Homelessness and human trafficking have been shown to be interconnected in the UK. Research carried out by The Passage in 2017 found that people experiencing homelessness are at risk of being exploited, and victims of human trafficking are at risk of becoming homeless once they have broken free from the human traffickers. The Passage decided to conduct research studies to map the link between human trafficking and homelessness in other international cities: Dublin and New York City. Findings from research and mapping in Dublin, has allowed for evidence-based recommendations to be proposed to support Ireland’s human trafficking strategy by introducing systemic change. The Passage undertook a similar methodical evaluation to the earlier study in London to explore the links between homelessness and human trafficking in Dublin. 13 respondents from homelessness organisations completed an online survey on their knowledge and experience of human trafficking within the sector. One focus group meeting was convened, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with various relevant organisations. The study shows that most homelessness organisations believe that they are encountering victims of trafficking through their work but recognise that they have insufficient knowledge and awareness to identify victims. This is exacerbated by the absence of internal policies and procedures to provide the foundations to identify and support victims of human trafficking.

When discussing knowledge about trafficking with homelessness organisations, one of the main reference points was the media. Participants in the focus group talked about their understandings of human trafficking based around sex trafficking, migrants and refugees being brought into the country to work, and people working or being kept in someone’s home against their will. A couple of participants had awareness of how young people were being groomed and trafficked, including in the drugs trade, but overall participants felt that they often assumed that trafficking was primarily about women involved in prostitution, or about transnational movement of people...

Focus group participants agreed that people experiencing homelessness could be vulnerable to exploitation by virtue of the fact that traffickers could offer housing or accommodation to make a job offer seem tempting to those who lack somewhere to stay. One focus group participant had worked with two people who had been trafficked, one of whom had a learning disability and the other had an acquired brain injury. Others felt that substance misuse could also make people vulnerable to exploitation.