“I Never Really Had a Stable Home:” Childhood Housing Instability As a Risk Factor Among Survivors of Sex Trafficking

Background and Purpose: Survivors of human trafficking report a wide range of unmet needs, with access to safe and stable housing consistently identified as a foundational priority in their healing and recovery. Emergency shelters for minors and adults, transitional housing, and general housing assistance have been identified as urgent needs for survivors of human trafficking, yet access to housing remains constrained. There is a critical need for survivor-centered research that examines housing instability across the life-course and considers how early housing experiences shape vulnerability to trafficking. Research on housing instability remains limited, especially that which reflects the lived experiences of survivors of sex trafficking. Grounded in life course theory, one research question guided this study: How do experiences of childhood housing instability intersect with other vulnerabilities to shape pathways into sex trafficking?

Methods: Recruitment included purposive and snowball sampling, with 23 adult women survivors participating in a 1-hour semi-structured Zoom interview between November and December 2024. With participant consent, all interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data analysis involved constant comparative analysis and consisted of repeated readings of data, coding, and creation of themes and categories. Participants were incentivized with a $100 gift card, an amount recommended by the National Survivor Network. Participants were 38 years of age on average, and over half of the study sample identified as white (52.2%; n = 12), followed by Black (21.7%; n = 5), Multiracial (13.0%; n = 3), Hispanic/Latina (8.7%; n = 2), and Middle Eastern (4.3%; n = 1).

Results: Findings revealed that 73.9% (n = 17) of participants experienced housing instability during childhood, often linked to poverty, substance use, abuse and neglect, and involvement in the child welfare system. Frequent moves, motel stays, couch surfing, and reliance on non-parental caregivers created environments of chronic uncertainty. Many faced continued instability into adulthood, and housing instability was closely tied to exploitation, either preceding trafficking or emerging as a consequence of it. Participants described harmful experiences in foster care and group homes, with some trafficked by caregivers. Consistent with life course theory, early housing instability functioned as part of a cumulative process of disadvantage that shaped pathways into exploitation for many of the participants. Stable housing was identified as a critical need.

Conclusion and Implications: Housing instability is a critical social determinant of vulnerability to sex trafficking, and findings suggest that experiences of homelessness and housing instability during childhood are associated with persistent challenges in adulthood. Survivor-informed housing interventions must center safety, autonomy, and trauma‑informed care. There is a need for housing approaches that prioritize long-term stability, including Housing First models, as a pathway to preventing sex trafficking. Housing stability should be recognized as a protective factor and integrated into interventions for all youth, with particular attention to those aging out of foster care. Programs that provide safe, long-term housing options are essential to reducing vulnerability and supporting long-term recovery and well-being.