Written by Dr Júlia Tomás, Human Trafficking Policy and Research Manager at The Passage and in partnership with the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre (MSPEC), led by the University of Oxford.
Our new report explores housing challenges faced by people recovering from exploitation and offers practical recommendations to improve pathways to stability.
Modern slavery and homelessness are deeply connected issues affecting thousands in the UK.
Survivors often face complex trauma, stigma, and significant barriers that make stable accommodation difficult to access. Even with policy progress, many are still at risk of homelessness, which undermines recovery and reintegration.
Reports from The Passage have shown that modern slavery is closely related to homelessness, placing the housing sector in a pivotal role for identifying and supporting survivors. Drawing on more than five years of operational experience, our Modern Slavery Service has found that 94% of survivors supported through its programme have experienced homelessness either as a direct consequence of exploitation or in its aftermath.
This new report explores the housing challenges survivors face – especially those who only receive outreach support under the Modern Slavery Victim Care Contract (MSVCC). Based on survivor testimony, frontline practice, and local authority experience, it highlights how existing systems can exclude people from safe accommodation and recommends changes to better support survivors across the UK.
We are also publishing a supplementary policy brief examining the experiences and housing outcomes of survivors who choose not to enter the *National Referral Mechanism (NRM). This brief explores the unique barriers faced by non‑NRM survivors and sets out recommendations to ensure they can access safe, appropriate, and timely housing support.
Key findings
- MSVCC outreach support is inconsistent.
- Access to MSVCC accommodation may be restricted based on interpretations of housing entitlements.
- Survivors with complex needs may face restrictions when accessing MSVCC safehouse accommodation.
- Local authority responses are inconsistent and fragmented.
- Risk and Needs Assessments sometimes lack trauma-informed depth.
- Statutory guidance fails to reflect lived realities.
- Data and training gaps undermine accountability.
- Survivors are experts in their own recovery.
Our recommendations
The recommendations set out here are practical, achievable, and capable of making a real difference. If implemented, they will strengthen the UK’s response to modern slavery and help ensure that survivors are not left without the housing and support they need.
- Shape the amendment of Chapter 25 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance.
- Clarify the MSVCC Assessing Destitution Guidance by stating it is for pre-Reasonable Grounds decision only.
- Publish housing status data for survivors.
- Embed housing suitability assessments into the Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance.
- Introduce “modern slavery” as a recognised category on housing application forms.
- Enforce minimum face-to-face contact requirements in MSVCC outreach.
- Document safeguarding referrals in MSVCC housing needs assessments.
- Standardise survivor-led training for MSVCC support workers
- Scale Modern Slavery Coordinators/Leads nationally
Written in partnership with
This research project was made possible through the support and funding of the Modern Slavery and Human Rights Policy and Evidence Centre at the University of Oxford, whose sustained commitment to tackling modern slavery continues to drive meaningful change across policy and practice.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the participants with lived experience of modern slavery. Their insights, courage and generosity have shaped every aspect of this work. By grounding the findings in real-world experiences, they have ensured that the recommendations reflect the urgent need for survivor-informed responses.
We also thank all survey respondents for their time and thoughtful contributions, which have strengthened the evidence base and informed the direction of this report.