“One of the biggest misconceptions, specifically here in Maine, is the mentality that it doesn't happen here. It absolutely happens here, and that is why our program is in existence.”
There’s no one face of human trafficking… a survivor can be someone who got pesticide poisoning, forced to work picking one of Maine’s agricultural crops; a person working in a restaurant from 5am to 1am with no breaks to pay off a “debt” that never goes down; or a person coerced into sex work by traffickers using opioids to recruit and control them.
Human trafficking is defined by the use of threats, physical and sexual violence, and psychological manipulation to force people against their will to perform labor, including commercial sex acts. It happens in every state in the U.S., including right here in Maine.
Vulnerable people and populations, like immigrants, people experiencing homelessness, unaccompanied minors, and other marginalized groups, have unmet needs, limited access to basic services, and are thus more at-risk for human trafficking. Hailey Virusso is the Director of Anti-Trafficking Services at Preble Street. She says, “A trafficker is skilled in their ability to recognize and exploit an individual’s risk factors and at meeting those needs.”
Housing insecurity and homelessness is one of the main risk factors that can put someone at risk of trafficking. “Lack of housing and shelter is the most cited unmet need amongst the survivors of trafficking served by Preble Street,” explains Hailey. More than 57% of the individuals ATS served this year were homeless when they first connected with Preble Street. Along with other services and supports, ATS frequently works to connect survivors to permanent housing, which helps to prevent future cycles of re-victimization and exploitation.
Earlier this month, ATS hosted a networking and informational event to raise awareness of human trafficking in Maine. Anti-trafficking service providers, survivor leaders, and community members came together to strengthen connections and discuss how we can collectively support survivors in Maine.
Progess in Maine
Founded in 2013, ATS has worked alongside various private and public agencies to expand services for survivors and strengthen the collective response to trafficking in Maine. Some major milestones and steps in this effort include creating Maine’s first and only trafficking-specific, intensive casework model, developing a statewide training curriculum to improve awareness of and education on human trafficking, and serving nearly 1,000 survivors over 12 years.
Responding to the needs of survivors, ATS is increasing services and outreach for youth survivors under the age of 18. After experiencing an uptick in youth referrals, ATS secured federal funding from the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crimes to increase services and outreach for youth survivors under the age of 18. With this funding, ATS will support 75 youth survivors, bringing on new caseworkers and strengthening partnerships with schools and other key social service providers, namely Spurwink.
To connect with more survivors of labor trafficking, in the last two years ATS has also expanded outreach efforts to all 16 counties in Maine. With funding from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, ATS has formed a dedicated Labor Trafficking and Exploitation Services and Identification Program. Partnering closely with the Maine Mobile Health Program, a community health center and Maine’s only farmworker health organization, ATS conducts seasonal outreach in the most rural parts of the state, identifying and supporting survivors of labor trafficking. In 2024, the ATS Outreach team collectively traveled 40,000 miles to outreach and support survivors.
These women are my friends, my sisters, and they will always be in my heart. This is a crisis we cannot ignore. We need to put the last girl first.
What can I do to help?
You can donate to Preble Street to support our Anti-Trafficking Services program or to the Maine Human Trafficking Survivor Fund, which provides direct, low-barrier financial assistance to trafficking survivors for help with housing, food, transportation, and childcare.
You can also advocate for funding for the victims’ services network in Maine. It is currently at risk of huge cuts because of shortfalls in the federal Crime Victims Fund. If the Maine legislature doesn’t cover the gap in funding, legal support for abuse survivors will be eliminated, victim advocates will lose their jobs, and Maine’s only dedicated shelter for trafficking victims will close. Write to your representative using the script below to express support for this critical funding. You can find your representative here: Maine House of Representatives.
Hello,
I am a Maine resident, and I am writing to you today on behalf of victims of human trafficking to express support for funding victim’s services in Maine.
Victim services are a crucial part of the public health infrastructure: they support survivors of crimes, ease burdens on the criminal justice system, and strengthen communities.
Cuts in funding from the federal Victims of Crimes Act fund are expected to continue for several years. We need the Maine Legislature to provide ongoing funding to support victims and create the conditions for healthy and thriving communities.
Thank you,
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Preble Street in Bangor
Since its start as a small social work agency in Portland, Maine, Preble Street has been guided by its commitment to mission and empowering vulnerable Mainers. Earlier this year, this commitment led Preble Street to assume operations of Hope House, a 56-bed emergency low-barrier shelter in Bangor, after Penobscot Community Health Care (PCHC) announced the shelter
Seasonal outreach ramps up for Anti-Trafficking Services
Preble Street’s Healing Center, located at 55 Portland Street, Portland, ME, is the only dedicated space in Maine for trafficking survivors. Preble Street has provided more than 500 people with anti-trafficking-related services, since ATS began over a decade ago. Human trafficking happens everywhere, including right here in Maine. Children and adults of all genders, ages,
Raising Awareness of Human Trafficking
Human Trafficking Awareness & Prevention Month January is Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention month, a time to refocus our efforts to educate people about what trafficking looks like and who it impacts. Hailey Virusso, Director of Anti-Trafficking Services, shared in the Portland Press Herald this month, “While there is no singular picture or face of human
