Bob Davis:
Patchwork is a podcast from the Office on Violence Against Women at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington. Patchwork offers a glimpse behind the scenes of a legal movement called the Violence Against Women Act or VAWA. VAWA provides federal grants to help women at local, state, and national levels. Patchwork explains how VAWA awards are made, shows what happens after funds arrive in communities, and share stories of help and hope. Patchwork brings you the voices of people on the front lines, combating domestic and sexual violence. Our efforts to serve victims and hold offenders accountable create stories that knit us together and propel us forward. Welcome to Patchwork. Before we get started, we want you to know that in this episode we discuss gender-based violence. The content might not be suitable for all ages, and it might be upsetting for some listeners. If you or someone in your life is struggling with these issues, please know that there are caring and helpful people available right now to support you and help guide you to safety. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is (800) 799-7233. They can be found at thehotline.org. And the National Sexual Assault Hotline is (800) 656-HOPE or 800 656-4673. You can visit them at rainn.org, that’s R-A-I-N-N dot ORG.
Beth Hassett:
We're working with somebody who has been repeatedly told that they'll have nothing and no one if they leave, and they believe it. If you're serving domestic violence victims, I'm certain that some of them are experiencing sex trafficking. When we ignore it as a society, it validates that it's okay to abuse people that way.
Bob Davis:
Today we're joined by Beth Hassett, the CEO of WEAVE, which provides crisis intervention and prevention services to women, men, and children who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking in Sacramento County. Beth has been recognized nationally for her work and leadership in the field. Most notably, she earned the Ed Stout Memorial Award for Outstanding Victim Advocacy from the Congressional Victim's Right Caucus in 2016. She joins us by phone today. Hi, Beth. Welcome to Patchwork.
Beth Hassett:
Thank you.
Bob Davis:
Let's jump right into it. How did you realize that you first wanted to work in this area? What was it that you were drawn to?
Beth Hassett:
You know, I, had a sorority sister who was sexually assaulted and just vanished. She dropped out of school, left, we never heard from her again. And, it was really traumatizing for me to be in this position of not being able to help somebody, not knowing what, and if there was any sort of safety net to help her recover. And, I was...I was very mystified by this whole, whole idea of victimization, and one event completely changing somebody's life. So, I got a bachelor's in finance, went to grad school; really did not anticipate ending up in a victim serving organization, but was increasingly drawn to wanting to help marginalized people, wanting to make the world fair and equitable for folks, and wanting to be part of a solution for somebody's worst day or worst episode in their life. And, it's been...it's not what I anticipated for myself. And, it's been one of the most rewarding careers I can even imagine.
Bob Davis:
Beth, how did you get started in this line of work? What led you to where you are now?
Beth Hassett:
I have been working with WEAVE in one capacity or another since 1995, and I came in through the door of community relations and fundraising, and more of the outreach side of things. And I've been the CEO since 2006. I've helped build the agency. I also, you know, was part of the beginning times back in the '90s when nobody talked about domestic violence, sexual assault was also still very much a taboo subject, and nobody had heard of sex trafficking. So it's been a really interesting evolution these last couple of decades.
Bob Davis:
You mentioned that your friend disappeared and it made me realize that the environment that we live in can make it difficult for us to notice that someone is in need of help. Can you talk a little bit about what we can all do to be more aware of the people around us and knowing when they need help?
Beth Hassett:
Yeah, I think one of the most dangerous things for a victim of any of the three crimes that we work with, domestic violence, sexual assault, and sex trafficking, really is that isolation and that feeling that nobody can see me, so nobody will notice if something terrible is happening to me. I mean now is not the time to not be making phone calls and, and responding if somebody is doing their own reaching out. But, I also caution everybody, we don't know where the person abusing or exploiting them might be at any given time; so, we're in this weird dangerous zone of wanting to help people, yet not being able to see their expression or see if there's somebody else in the room with them. And so, being cautious, but being empathetic, and educating yourself about what they might be experiencing and noticing if something seems like it's a little bit off.
