Advocacy Matters
Human Trafficking: The Fight for Her Freedom Isn’t Over
Women who have experienced trafficking are not just survivors of exploitation—they are survivors of a system that failed to protect them. Many were preyed upon during moments of deep vulnerability: while facing homelessness, addiction, poverty, or past trauma. Traffickers often kidnap, use coercion, manipulation, and violence to trap women into lives where their freedom, safety, and dignity are systematically stolen.
At Sanctuary First Foundation, we believe these women deserve more than just rescue—they deserve restoration. Recovery from trafficking is not linear. These women often need extended time in a safe, stable, and supportive environment before they can even begin to think about rebuilding their lives. Healing from deep trauma takes time, trust, and patience. Without that foundation, any attempt to move forward is often short-lived.
This is where donors and sponsors become absolutely vital. Your support allows us to provide not just shelter, but a place of refuge—where time is not rushed, healing is not forced, and women are given the space to rediscover their worth. By joining us, you help create the conditions necessary for true transformation. Together, we can be the difference between surviving and truly living.
Awareness Poster Downloads
The Hidden Threat in Recovery:
Body Brokering and the Exploitation of Vulnerability
America’s opioid crisis is far from over. In fact, it’s evolving—and with it, so is the exploitation of the very people recovery systems are meant to help.
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According to the CDC, more than 107,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2023, with synthetic opioids like fentanyl accounting for nearly 70% of those deaths. Opioid overdose continues to devastate families and communities, especially in rural areas, prompting recent bipartisan legislation to expand treatment access in underserved regions.
But as the treatment industry grows, so do the cracks in its foundation—and lurking in those cracks are predatory practices like body brokering.
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The Booming Business of Addiction
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that the substance use treatment industry is now a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. While this reflects a positive increase in treatment availability, it’s also drawn unscrupulous actors into the field.
The CDC estimates the total economic burden of opioid misuse—including healthcare, productivity loss, treatment, and criminal justice costs—is $78.5 billion annually. Unfortunately, that much money attracts bad actors.
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What Is Body Brokering?
Body brokering—also known as patient brokering—is a form of health care fraud where individuals are paid to recruit people into treatment facilities, often without regard for their clinical needs.
These “brokers” receive kickbacks ranging from $500 to $5,000 or more per person, and will use cash, drugs, housing, and false promises to lure vulnerable individuals—especially those recently in recovery.
They troll 12-step meetings, detox centers, sober homes, and even coffee shops. Once a person relapses, brokers may re-recruit them to generate new billing cycles for treatment centers, making relapse profitable.
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Sober Homes: Sanctuaries or Feeding Grounds?
While sober living homes are intended to be supportive environments for recovery, many are unregulated and unlicensed, creating perfect conditions for exploitation.
Brokers infiltrate these spaces, offering money or drugs in exchange for entering treatment again—even if unnecessary. Lack of oversight means these facilities can be manipulated to serve brokers’ financial interests rather than residents’ recovery needs.
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Real Consequences, Weak Enforcement
In 2021, Dylan Walker, a high-profile patient broker, pleaded guilty to 62 counts of body brokering for organizing unnecessary medical procedures in exchange for payouts. Despite facing decades in prison, Walker received no jail time—just probation and a restitution payment.
Cases like Walker’s show how light enforcement and plea deals fail to deter these crimes, even when millions of dollars and lives are at stake.
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The Root of the Problem: Systemic Incentives
The Affordable Care Act’s requirement for insurers to cover substance use disorder (SUD) treatment was a vital step forward—but it also created a financial incentive for unethical operators.
A 2024 Health Affairs study found that many for-profit treatment centers used misleading marketing and charged inflated rates for unnecessary services, prioritizing profits over care. Patients are often billed for drug tests they never took or are admitted to centers with no real evaluation of their needs.
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Why Body Brokering Happens
At its core, body brokering is driven by a deeply fragmented system:
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SUD and mental health services are separated from mainstream healthcare
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Oversight is minimal, and accreditation is often pay-to-play
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Families in crisis often don’t know how to vet facilities or spot red flags
Until SUD care is fully integrated into primary health systems—and ethical standards are enforced nationally—predatory practices will persist.