Homes Prevent Trafficking: Why Permanency Is a Human Trafficking Prevention Strategy in Illinois – Let It Be Us
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- January 7, 2026
Homes Prevent Trafficking: Why Permanency Is a Human Trafficking Prevention Strategy in Illinois – Let It Be Us
January is Human Trafficking Prevention Month, a presidentially designated observance that calls on all of us to recognize trafficking, protect vulnerable youth, and strengthen the systems that keep children safe. Administration for Children and Families+1
At Let It Be Us, we believe something very direct:
The fastest path to preventing human trafficking is to reduce the time children spend in unstable placements, in shelters, or traveling through foster care, and to increase the time they spend in safe, licensed homes, including adoptive homes for those children awaiting adoption.
That is not just a mission. It is a prevention strategy grounded in what we know about trafficking risk.
Below is information, along with statistics and references, regarding foster care and how it relates to human trafficking.
Why foster care instability increases trafficking risk
Traffickers look for vulnerability. Youth who are disconnected from a stable caregiver, moving placements, or spending time in congregate care or shelters are more exposed to the exact conditions traffickers exploit: isolation, unmet needs and a longing to belong.
One of the strongest and most consistent warning signs is running away / going missing. Federal research has found that youth in foster care run away more frequently than youth in the general population, and runaway episodes are closely tied to trafficking risk. Administration for Children and Families+1
Peer-reviewed research has also quantified this: among youth with at least one foster care runaway episode, about 7% had an allegation of human trafficking while on runaway status. ScienceDirect+1
In other words: when a child is “missing,” the danger is not hypothetical, it’s immediate.
The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has publicly emphasized the connection between missing/runaway episodes and human trafficking risk, particularly for “high risk” youth. Illinois DCFS
The national picture: trafficking and missing youth are not rare
Trafficking is underreported, but we do have credible indicators from national systems.
National Human Trafficking Hotline (U.S.)
In 2024, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received 32,309 signals, identified 11,999 cases, and documented 21,865 victims connected to those cases. National Human Trafficking Hotline
Illinois trafficking indicators: what the data shows
No single number captures the full reality of trafficking, but statewide hotline data provides a consistent, comparable indicator.
Illinois Human Trafficking Hotline (2024)
In 2024, Illinois had:
- 792 signals received by the hotline
- 385 cases identified
- 627 victims involved National Human Trafficking Hotline
Those numbers represent reports and identified situations — not full prevalence — but they are still a strong reminder that trafficking is present in Illinois communities, including suburban and high-resource communities. National Human Trafficking Hotline+1
The prevention logic: permanency reduces the conditions traffickers exploit
Let It Be Us focuses on a prevention approach that is straightforward: When children are in safe, stable homes, trafficking risk factors go down
A stable, licensed foster home is protective because it increases:
- Consistent adult supervision and attachment
- School stability and routine
- Emotional co-regulation and safety planning
- Rapid response if a child goes missing
- Connection to services (mental health, health care, mentoring)
When children are matched with licensed foster homes faster, exposure time goes down
Every day a child waits, especially teens, sibling groups, and children with complex needs, is a day the system is asking them to endure uncertainty. Traffickers don’t need years. They exploit gaps quickly.
This is why permanency works (including adoption) is not just “end of the pipeline.” It is a frontline safety intervention.
What Let It Be Us does: matching kids to licensed homes changes life trajectories
Let It Be Us exists to move children from waiting to belonging, faster, smarter, and with more support.
Our programming helps:
- Recruit and activate licensed foster homes (including emergency, specialized, and therapeutic homes)
- Match children to safe, appropriate placements
- Support permanency pathways, including for children awaiting adoption
- Reduce barriers so child welfare professionals can move faster
This work changes outcomes because it reduces:
- Placement disruptions
- Time spent waiting
- Runaway risk
- “Missing from care” exposure
- Vulnerability to exploitation
And it increases:
- Stability
- Accountability
- Community investment in children
- Long-term permanency
What you can do during Human Trafficking Prevention Month
If you’re a donor, partner agency, or community leader, you can help in concrete ways:
- Support permanency-focused solutions (homes, matching, and placement stability)
- Fund recruitment that leads to licensed homes, not just awareness
- Share accurate resources (hotlines, warning signs, and reporting pathways)
- Champion the belief that every child deserves a safe home, now
Because preventing trafficking is about building a world where fewer children become reachable by traffickers in the first place.
Sources:
U.S. HHS/ACF – Human Trafficking Prevention Month
https://acf.gov/otip/htpm
U.S. Department of State – National Human Trafficking Prevention Month
https://www.state.gov/national-human-trafficking-prevention-month/
National Human Trafficking Hotline – Illinois statistics (includes 2024 year page)
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/statistics/illinois
National Human Trafficking Hotline – National statistics (includes 2024 year page)
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/statistics
NCMEC – 2024 in Numbers (missing children cases and recovery rate)
https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2025/ncmec-releases-new-data-2024-in-numbers
NCMEC – Our Impact (missing children reports)
https://www.missingkids.org/ourwork/impact
ACF/OPRE – Examining the Link Between Foster Care Runaway Episodes and Human Trafficking (report landing page)
https://acf.gov/opre/report/examining-link-foster-care-runaway-episodes-and-human-trafficking
ACF/OPRE – Foster Care Runaway Episodes and Human Trafficking (PDF)
https://acf.gov/sites/default/files/documents/opre/foster_care_runaway_human_trafficking_october_2020_508.pdf
Latzman et al. (2019) – Human trafficking victimization among youth who run away from foster care (abstract page)
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S019074091830906X
Illinois DCFS – Runaways, Missing Kids and Human Trafficking
https://dcfs.illinois.gov/for-families/missing.html
About Let It Be Us:
Let It Be Us is a nonprofit organization dedicated to recruitment, matching and placement within foster care and adoption across the State of Illinois. Through innovative programming and strategic partnerships, Let It Be Us aims to improve outcomes for children in the child welfare system. Learn more at www.letitbeus.org.
Dr. Susan A. McConnell is the Founder and Executive Director of Let It Be Us, an Illinois licensed child welfare agency with the mission of providing collaborative, innovative solutions of effective recruitment and placement within Illinois foster care and adoption. Susan has an MBA from DePaul University and a Doctorate Degree in Social Work from the University of Southern California, where her work focused on permanency within child welfare. She is the Chair of the Permanency Committee of the Illinois Statewide Foster Care Advisory Council, appointed by the Director of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in 2017. She is also an adoptive parent with over 30 years of open adoption experience. She can be reached at susanmcconnell@letitbeus.org.
Let It Be Us is an Illinois 501(c)3 and licensed child welfare agency. The mission of Let It Be Us is to provide collaborative, innovative solutions of effective recruitment and placement within Illinois foster care and adoption. The Let It Be Us platform manages the Adoption Listing Service of Illinois and the Heart Gallery of Illinois, engines of success for Illinois foster care adoptions. The Let It Be Us vision is for all children in the Illinois child welfare system to achieve educational equity, employment equity, and overall well being through the incorporation of Let It Be Us Programming into statewide advancements in foster care and adoption recruitment and placement. For more information about Let It Be Us, visit www.letitbeus.org.