Bob Davis:
That's a really good point. If we can, I'd like to approach this in two ways, one with the current pandemic in mind, and then also in more normal circumstances when people have more movement and they're not trapped sheltering like this, does that make a difference in normal circumstances? How do you advise people in these scenarios?
Beth Hassett:
What we learned from the recession is that when people were feeling like they didn't have many options, they kind of stayed put, even though there weren't shelter-in-place orders and you know, they're more free to move about. Just that idea that the world was turned a little bit upside down, and that fear of, "Will I have a roof over my head?", really caused people to stay put. And, when things got back to little bit more normal, people had some money and were feeling more confident about the future, they came to us in droves. I'm expecting that sort of thing to happen now. I think that, people are just hanging tight and doing the best that they can. And I always tell people to reach out and, you know, start planning for what you're going to do when the time is right to leave, because leaving is always a process, it's never an event. I think that's confusing for people, whether somebody chooses to leave an abusive partner, or chooses to leave somebody who's trafficking and exploiting them; it's a nonlinear process that takes time. And if nothing else, I would encourage people when they're not free to move about, or either emotionally or actually physically because they're staying in place, to be planning what their future looks like and what they might need on the other side, what support systems and what services they might need if they were to leave. So, I think my message is the same now and always. It's be thoughtful, be safe, get the resources you need, get the information you need and make a very thoughtful and purposeful plan before, before you escape.
Bob Davis:
As someone plans that escape, it's critical, they have a safe place to go. Tell me a little bit about the importance of transitional housing.
Beth Hassett:
I think all housing is the scariest thing for people, whether it's, where am I going to stay in an emergency? You know, can I afford a motel? Is there an emergency shelter I can go to? And then, where am I going to stay that will keep me safe before I feel ready to have a permanent roof over my head? So, just having emergency housing available isn't enough in our communities because it's by definition temporary, and I see people get very frightened and start to spin when they don't know what their next step is, and transitional housing is that safety net, next step, where somebody can land softly, get their resources together, build their skill set, whatever it is they need to do so that they can make that permanent move. And unfortunately, in our country, there isn't a lot of transitional housing available for people. Certainly not people who are chronically homeless and, for whom domestic violence or sex trafficking is not their primary issue, so we feel very fortunate to be able to house people for up to two years, sometimes in that kind of in between emergency and long-term housing that can lead to long-term stability for them.
Bob Davis:
What's different for human trafficking needs, from someone who has suffered from what I might think of as a more common form of domestic abuse, like someone seeking shelter, you know, from an abusive relationship? And that may be my misconception, but can you tell me more about human trafficking and the need for housing?
Beth Hassett:
The thing about human trafficking is that the trafficker generally has provided a hundred percent of the support system and needs meeting of the victim. So roof overhead, even if it's a series of motels, for instance, that's still the trafficker coordinating all of that. That's not always the case with domestic violence, but domestic violence sometimes the victim was the breadwinner, sometimes it just looks different. So, we're working with somebody who has been repeatedly told that they'll have nothing and no one if they leave and they believe it. So, that housing piece can take on much more of an importance than even some of the other supportive services that a victim might be able to receive while they're, while they're either housed or getting non-residential services.
Bob Davis:
What specific challenges do you face when trying to provide support to victims?
Beth Hassett:
You know, trafficking victims very often come to us looking like a domestic violence victim. They are in a relationship, or feel that they're in a relationship with the person exploiting them. And, they may or may not even look at themselves as victims right off the bat. They see themselves as survivors doing whatever it is they need to survive. So getting to the core of what's really going on in their relationship and in their lives, Takes more time than you'd think.
Bob Davis:
That sounds a lot like manipulation; like they're being controlled in a way.
