Thank you for the important question.
I can speak directly to those who are exiting human trafficking and sexual exploitation who might have a history of domestic partner violence and interpersonal violence. That's usually intersected through their lives, but for those who are exiting and looking for assistance to find safe housing that's emergent and then ongoing and transitional, the needs of a human trafficking and sexual exploitation survivor, as quoted in the DSM-5, are different in the responses they need for their trauma.
I can give you a quote. There was actually a study done and a report put out in the province of Ontario by Hiatus House to shelter workers. One of the things that a brave shelter worker who was quoted said was that whatever workers say that they know, they don't know. What's missing is their “understanding of the complexities and the many faces of human trafficking, resulting in the under-identification of human trafficking experiences”, both within and outside the shelters. It gives survivors a feeling of “a lack of guidance and professionalism pertaining to their case management [and of] confidence [in] the course of action” that they could be provided. The support services actually can put survivors and clients within the shelter at risk. I'm quoting from the document.
The other thing I would say is that one of the issues is that we're trying to do more with less. In the 2026 national shelter survey summary and executive report, that's splashed across their banner. If you talk to any woman or girl who's been through the shelter system, they'll tell you what is going on, to the point that we're now seeing things like shelter shopping, and we're seeing things like regional referrals being refused. It's very harmful.
The worst-case scenarios are the continual transitions of women and girls, especially those with children, who are trying to keep their life together in one piece when, every six months, just when they feel like they're getting stabilized, a case manager is saying that it's time for them to go and they have nowhere for them to go.