What trafficking survivors lose when US grants arrive late

A transitional housing programme for trafficking survivors closed after its federal grant expired. According to a report released by a US senator’s office on 9 November 2026, the provider could no longer cover the rent or pay staff. The programme had offered survivors somewhere to stay while they worked towards permanent housing.

The senator’s office estimated that roughly three quarters of the federal anti-trafficking funding it examined for fiscal years 2025 and 2026 was still awaiting award on 9 November. The Justice Department disputed the report’s framing. An official told Reuters that the department was reviewing applications and expected to issue the remaining fiscal 2025 awards by the end of that week.

What the federal anti-trafficking grants pay for

The Office for Victims of Crime, part of the US Department of Justice, funds housing and other services for trafficking survivors, including specialist programmes for children. Some grants also support task forces that bring investigators and service providers together.

Under the fiscal 2025 housing grant notice, survivors could receive between six and 24 months of housing assistance. Grants could cover eligible rent and utility costs as well as help with finding a place to live and keeping it.

The Office for Victims of Crime says 288 trafficking grantees reported serving an average of 10,394 clients per quarter in fiscal 2025. The count includes confirmed trafficking victims and people showing strong indicators of trafficking.

How much money was awaiting award

The senator’s office put the amount still awaiting award at about $133.5 million as of 9 November. That figure covers several programmes, including survivor services and other anti-trafficking work. It was calculated after the previous week’s awards, which Reuters put at about $30 million.

The office also estimated that about $190 million in earlier three-year grants had reached the end of their terms. The fiscal 2022 grants expired in September 2025, and the fiscal 2023 grants expired a year later. Providers faced those end dates even if they had already applied for the next round of grants.

The Office for Victims of Crime had listed 1 July 2026 as the anticipated start date for its fiscal 2025 housing grants. On 13 August it said decisions on fiscal 2025 trafficking awards were in their final stages. By 9 November, the Justice Department told Reuters it had received more than 670 applications for fiscal 2026.

What happens when a local service closes

The senator’s office describes a youth programme that put some children on a waiting list after it could no longer take everyone referred to it. Other providers told Reuters they had turned children away.

Reuters also reported that some providers had closed their legal services. A new grant may let a programme hire again, but finding a lawyer with trafficking experience can take time.

Some providers found short-term funding. The same report describes a programme offering counselling and employment help that expected to close in January 2027 unless it secured further support.

Why specialist support can be hard to replace

The US Government Accountability Office looked at access to mental health and substance use treatment for trafficking survivors in June 2026. Its review covered four federal grant programmes and included interviews with 15 selected grantees. The auditors found shortages of specialist providers. Some grantees said that finding housing or replacing identity documents could take precedence over starting treatment.

When services can take referrals again

In June, the Government Accountability Office recommended that the Justice Department set near-term goals, with targets and dates, for its adult survivor assistance programme. The department agreed. For a local service reopening after a funding gap, one measure is how quickly it can get people off its waiting list. That can depend on whether it can rehire staff or secure housing again.

For people in the US looking for trafficking-related support, the Office for Victims of Crime lists local services and national referral options.