Brittany Dunn's Fight Against Human Trafficking With Safe House Project

Brittany Dunn has made significant strides in combating human trafficking through her leadership at Safe House Project. Founded in 2017, Safe House Project addresses the critical gaps in the continuum of care for survivors of sex trafficking, ensuring that every survivor has the opportunity to heal in safety within a therapeutic safe house program.

Dunn's commitment to this cause stems from the alarming statistics surrounding human trafficking in the United States. "Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are trafficked in the United States, many of whom are exploited through the commercial sex industry," Dunn explains. "Only one percent are ever identified, and without restorative care, 80% of identified survivors will be re-victimized by the same or another trafficker."

To tackle these challenges, Safe House Project operates on several fronts:

1. Survivor Identification Training & Prevention Education: This program trains and equips individuals, including healthcare professionals, educators, law enforcement, and community members, to identify, report, and provide resources to survivors of human trafficking. "To date, more than 300,000 individuals have participated in our training and are equipped to recognize potential trafficking victims in their daily lives," Dunn shares.
2. Emergency Survivor Support: The Survivor Response team assists survivors exiting their trafficking situation with emergency services, safe house placement, and support to break cycles of victimization and be empowered on their path to freedom. "This program has grown to serve more than 534 survivors in 2023 alone, partly due to our educational efforts to increase survivor identification. We anticipate serving 1,500 survivors in 2024," says Dunn.
3. Safe House Capacity Building: Safe House Project mentors and funds new or expanding safe house programs to increase the capacity of safe housing and decrease barriers to services for survivors. "So far, we have launched 479 new spaces in safe house programs across the country, providing a total of 174,000 safe nights to exiting survivors every year," Dunn notes.
4. Safe House Certification: This initiative evaluates residential programs serving trafficking survivors based on five key criteria and highlights opportunities for improved operations and enhanced effectiveness. "The purpose of a certification model is to provide standards of care based on best practices formed by lived experience experts, medical professionals, and other industry leaders," Dunn explains.
5. Trafficking Survivor Equity Coalition: This coalition brings survivor-informed and anti-trafficking-field-informed policy recommendations to educate lawmakers on how to effectively prevent trafficking, protect trafficking survivors, and prosecute traffickers.

Dunn's involvement with Forbes Nonprofit Council has been instrumental in expanding her reach and impact. "Through Forbes Nonprofit Council, I have had the opportunity to write and publish a variety of articles," she says. "My writings focus on the need for building trust and fostering collaboration, the impact of strategy being driven by a human-centric data model, and the opportunity to transform our approach to challenging issues through collective impact."

These articles have led to significant achievements, including co-authoring the book, "Eradicating Human Trafficking: A Transformative Approach to Collective Impact" with her colleague and friend, Bill Woolf. Dunn believes that thought leadership is key to increasing credibility and expanding reach.

“There are a variety of ways to expand your reach," she advises. "Write a book, publish articles in credible outlets, speak on podcasts and at conferences, and hone your public speaking skills."

Forbes Nonprofit Council has also facilitated valuable networking opportunities. "One of our Board Members suggested Forbes Nonprofit Council due to its credibility and balanced perspective on thought leadership," Dunn shares. "The council has led to many meaningful introductions from promoting articles on [social media], resulting in additional introductory calls and long-term partnerships."

Currently, Safe House Project is working to strengthen its internal technology systems to create more effective and efficient processes for supporting survivors of trafficking. "We believe that by developing a comprehensive trafficking response network, we can help survivors navigate the complex landscape of service provision to break cycles of victimization and provide pathways for healing," Dunn explains. This HIPAA-compliant technology platform has the potential to revolutionize the anti-trafficking field with critical data to prosecute traffickers, protect survivors, and prevent trafficking.

Brittany Dunn's work with Safe House Project and her involvement with Forbes Nonprofit Council highlight her dedication to eradicating human trafficking and supporting survivors. Her thought leadership and strategic initiatives continue to make a profound impact, ensuring that survivors receive the care and support they need to heal and thrive.

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