Mission Success: What Onsite Staff Must Know About Human Trafficking in Multifamily

Human trafficking reached new levels during the health crisis across the world, with hotels and rental apartments being top choices for perpetrators because they're easy to access.

In the U.S., the Department of Defense recently called human trafficking the fastest-growing crime, overtaking drug trafficking. But the multifamily industry has the opportunity to step in and save lives.

Maintenance and onsite staff members play a key role in recognizing potential danger when interacting with residents and prospects.

This is why it is crucial for them to learn how to safely and effectively respond to potential human trafficking situations.

Grace Hill, a talent and customer management solutions company for commercial and multifamily real estate, joined forces with Orlando-based non-profit iEmpathize to bring greater awareness of human trafficking by sharing educational resources with the rental housing industry.

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the U.S., so Senior Editor Laura Calugar invited Grace Hill Senior Director of Communication & Social Media Stephanie Anderson to talk about the training programs available to multifamily professionals that help them recognize and report suspicious behavior at rental properties.

Here's what else they discussed in the first Mission Success: Women in Multifamily podcast episode of the 2023 season:

• common forms of human trafficking (1:10)
• how widespread the phenomenon is in the U.S. (3:55)
• areas with highest human trafficking reports (5:42)
• how to recognize potential human trafficking victims (6:37)
• how to recognize potential perpetrators (8:50)
• best course of action when suspecting a human trafficking situation (9:59)
• prevention at multifamily communities (11:23)
• the Grace Hill – iEmpathize partnership (13:06)
• human trafficking courses (16:31)
• round up of the steps staff should take when seeing signs of human trafficking (18:48)

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