Phase two capitalizes on the progress the Mayor’s Office has made by advancing aggressive strategies and building on the foundation laid during phase one. Because systems change is a long-term process involving institutionalization, capacity building, and sustainable partnerships, phase one’s series of objectives continues to provide the overall structure for phase two.

Progress in Plan Implementation
Completed52 Tactics
In Progress7 Tactics
Not Yet Begun 3 Tactics
No Longer Needed2 Tactics
The Mayor’s Office has completed 100% of the First Phase and 84% of the Second Phase of the Strategic Plan in under 4 years, excluding those tactics no longer needed.

Checklist

  • Completed
  • In Progress
  • Not Yet Begun
  • Not Necessary

Last updated: June 15th, 2020

Objective 1: Institutionalize the City of Houston’s Response

Strategy 1.1: Analysis and Passage of Municipal Ordinances
  • Tactic 1.1.1 – Propose additional ordinances and ordinance amendments. Engage with all relevant stakeholders to receive their input before formulating proposed changes. Amendment (4/15/2020): Hotel ordinance mandating training and certification approved by a 16-0 vote with one Council Member absent.
Strategy 1.2: Explore Pre-book Diversion to a Therapeutic Setting
  • Tactic 1.2.1 – Research already established diversion programs, including Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) in Seattle, the Benedict Center’s Sisters Diversion Program in Milwaukee.
  • Tactic 1.2.2 – Assess whether state legislative changes are needed.
  • Tactic 1.2.3 – Make recommendations about diversion to a therapeutic setting.
  • Tactic 1.2.4 – Collaborate with HPD and non-profit service providers to map the current system used by law enforcement and visualize how pre-booking diversion would function.
  • Tactic 1.2.5 – Create a funding strategy to establish and/or recruit diversion sites.
  • Tactic 1.2.6 – Secure external funding to support all diversion components.
  • Tactic 1.2.7 – Develop protocol and procedures manual for distribution to all program partners to ensure accountability, transparency, and clarify roles and responsibilities.
  • Tactic 1.2.8 – Collaborate with partners to develop analytics plan to monitor volume, the movement of individuals through the system, determine diversion outcomes and assess for overall impact.
Strategy 1.3: Develop Three-Component Approach to Training and Implement with Internal and External Partners
  • Tactic 1.3.1 – Develop model training module which can be adapted to fit the needs of system partners.
  • Tactic 1.3.2 – Develop a training system with three sequential components: first, an introductory indicator training; second, meet with city departments to tailor training; and third, present the customized training before implementation that includes departmental form and policy changes.
  • Tactic 1.3.3 – Create pre- and post-tests for each customized training for use for the three- part training system.

Objective 2: Raise Awareness and Change Public Perception

Strategy 2.1: Develop and Launch an Anti-Luring Social Media Campaign
  • Tactic 2.1.1 – Collaborate with UH Bauer College of Business students to research and develop an anti-luring social media campaign focused on parents and youth (Facebook and Instagram).
  • Tactic 2.1.2 – Partner with Love146 to develop campaign imagery, fine-tune messaging, and pay for high-impact, geo-targeted ad placement on social media channels.
  • Tactic 2.1.3 – Reach out to local and national partners to garner interest and provide all campaign materials so they may post and repost messages.
  • Tactic 2.1.4 – Leverage each platform’s analytics to assess the reach and impact of the social media campaign.