Beth Hassett:
Well, it's interesting because the trafficking abuse very much mirrors, the domestic violence abuse. There's the exploitation of lack of confidence. There's a lot of messaging around you need me and you won't make it without me, and there's almost always a physical violence going on that doesn't necessarily happen in a domestic violence relationship. I mean, the nature of trafficking, usually includes some kind of threats and, and aggressive behavior. They're basically being raped multiple times every day, so there's this physical violence that is coupled with the emotional abuse and, that manipulation to stay in this relationship and to stay under control, that makes it very hard to treat some of these clients. They've got years and years of trauma built up, but peeling away those layers can take months and years.
Bob Davis:
Is there a success story that comes to mind?
Beth Hassett:
You know, so many success stories; and as our program has evolved, it's been really interesting to see where some of these clients are coming from. More and more, we're bringing new clients into our program who were actually referred by former clients. So in our community, there's becoming this self-referral network of people who, got help from WEAVE, and now are telling other people that they know in their community, "Hey, these people can help you and they're support for you." And I think that really says a lot; it's not just law enforcement bringing people to us or other service providers. There's becoming this real safety net for people that they're sharing with each other and, helping their friends get out of the life and move on with their, with their lives.
Bob Davis:
I'd imagine that some of that comes from their sharing, their awareness, seeing their life and situation from a different point of view and realizing the control manipulation that's coming from the other side.
Beth Hassett:
Well, that's interesting because most clients start out very reticent about engaging in case management or getting counseling. All of our services are voluntary. We don't make anybody do anything in order to have housing. And so, it can take some time to build up that trust where they're okay doing therapy and engaging in groups and really looking at their past trauma. And, we watch this transition from them feeling like I did what I had to do, and I'm a survivor, to really turning into somebody who they, "survivor-thriver", is what they, what we hear them call themselves. And, that it's okay to acknowledge past trauma and to feel good about the fact that you're working on yourself, and your children, and moving forward, and getting out of this life and making new choices.
Bob Davis:
When I hear the word human trafficking, a lot of terms come to my mind, sex trafficking, illegal industries. What's the reality of what human trafficking is, and what does it really look like?
Beth Hassett:
Our lane that we try to stay in is adults and minor domestic sex trafficking. Almost a hundred percent of the youth that we're working with are in the foster care system; that's where they are, and it makes it really hard to serve them because they're being moved around to multiple foster families. The average client has had 32 placements, so it's really hard to compete with a trafficker who's offering a different life than moving around from family to family. The adults that we see came out of that life, they didn't start being trafficked when they were adults, so they've got often 10 years of trauma behind them. We have a client right now who's 54, and she, they started trafficking her when she was nine, so just think how many years of being exploited and traumatized she has in her past, and that's a lot to get to get through and to get past.
Bob Davis:
That's unimaginable, and it's heartbreaking to think about that situation. This is hard work, what makes someone successful in this field?
Beth Hassett:
We spend a lot of time working with our staff on, keeping their boundaries, making sure that they're not soaking up so much vicarious trauma, that they don't get discouraged. It can be really tough with the teams because they certainly do not see themselves as victims. They don't like labels. They don't want to be considered, to have even been exploited. And as I said, it's a nonlinear path, so we'll get somebody who'll engage in services for a while, and then they vanish for a while, and then they'll come back. And, our philosophy is to make sure they understand that whatever stage they are in making changes in their life, it's okay. And they can come back to us, and they do. Sometimes it'll be a whole year before somebody returns. And, they'll call the advocate that they had a year ago. And it's important that we are something that is continuity in their life and that they know they can come and not be judged, because it can take many years to actually extract oneself from the life, especially when they're sharing children with their exploiter. They've got a community of people, however, dysfunctional it might. They have a support system that, that is keeping a roof over their head and food in their mouth. And frankly, some of them are making a lot of money doing it, and that's one of the other barriers we see.
Bob Davis:
You paint a nonlinear journey that these folks take when someone returns for your help having open doors and the ability to give them a safe place to stay must be critical, right?
