In 2017, The Passage – a Vincentian NGO based in the United Kingdom – carried out a study to explore the links between homelessness and human trafficking in England. This research found that people experiencing homelessness were vulnerable to being trafficked, and that people who had been trafficked and escaped were vulnerable to becoming homeless. Since then, The Passage has been leading the way in the homelessness sector in the UK in addressing these interlinked issues, operating the first dedicated Human Trafficking Service within a homelessness organisation, developing tools and guidance for the sector to improve awareness, practice and support and liaising strategically with commissioners and policymakers to advocate for more joined-up and effective approaches to supporting victims.

However, we have always known that human trafficking does not respect international borders and requires an upstream approach to be tackled effectively. In order to establish if there is indeed a link in other international cities, in 2023, The Passage embarked on a new project with two lead partners, Depaul Ireland and the Mayor of New York’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence, to examine the links between homelessness and human trafficking in Dublin and New York City.

In addition to producing a local report for each city that captures the findings of our mapping work and recommendations coming from that work, a wider report with recommendations of how to shine a light on the issue at a global level will also be produced, linking in with the UN SDG 8.7 which aims to take immediate and effective measures to end human trafficking.

The objectives for our work in Dublin were to:

• Explore whether homelessness organisations are identifying victims of trafficking within their work,
• Understand existing knowledge and skills to tackle human trafficking within the homelessness sector; and
• Make recommendations for regional and national improvements on how homelessness organisations can respond to the issue of human trafficking more effectively.

The following April 2024 report outlines the research and evaluation that was carried out, its key findings and makes six recommendations. These recommendations support the Irish Government’s Third National Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Human Trafficking (NAP), [2] and improve the way vulnerable people receive crucial support.

Click here to visit its website.

Download the report by clicking on the image below: