When people hear “human trafficking,” they imagine something distant, another country, another city, another community. That narrative allows us to feel safe. It is also dangerously wrong! Human trafficking is happening in Pomona. It is not rare. It is not accidental. And it is not simply a criminal issue, it is the predictable result of housing instability, economic inequality, labor exploitation, and gaps in community-based services. In California, trafficking remains a persistent emergency. According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, more than 1,700 trafficking cases were identified statewide in 2023, involving over 3,600 victims. If we are serious about public safety and community well-being, we must stop treating trafficking as an isolated crime and recognize it as a structural crisis rooted in vulnerability.

As a Pomona resident, graduate social work student, and survivor of trafficking, I know exploitation does not begin with abduction. It begins with instability when rent consumes most of a paycheck, when youth age out of foster care without support, or when someone flees domestic violence with nowhere to go. Traffickers rarely present as strangers; they present as solutions! They offer housing, protection, employment, and stability. Over time, those promises become tools of control.

This crisis is visible in our community. Along corridors like Holt Avenue, prostitution unfolds in plain sight. Many residents see it daily. I do too. What some dismiss as “choice” is often survival shaped by trauma, poverty, and coercion! When exploitation becomes normalized on our streets, it signals deeper systemic failures in housing policy, mental health access, economic opportunity, and prevention.

Experts agree these figures likely represent only a fraction of actual cases due to underreporting, fear, immigration concerns, and distrust of institutions. Los Angeles County continues to rank among the largest hubs for labor and sex trafficking nationwide, according to the Polaris Project.

Pomona’s proximity to major transportation corridors, hotels, warehouses, and informal labor sectors increases vulnerability, especially in hospitality, domestic work, day labor, and logistics. Exploitation thrives where labor is hidden, unregulated, or dependent on silence. But statistics alone do not explain why trafficking persists. Structural conditions do.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services identifies housing instability, poverty, and prior trauma as major risk factors. Research from Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago found that nearly one in five youth experiencing homelessness report being trafficked in some form. That is not a coincidence; it is cause and effect. When stability disappears, leverage appears. When people lack options, traffickers gain power.

Pomona is already grappling with rising housing costs, visible homelessness, and economic insecurity. These challenges are not separate from trafficking; they are interconnected. When affordable housing is scarce, and wages stagnate, vulnerability grows. When trauma-informed mental health services are inaccessible, recovery becomes harder and re-exploitation more likely! When labor protections are weak, exploitation becomes normalized. Yet our response remains fragmented.

Survivors often encounter limited shelter beds, short-term services, and inconsistent case management. Legal processes can stretch for years. Funding is frequently reactive rather than preventative. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine emphasizes that effective anti-trafficking responses require coordinated, long-term, survivor-centered systems, not isolated efforts. We cannot arrest our way out of this crisis.

Law enforcement accountability is necessary, but prevention requires structural investment. Research consistently shows that access to stable housing, livable wages, healthcare, and coordinated social services reduces vulnerability to exploitation. When people have genuine stability, traffickers lose leverage.
If Pomona is serious about confronting human trafficking, city and county leaders must move beyond awareness campaigns and commit to concrete, sustained action. This means investing in long-term, trauma-informed housing so survivors have a safe place to rebuild their lives, while also implementing school-based prevention programs that educate young people about grooming and online recruitment. Educators, healthcare providers, and other frontline professionals should receive mandatory training to recognize the warning signs of trafficking and respond appropriately. At the same time, stronger labor protections and enforcement are needed to address exploitation in workplaces where trafficking often remains hidden. Finally, Pomona must support coordinated, survivor-centered service networks bringing together social services, legal aid, healthcare, and community organizations to ensure survivors receive the comprehensive support they need for long-term recovery.

These are not radical demands. They are evidence-based solutions! This is not only a moral issue. It is a public safety issue, an economic justice issue, and a community responsibility.
As someone who survived trafficking in a community where exploitation was normalized, I refuse to accept silence as the default response. Survival should not depend on luck. Prevention should not depend on chance. Pomona deserves a coordinated strategy grounded in evidence, compassion, and accountability. The time for passive concern has passed. The time for coordinated, community-wide action is now.

Sarai Martinez is a graduate student at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work and a Pomona resident.