Beth Hassett:
It is critical, and, and it's challenging. We've got some funding to house people in a transitional manner, out in the community. And then we also have our own facilities, which are behind barbed wire and much more locked down. So, one of the challenges is figuring out what the best place is going to be for somebody because we actually have a lot of options. For some frankly, staying longer term in emergency housing can be the best thing for them because they really miss that interaction with other people. And the camaraderie of staying in a shelter with more people, whereas others need that isolation of having their own place to go to. And other people just aren't successful out in the community, especially if they've got a trafficker who's hunting for them; we can put them in a lot of danger if we're taking more of a rapid rehousing or Housing First kind of approach to getting them settled because they don't have the skill set and the tools and the resources to be successful right off the bat.
Bob Davis:
So what can you do to help them be self-sustaining?
Beth Hassett:
Employment is always a number one concern for folks, and if they're going to be successful on their own, they need to be employed. We actually have an apprenticeship program, in our retail stores where they can get use to having to show up, to work on time and learn some skills around customer service, and money handling and that kind of a thing. That sort of thing can be really helpful for somebody who's ready to go back to work. Almost all of the clients that we encounter in our housing program have some sort of disability and usually it's mental health disability, so getting them stabilized through talk therapy, but also through sometimes, they need meds, they need to address underlying concerns that are going to be barriers to being successful. And then, most of them come with children, and so addressing the fact that they are trying to be parents, so providing some of the, some of that support and help around good parenting practices, addressing the trauma that these kids have experienced by witnessing things or having been exploited themselves. So really those wrap around services that as a large agency we're able to provide because we have a therapeutic counseling department, we have a legal department, because often they're coming with evictions or arrests for prostitution in their past, and we can help them get those expunged and removed. So it's a whole menu of things that that folks need so that they can leave more prepared to be successful.
Bob Davis:
You mentioned the Housing First approach. What is that? Can you tell me more?
Beth Hassett:
Housing First is the theory that if you just get people into housing, everything else will work out. Which is controversial, it tends to be most successful if you've got somebody who, but for this one tiny incident, they would have a roof over their heads, so, maybe unemployment, that kind of a thing. It also is used with chronically homeless folks, putting them in a house and then just smothering them with every service that you could think of. We have not found that it's particularly successful with these victims that we're serving. They just have too many barriers to be successful just off on their own, in a house with, without more supports around them right off the bat.
Bob Davis:
And you mentioned that traffickers are sometimes looking for them hunting for them. They want to get their victims back where they have control over them, right?
Beth Hassett:
Absolutely, I mean, traffickers are looking at their victims as a commodity, so it's like somebody stole your truck load of heroin. You're trying to find it. And they're making a lot of money from these victims. So, there's a financial incentive to hunt for them. A lot of the traffickers are in gangs, so then, you've got a whole gang looking for somebody. So these are dangerous criminals who are committing these crimes, we take it very seriously. Since we're a domestic violence agency, we have multiple confidential locations. So there's an added layer of safety that would not be there if they were just a sex trafficking serving organization where perhaps, our locations are more publicly known.
Bob Davis:
What advice would you give to people who are just getting started? Communities that are trying to pay more attention to human trafficking?
Beth Hassett:
Well, it's interesting, I had a group come in from a neighboring county wanting to know how they could get up and running without having any specific funding to serve these victims. And we had a really good chat about it, and I pointed out, you're already serving these victims, we just haven't known what to call them in the past. But, if you're serving sexual assault victims, some of them are victims because they're being exploited. And if you're serving domestic violence victims, I'm certain that some of them are experiencing sex trafficking. And, they came back to me a month later and they said, you know, you're absolutely right. And I said, you've got the funding to get this going, it just is really changing your mindset and how you view these victims. Even the way we've started screening for coming into shelter, we're, we're looking at, is the person being exploited is, is the person in a relationship where they don't have freedom. We're looking at it very differently than I would say we did 10 years ago when everything was through that domestic violence or sexual assault lens. So just start paying attention, I guess, would be my very first bit of advice for folks.
