Human Trafficking is a grave problem in America and likely in your city. Misinformation, manipulation, and demand allow human trafficking to flourish in the shadows. Our goal at The US Institute Against Human Trafficking is to end human trafficking in America by educating citizens and lawmakers, disrupting sex trade activities and demand, and partnering with like-minded organizations to fight human trafficking together. In this podcast, survivors will tell their stories and truths about human trafficking and share what is actively decreasing human trafficking. By listening to this podcast, you are learning how you can grow your community to unite against human trafficking. This war will not be won overnight, but it can be won together.
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Human Trafficking is a grave problem in America and likely in your city. Misinformation, manipulation, and demand allow human trafficking to flourish in the shadows. Our goal at The US Institute Against Human Trafficking is to end human trafficking in America by educating citizens and lawmakers, disrupting sex trade activities and demand, and partnering with like-minded organizations to fight human trafficking together. In this podcast, survivors will tell their stories and truths about human trafficking and share what is actively decreasing human trafficking. By listening to this podcast, you are learning how you can grow your community to unite against human trafficking. This war will not be won overnight, but it can be won together.
REPLAY: What Is a Safe Home? | Starting and Supporting Safe Homes in America | S6, Ep 18
Trafficking Free America
29 minutes
4 months ago
REPLAY: What Is a Safe Home? | Starting and Supporting Safe Homes in America | S6, Ep 18
In this replay of our Trafficking Free America Podcast series, we return to a foundational conversation: What does it really take to start a safe home for trafficking survivors in the U.S.?
Host Jeremy Hicks sits down with Brandy Cristafulli, founder of Life Recaptured, a safe home in East Volusia County, Florida. Brandy shares her powerful personal story, the five-year process it took to launch her safe home, and the non-negotiables around training, structure, and survivor-centered care that make a home truly "safe."
Whether you're building a safe home, supporting one, or just starting to explore how you can help—this episode is for you.
🎧 Part 1 in our multi-episode Safe Home Training series
🔔 Subscribe for future episodes
🌐 Learn more: https://www.usiaht.org
💙 Support Life Recaptured: https://www.liferecaptured.org
❤️ Become an Abolitionist: https://www.usiaht.org/give
⏱ Timestamps
00:00 – Welcome to the replay: "Starting and Supporting a Safe Home"
00:36 – Meet Brandy Cristafulli and the founding of Life Recaptured
01:03 – Her sister's tragic story and why this mission became personal
04:53 – "We didn't know what grooming was"—when trafficking hides in plain sight
06:17 – Training before action: why Brandy waited 5 years to launch
07:13 – A 92% success rate—what they learned from doing it the right way
08:00 – Good intentions can harm—training is not optional
09:08 – What a functioning safe home really looks like
10:56 – "You can't put a face on a predator"—why prevention is complex
11:49 – "No one heard us"—the emotional gap survivors face
13:27 – When there are no beds: the crisis in safe housing availability
15:05 – How Life Recaptured partners with law enforcement
17:31 – Staffing, advocacy training, and operational best practices
18:49 – First three survivors: stories of heartbreak, hope, and healing
23:29 – "Chains in the mind": understanding trauma's long shadow
26:00 – The healing process: detox, boundaries, therapy, dignity
28:29 – Preview of what's coming in Part 2 of the Safe Home series
💡 Key Lessons
* Brandy's motivation was personal—her sister was trafficked and didn't survive
* Training and timing are everything—this work cannot be rushed
* There are fewer than 200 safe homes in the U.S. and demand far exceeds capacity
* Survivors need boundaries, dignity, and structure—not just shelter
* Even if you can't open a home, you can support one through funding, volunteering, and advocacy
🎙 Take Action
✅ Like, comment, and share this episode
✅ Connect with or support a safe home in your area
✅ Join USIAHT's mission to build a Trafficking Free America
#TraffickingFreeAmerica #SafeHomes #BrandyCristafulli #LifeRecaptured #USIAHT #ReplayEpisode #SurvivorSupport #HumanTraffickingAwareness #StartASafeHome #TraumaInformedCare #JeremyHicks
Trafficking Free America
Human Trafficking is a grave problem in America and likely in your city. Misinformation, manipulation, and demand allow human trafficking to flourish in the shadows. Our goal at The US Institute Against Human Trafficking is to end human trafficking in America by educating citizens and lawmakers, disrupting sex trade activities and demand, and partnering with like-minded organizations to fight human trafficking together. In this podcast, survivors will tell their stories and truths about human trafficking and share what is actively decreasing human trafficking. By listening to this podcast, you are learning how you can grow your community to unite against human trafficking. This war will not be won overnight, but it can be won together.
