When Disrupting Traffick (DRT) (DisruptingTraffick.org) launched in 2018, it began with one simple but urgent mission: reach survivors of sex trafficking where they are. For four years, that meant boots-on-the-ground outreach—meeting women in vulnerable situations, providing crisis support, offering advocacy, and working tirelessly to connect survivors to the limited resources available across Nebraska.
But by 2022, Founder and Executive Director Brooke Carlson and her team reached a clear conclusion. Outreach alone wasn’t enough.
“We knew that if we wanted to create real change, we had to build the resources survivors kept asking for,” Carlson explains. “What they needed most was safety—and safety starts with a home.”
The First Attempt—and a Roadblock That Changed Everything
In 2021, DRT set out to open its first safe house. The vision was straightforward: create a secure, trauma-informed home where survivors could find immediate refuge and stabilization. But the process was anything but simple. Zoning barriers with the city halted construction before the project could fully begin, forcing the organization to pause and reassess.
In response, DRT pivoted—fast. In 2022, the organization launched its Resource Center, a milestone that reshaped its role in the community. The Center offered survivors crisis intervention, case management, clothing, hygiene supplies, and individualized support in a space designed for dignity and trust.
A Promise Revisited—and a Safe House Finally Opens
By 2024, the safe house was back on the agenda. This time, with stronger partnerships, community support, and a clearer understanding of zoning requirements, DRT pushed forward with determination. And in April 2025, nearly seven years after the organization’s founding, the safe house welcomed its first client.
The home offers more than secure shelter—it provides a comprehensive, trauma-informed environment where survivors can exhale, reset, and begin rebuilding their lives. The design prioritizes privacy, healing, and empowerment, with on-site stabilization support, personal care resources and access to long-term case management.
The safe house is now part of DRT’s expanding continuum of care, which includes crisis response, long-term case management, survivor stabilization, the Resource Center, and a new transitional program aimed at helping women rebuild stability with long-term support.
Together, these programs fill critical gaps in Nebraska’s anti-trafficking ecosystem. As trafficking cases rise statewide—and with survivors coming to DRT at younger ages—the need for coordinated, trauma-informed housing has never been more urgent.