Saving Innocence: Human Trafficking Prevention and Response

Community safety

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

In 2023, California reported 1,128 human trafficking cases, involving 2,045 victims (National Human Trafficking Hotline). This underscores California’s status as a significant hub for human trafficking. Urban centers, like LA, have been identified as hotspots, and in 2024, first responders recovered 123 children from trafficking situations, marking a significant increase from previous years.
Traffickers are known for using victims’ vulnerabilities to recruit and manipulate them into compliance with terrible abuse. They prey within communities where economic struggle and underinvestment of resources are the norm and among vulnerable young people, including systems-involved youth. Traffickers exploit poverty conditions, which can cause people to see themselves as powerless with few options; and social isolation, which feeds yearning for approval and belonging. Without effective intervention, the traumatic cycle of exploitation and abuse begins in childhood and repeats over generations.

Founded in 2010, we've made it our mission to build a more supportive and victim-centered culture within the justice and social services systems here in LA: to help others see our clients the way we see them, as resilient, creative, brilliant people full of determination and hope. The nature of our service model puts us in direct relationship with hundreds of survivors every year, and we are deeply committed to achieving the following outcomes:
Personal healing for individuals directly impacted by human trafficking by contributing to a swift, seamless, trauma-informed continuum of care for every individual recovered
Appropriate trauma informed response to and support of trafficking victims by public safety officers, service providers, and policymakers
Supporting efforts to increase community safety through trafficking prevention and prosecution efforts
As part of our work with the Department of Justice sponsored Los Angeles Regional Human Trafficking Task Force (LARHTTF), which brings together over 50 partner agencies to provide trauma-informed care to trafficking victims and investigate high-priority trafficking crimes, we are develop a sporting commission to prepare and provide services for the upcoming sporting events (FIFA World Cup in 2026, Super Bowl LXI in 2027, and the 2028 Summer Olympics). Additionally, we are supporting the Figueroa Corridor efforts, which target a 3.5-mile stretch identified as "ground zero for human trafficking" where victims are exploited daily.

An effective response to trafficking means changing broken systems, not just treating the wounds those systems inflict. We envision LA County as a place where people impacted by and/or at risk of human trafficking are empowered to live lives with hope, dignity, and justice.
Traffickers prey in communities where economic struggle is the norm and among vulnerable youth. Without intervention, the cycle of exploitation/abuse starts in childhood and repeats over generations. Impacting LA County begins with systemic change for our clients. This includes teaching life, relational, and interpersonal skills, as well as self-efficacy and worth, preparing them for successful lives.
We also participate in STAR and DREAM courts and the LA County Victim Witness Testimony Protocol, resulting in 600+ years sentenced so far. Our clients’ courageous testimony has impacted the lives of countless others who might have been victimized by these traffickers directly impacting community safety.