GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Grand Rapids nonprofit can now help human trafficking victims fix their credit as they work to take back their lives.
Safe Haven Ministries, which works with domestic abuse and human trafficking survivors, was recently authorized to certify victim status under the Debt Bondage Repair Act, an amendment to the Fair Credit Act that helps survivors fix their credit after being trafficked.
A common method of control in a human trafficking situation is for the trafficker to take out credit cards or loans in their victim’s name and then not pay it back, Safe Haven Ministries Human Trafficking Task Force Coordinator Amanda Colegrove explained. That can make it difficult for the victim to rebuild.
“Once they exit their situation, that shows up as something that they have done, when in fact it was a method of control for the trafficker,” Colegrove explained. “That can make it very difficult for someone trying to take back their life and move on to be able to find housing or get a loan for other things that they might need like a car.”
“What (the Debt Bondage Repair Act) allows us is to just provide another path for our clients to rebuild their lives, take back what was taken from them and find a way to be self-supporting once again,” she later added.
Certifying a client’s victim status is just the first step. From there, they’ll have to work through the process of each credit reporting company, which will determine if they’ll remove the traffickers’ actions from their credit report.
Because it’s a new process, Colegrove said it’s still unclear how long that will take.
“Individuals who may have experienced trafficking and want to have help with this need to understand that it’s going to take time and it’s not going to happen right away,” she said. “Ultimately it rests with the credit reporting company and what they decide.”
She also noted that it doesn’t remove the debt, though other tools like going through stolen identity avenues could help bring debt relief.
“The crux of the matter is that they have an opportunity to improve their credit score and this allows them to rebuild their lives after trafficking,” she said.
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text the Safe Haven Ministries 24/7 help line at 616.452.6664.