Bob Davis:
Tell me more about the importance of making that distinction.
Beth Hassett:
What we've seen in working with the medical community, first responders, others who have access to people who are being sexually exploited, we've all spent a lot of time with blinders on, not noticing what was right in front of us. And, when we all can collectively be paying attention, why is this 14 year old coming into the emergency room with her fifth STI? Why does this boy seem to be living on the streets? Where does he sleep at night? You know, all of those things that are happening around us, that we haven't always called sex trafficking. We haven't really noticed what's happening, and when we ignore it as a society, it validates that it's okay to abuse people that way. So, it matters that we talk about it and it matters that we're all paying attention, it matters that educators are noticing if kids are absent a lot on Mondays and Fridays, and where do they go? And where are they living? So, all of that I feel is our collective responsibility as a caring and empathetic society to make sure that people are safe.
Bob Davis:
That's a really excellent point. What can we do better as a society, as a whole, on this issue?
Beth Hassett:
I think when we look at all of the ills of society, we need to be looking more at the intersectionality of things. It's easy to silo off domestic violence as this thing that happens over there, or sex trafficking as a thing that happens over there. But, when we start looking at it through the lens of marginalized communities, a lack of access to services, violence in communities, people of color being particularly exploited, poverty, all of those things, you start to see how it's this web that allows these crimes to continue to happen. And, I think as service providers, we've had to work harder to build collaborative relationships with service providers in poor communities, communities that are less resourced and really be listening to what's going on in those communities, so that we're not just plucking out the victims that we're choosing to work with, but we're looking deeply at what causes this violence, what allows it to permeate particular parts of town? What, what can we do to prevent it in the future?
Bob Davis:
That makes so much sense to me; I can picture that. What can we do to spot people before they are trafficked?
Beth Hassett:
There are a lot of kids at risk that if we could get to them early, they wouldn't fall prey to being groomed by a trafficker and ending up in this life. I think as the domestic violence, sexual assault movement have ignored men for an awfully long time, and we need to be including men and boys in the solutions. When we look at things like toxic masculinity, the fear of the criminal legal system, all of those things lead to an environment that allows people to exploit other people. So bringing in the non-usual suspects to help us find solutions and keep people safe, I think is what's really gonna move the needle, and what's going to keep people safer in the future. And taking a real two generational approach to this, we've got these women who've decided to leave the life, who've come in for help, and they've, as I said, almost always got kids with them. And, while we have them in our transitional housing program, what can we do to provide supports to them and their children so that this isn't going to repeat itself in another 10 years?
Bob Davis:
That seems like a real glimmer of hope.
Beth Hassett:
I do have hope when I see that people are getting help from agencies like WEAVE, and they're going back into their communities and they're telling other people that there are people who can help them. I mean, that's how we got, as far as we have with the domestic violence field. Back in the seventies, there was no place for people to go, and survivors and people who cared about them started building shelters and creating a network of folks who could provide support, if people wanted to leave an abusive relationship. We're at the very beginning of those stages with sex trafficking at this point, and we have a lot of work to do, but we've done it before with a different problem, and I have faith that we can do it again.
Bob Davis:
Thank you so much, Beth. I'm grateful for the important work that you're doing, and I really appreciate you sharing your time and knowledge with us.
Beth Hassett:
Thank you so much for including me in this conversation.
Bob Davis:
Thank you for listening to Patchwork. Please let us know what you would like to hear on a future episode by sharing your questions with us. You can tweet us at @OVWJustice, send an email to patchwork@usdoj.gov, or give us a call at (202) 307-6026. If you like this podcast, please help us expand the conversation by sending this episode to someone you think may enjoy hearing what we shared, and if you would like to help us reach even more people, please take a minute to review this episode. Patchwork is made possible by help from everyone here at OVW, but Minh Ha and Portia Obeng work tirelessly to pull all of these pieces together here and on our website. Thanks for joining us. Thread by thread, we offer insights through Patchwork.
