Services Gaps and Redundancies: Findings from the Michigan Human Trafficking Resource Survey (MHTRS)
Jessica Lowen | September 21 | 2:45-3:45 PM | Auditorium
In this session, initial findings from the Michigan Human Trafficking Resource Survey (MHTRS) will be presented. A comprehensive statewide survey of public service agencies and advocates was conducted from May to August 2017 in order to assess the state of anti-trafficking resources in Michigan. Human trafficking is a pernicious problem whose harms are exacerbated by inadequate data, a lack of interagency collaboration, and persistent misconceptions about factors that make individuals vulnerable to exploitation. Despite increasing public awareness and a rise in the number of anti-trafficking humanitarian organizations, survivors and advocates report significant barriers to accessing help they need. Based on data from the MHTRS, this session explores this problem by examining gaps and redundancies in anti-human trafficking resources in Michigan: what services are being offered, by which types of organizations, and for which groups of individuals. The MHTRS research sample consisted of 317 organizations identified through referral lists provided by members of the Joint Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (JATT), ethnographic research, and a purposeful sampling of organizations identified as geographically and culturally representative of service providers in the state: government agencies, health and human service providers, advocacy groups, and allied agencies in education and the faith-based community from throughout Michigan and Indian Tribal Nations. As of July 2017, 195 organizations completed the survey for a response rate of 62%.
Presentation Objectives:
- Present findings from the Michigan Human Trafficking Resource Survey (MHTRS)
- Explore the barriers, redundancies, and gaps in anti-human trafficking services
- Identify culturally appropriate interventions, trauma-informed approaches, trafficking terminology, and best practices involving survivor-leaders in the design and delivery of care.