert scale (1-5) the level of need for 37 social, health care, and legal services in their communities. The top-indicated needs statewide were mental health care, shelter/housing, peer mentorship programs, legal services, transportation, and provider training in juvenile courts, schools, law enforcement, and health care settings on human trafficking. The results suggest the need for statewide responses, such as legal assistance networks, telemental health options, and enhanced training collaborations between interpersonal violence and anti–human trafficking service providers. The study findings are generalizable beyond the study site in 3 ways that can guide strategic action: (1) they provide a framework for state-level analysis and strategic planning that parallels the results; (2) they show that regional variation is possible and should be accounted for in state-level study design, analysis, and strategic planning; and (3) the implications for housing assistance, legal assistance, mental health/substance use disorder–related health care, and training are scalable.

Keywords: human trafficking, needs assessment, multidisciplinary, strategic action