CRISIS RESPONSE
We provide short-term crisis response services to adult (18+) female victims of sex trafficking in the Dallas-Fort Worth area who are in need of emergency assistance. Since 2017, we have operated our crisis hotline, which is currently open 9 AM - 5 PM on Monday through Friday. We receive phone calls from law enforcement, Homeland Security, hospitals, the National Human Trafficking Hotline, other non-profit agencies, community members, and survivors themselves.
When we receive a call about a survivor in crisis, our response depends on who is calling. If the call is from a survivor herself (or a community member who is in direct contact with a survivor), we complete a brief assessment to determine emergency needs and safety risks before meeting the survivor in a secure location to coordinate next steps. If assisting in person is not possible, due to capacity or safety risks, we continue to assist the survivor over the phone.
Consent is extremely important to us. If the call is not from a survivor directly, we ensure that the person calling on their behalf obtains the survivor’s consent to speak with us. If we receive a general tip about trafficking in the community (or about someone they know whom they are not in contact with), we can forward the tip to local law enforcement or encourage the caller to do so themselves.
Our crisis services take place over the span of 30–45 days. During this time, we provide assistance by connecting survivors to emergency medical attention and/or law enforcement intervention, educating survivors on their legal rights, providing emotional support, locating safe shelter, meeting basic needs (such as food, clothing, hygiene items, sensory items to assist in trauma responses) and providing transportation when applicable and safe.
Our end goal is to smoothly connect each survivor to either a long-term housing program and/or supportive resources who can walk with each Brave One long-term after our short-term crisis services end.