Systematic Review of Housing Services and Interventions for Human Trafficking in the United States

Research has identified homelessness and housing insecurity as a risk factor for experiencing human trafficking, and housing often emerges as a pressing need experienced by many human trafficking survivors. Given the intersection of housing and human trafficking, we conducted a systematic review to identify and synthesize the research examining housing interventions for those who have experienced human trafficking. Our search for peer-reviewed and grey literature in 12 bibliographic databases and 11 websites yielded 17 studies that met the following criteria: (a) available in English; (b) empirical; (c) conducted in the United States; and (d) examined or evaluated a housing service or intervention for people who had experienced human trafficking or were identified as being at risk for trafficking. Study quality was assessed using the Quality Appraisal Checklist for Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods Studies and findings were synthesized using a structured narrative approach. The reviewed studies included environment scans, process evaluations, outcome evaluations, and combined process/outcome evaluations. Four types of housing services and interventions were identified: (a) residential treatment facilities, (b) group home treatment facilities, (c) crisis housing and shelter, and (d) transitional housing. The review identified promising findings and practices related to the various housing approaches. Nonetheless, review findings highlight key gaps in research on housing services and interventions for human trafficking survivors (e.g., few outcome evaluations, pre-experimental designs). To adequately address survivors' housing needs, there is a clear need for more research focused on evaluating trafficking housing services and interventions using rigorous designs inclusive of diverse survivor voices.