Strategy 2.2: Foster Conscientious Corporate Citizenship and Supply Chain Management
  • Tactic 2.2.1 – Leverage the resources, knowledge, and supply chain data available to develop concrete, actionable presentations for corporations.
  • Tactic 2.2.2 – Highlight Mayor’s Executive Order on procurement to corporations as an example.
  • Tactic 2.2.3 – Serve as a catalyst for adoption of transparent and accountable supply chain practices by the corporate community. Amendment 6/15/2020): Our Conscientious Capitalism event resulted in the Greater Houston Partnership hosting a Quality of Life Council event on big labor trafficking and post-disaster risks in April 2019.
  • Tactic 2.2.4 – Plan and host event for corporate and consular communities addressing responsible sourcing and ethical recruitment of workers.
Strategy 2.3: Maintain Watch for Traffick’s Presence in Houston through High-Impact PSAs and Ad Placements
  • Tactic 2.3.1 – Assess which advertising platforms previously used resulted in the highest rate of return in terms of gross impressions, hotline tips generated, and cases confirmed.
  • Tactic 2.3.2 – Estimate costs for on-going placement of high-impact PSAs and ads and develop a corresponding funding plan for use with funders.
  • Tactic 2.3.3 – Secure external funding to place PSAs and ads. Amendment (6/15/2020): We secured donated space on buses and taxis for Houston’s World Cup bid with efforts paused due to COVID-19.
  • Tactic 2.3.4 – Notify the National Human Trafficking Hotline of the start and end dates of campaign components.
  • Tactic 2.3.5 – Request impression reports from all partner agencies, and analyze information on calls and cases from the national hotline during and after campaign concludes.

Objective 3: Continue to Coordinate Services and Screenings Platform

Strategy 3.1: Integrate Already Existing System Components and Finalize Pending Elements
  • Tactic 3.1.1 – Acquire external funding to support all system components, including shelter- and hospital-based case managers, trauma-informed training, technology, and shelter beds.
  • Tactic 3.1.2 – Integrate screenings by Houston Health Department into a larger system to allow for immediate victim referrals, have standard operating procedures that address screenings and referrals.
  • Tactic 3.1.3 – Hire a consultant to implement trauma-informed training for all system partners.
  • Tactic 3.1.4 – Partner with area hospital system to embed the Human Trafficking Psychology Fellow to provide psychological services and coordinate medical referrals with the hospital-based and city case managers.
  • Tactic 3.1.5 – Finalize initial screening tools for front door partners and a tool allowing for a deeper screening by system-wide case managers.
  • Tactic 3.1.6 – Integrate short-term and emergency shelter program into a larger system so potential victims have access to city case managers, medical and psychological referrals, and social service support.
  • Tactic 3.1.7 – Add more front door community and healthcare partners to screen and refer potential human trafficking victims to city case managers.
  • Tactic 3.1.8 – Coordinate with the Houston Health Department to arrange for its Mobile Unit to provide preventative testing in high-risk areas to potential victims and those in the commercial sex industry.

Objective 4: Reorganize Mayor’s Task Force to Support Phase 2 of Strategic Plan

Strategy 4.1: Convene an Executive Board for HAC-HT
  • Tactic 4.1.1 – Convene Executive Board to serve as thought partners, manage HAC-HT and determine how the task force can be aligned with and support the second phase.
  • Tactic 4.1.2 – Confirm the appointment of an Executive Board, which will take over all functions of the prior task force including appointing new members.

Objective 5: Grow Houston’s Reputation as the National and International Municipal Model

Strategy 5.1: Engage Mayors on Houston’s Municipal Response at the U.S. Conference of Mayors
  • Tactic 5.1.1 – Coordinate with U.S. Conference of Mayors to find substantive means to expand Houston’s municipal response.
  • Tactic 5.1.2 – Pass an anti-human trafficking resolution via the Social Justice Committee at the June 2018 USCM meeting.
  • Tactic 5.1.3 – Speak at the USCM’s January 2019 meeting to encourage other Mayors to adopt the Houston model, ensure Houston is included in the wrap-up report, and promote resolution support.
  • Tactic 5.1.4 – Build on the momentum of the conference by forming a special committee that will evolve into a national task force of municipal leaders. Amendment (6/15/2020): Engaged Mayors and Police Chiefs at the Fall Executive Meeting in September 2018 with Chief Acevedo, and invited them to apply for the privately-funded Human Trafficking Response Ten/Ten Municipal Fellowship.
  • Tactic 5.1.5 – Engage and speak at other Mayors’ Associations to continue to mobilize U.S. Mayors and municipal responses. Amendment (6/15/2020): Engaged 24 senior-level staff of 18 Mayor’s Offices for 2-day human trafficking immersion program so they can identify and implement priorities and initiatives in their cities.
Strategy 5.2: Highlight Houston’s Response to International Audiences and Municipal Leaders Abroad
  • Tactic 5.2.1 – Participate in high-impact digital video conference calls convened by the U.S. Department of State (U.S. DOS) to grow Houston’s response on the international stage.
  • Tactic 5.2.2 – Share municipal-level anti-trafficking strategies with municipal leaders, government officials and stakeholders on international missions coordinated and sponsored by the U.S. DOS.
Strategy 5.3: Empower Partner Organizations by Acting as an Information Hub
  • Tactic 5.3.1 – Revise www.humantraffickinghouston.org to improve presentation, make more user-friendly, and ensure accessibility for users accessing information.
  • Tactic 5.3.2 – Identify opportunities for easy and effective website-based information sharing with interested users. Leverage Google Analytics as part of the analysis.
  • Tactic 5.3.3 – Develop content and identify information of use to stakeholders and interested partners in form of downloadable toolkits.
  • Tactic 5.3.4 – Coordinate with Polaris to collect Houston-specific numbers on tip calls placed and cases identified and share with local partners for their organizational needs.
  • Tactic 5.3.5 – Promote program transparency by sharing all program-related data and outcomes with partners.

Objective 6: Engage in Post-Disaster Trafficking Mitigation

Strategy 6.1: Develop and Implement a Short-Term Trafficking Response to Address Disaster and Post-Disaster Needs
  • Tactic 6.1.1 – Consult the International Organization for Migration research for advice on trafficking responses to emergency disasters.
  • Tactic 6.1.2 – Collaborate with victim service agencies and survivor leaders to create direct outreach materials in multiple languages highlighting the nexus between natural disasters and a potential rise in sex and labor trafficking.
  • Tactic 6.1.3 – Provide information about the vulnerability of displaced persons to trafficking in the shelter’s daily newsletter distributed to evacuees.
  • Tactic 6.1.4 – Raise awareness with evacuees about trafficking in the wake of a natural disaster and the potential for worker abuse by displaying a PowerPoint slide in the shelter’s halls.
  • Tactic 6.1.5 – Engage in preventative cot-to-cot outreach at municipal and county run shelters with the support of volunteers from partner organizations or institutionalize outreach within Houston Health Department.
  • Tactic 6.1.6 – Give service providers FEMA information for their clients.
Strategy 6.2: Develop and Implement a Long-Term Trafficking Response to Prevent and Mitigate Potential Increases
  • Tactic 6.2.1 – Redesign Watch for Traffick labor and sex trafficking billboards and taxi signs in English and Spanish to highlight the natural disaster/trafficking nexus.
  • Tactic 6.2.2 – Finalize an Executive Order for Mayor Turner to sign that ensures the City of Houston engages in safe labor contracting practices.
  • Tactic 6.2.3 – Develop an educational program for corporate outreach on post-Katrina trafficking legal precedents to encourage risk-avoidance and proper contract oversight.
  • Tactic 6.2.4 – Tailor corporate and consular-specific education, and create an educational forum.
  • Tactic 6.2.5 – Secure funds from the Federal Office on Trafficking in Persons to print Disaster Response palm cards in multiple languages.
  • Tactic 6.2.6 – Secure private funding to build staff and organizational capacity of program partners to engage in preventative outreach and service delivery to vulnerable populations in hard-hit areas.
  • Tactic 6.2.7 – Work with City of Houston planning department to identify post-disaster risk areas prone to trafficking by crossing Harvey damage assessment maps with high vulnerability indicator maps for proactive outreach.
  • Tactic 6.2.8 – Share post-disaster palm cards and vulnerable areas map to community organizations for preventative outreach.
  • Tactic 6.2.9 – Monitor potential increases in online sex ads before, during, and after natural disasters.
  • Tactic 6.2.10 – Develop post-disaster social media campaign to warn certain demographics of trafficking risks.
  • Tactic 6.2.11 – Work with national stakeholders to craft national disaster response.