Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking
Together we can end human trafficking.
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Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Organized responses to human trafficking in Colorado are relatively new and the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT) has become a leader in this effort since 2005. Human trafficking is one of the most egregious violations of human rights. Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to induce labor or sexual exploitation. Research estimates that there are over 40 million human trafficking victims globally today and likely hundreds of thousands in the United States (www.polarisproject.org). But, because of its covert nature, this crime often goes unnoticed or misunderstood in the US, leaving an untold number of victims without the help they desperately need. This is true in the state of Colorado as well, where the fact that there are concealed victims of human trafficking in our communities is largely unknown.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Research and Action
The goal of our Research and Action Program is to contribute data-driven insights to the broader anti-trafficking movement and advance a comprehensive response.
LCHT knows the importance of rigorous research to gain a comprehensive understanding of human trafficking issues specific to Colorado and has been at the helm of multiple studies. The data derived from these research projects have been used to better identify the populations most at-risk of trafficking, the major types and methods of trafficking, geographical hotspots for exploitation, and the gaps in statewide enforcement efforts and victims’ services. Our Colorado Project research has not only created statewide action plans but also informed state human trafficking policy.
Training and Education
The goal of LCHT Training and Education Program is to deliver anti-trafficking training to targeted professional groups and diverse community audiences across Colorado.
Education is one of the most effective means to prevent exploitation and is the key to strengthening the anti-trafficking movement. LCHT educates and trains people who are in a position to identify, intervene, and aid victims of trafficking. These include first responders, law enforcement, social service providers, shelter workers, health care workers, child welfare/foster care workers, schools and youth organizations, Court-Appointed Special Advocates, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, emergency room/public health clinic staff, and mental health professionals. Trainings advocate for the safe, supportive, and sensitive care of victims/survivors and vulnerable populations.
Leadership Development
The goal of our Leadership Development Program is to prepare human rights leaders and survivors with the knowledge, skills, and professional development opportunities necessary to contribute to the anti-trafficking movement.
Through our Leadership Development program, LCHT empowers individuals to become leaders in anti-trafficking organizations or similar work. Since 2005, we've supported more than 200 interns in becoming human rights leaders through traditional academic internships and non-traditional community-based internships. We seek to equip interns with a leadership framework and skills that they can bring to their community, career, and the anti-trafficking movement.
Hotline and Resource Directory
The goal of our Hotline and Resource Directory Program is to increase access to services for individuals experiencing trafficking and develop community-based agencies across Colorado as they address human exploitation.
Colorado’s 24/7 Human Trafficking Hotline can be reached by phone or text and is a survivor-informed, trauma-informed, anonymous, and safe resource for survivors and community members to find support services in relation to human trafficking. The Hotline’s resource directory includes hundreds of localized agencies that provide a variety of support services for survivors of human trafficking including case management, survivorship resources, and legal support. Colorado’s Human Trafficking Hotline gives every survivor a place to turn and fosters hope and empowerment for individuals experiencing exploitation.
Where we work
Awards
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External reviews
Photos
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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of training events conducted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Training and Education
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of unique training presentations delivered by LCHT staff
Number of people trained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Training and Education
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Attendance at LCHT education presentations and trainings
Number of research studies conducted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Research and Action
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Number of completed community-based research reports written + available for dissemination
Number of publications identifying sector best practices
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Research and Action
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Number of external publications using data from LCHT research in peer reviewed journals or edited books
Number of interns who complete the Leadership Development Program
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Leadership Development
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Number of interns who complete LCHT's Leadership Development Program
Number of crisis hotline calls answered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Hotline and Resource Directory
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of incoming calls + texts that are received by a hotline advocate
Number of new agencies added to the Hotline Resource Directory
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Hotline and Resource Directory
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Number of unique agencies who are listed in the Hotline Resource Directory for the first time
Number of active volunteer hotline advocates
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Hotline and Resource Directory
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Unique number of people who volunteer at least 4 shifts annually for the hotline
Percentage of trainees who report being knowledgeable about the crime of human trafficking by the end of the presentations
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Training and Education
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Reported as a percentage and calculated from pre/post surveys administered at professional + community trainings. Target is greater than 80%.
Percentage of professional trainees who report feeling comfortable identifying red flags of human trafficking, and the appropriate steps to take if they suspect trafficking by the end of a training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Training and Education
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Reported as a percentage and calculated from pre/post surveys administered at professional trainings. Target is greater than 80%.
Percentage of Leadership Development Program participants who demonstrate increased knowledge about the crime of human trafficking
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Leadership Development
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Reported as a percentage and calculated from pre/post surveys taken by program participants. Target is greater than 90%.
Percentage of Leadership Development Program participants who demonstrate an increased knowledge about human rights
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Leadership Development
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Reported as a percentage and calculated from pre/post surveys taken by program participants. Target is greater than 90%.
Percentage of Leadership Development Program participants who report an increase in personal leadership skills
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Leadership Development
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Reported as a percentage and calculated from pre/post surveys taken by program participants. Target is greater than 90%.
Percentage of Leadership Development Program participants who report an increased capacity to influence change in the anti-trafficking movement
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Leadership Development
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Reported as a percentage and calculated from pre/post surveys taken by program participants. Target is greater than 90%.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We aim to conduct research that contributes data-driven insights to the anti-trafficking movement and advances a comprehensive response. We identify promising practices and areas for improvement from survivors, practitioners, and researchers, gathering insights that can foster partnerships and identify critical opportunities for the anti-trafficking movement.
We aim to equip human rights leaders and survivors with the knowledge, skills, and professional development opportunities necessary to elevate their voices within the anti-trafficking movement. We recognize that the lived experiences of survivor leaders position them as powerful change agents who can lead the field forward.
We aim to equip professional groups and diverse community audiences across Colorado with the knowledge to better understand, recognize, and react to instances of human trafficking. Through education that is survivor-informed, we believe that we can activate the community, creating more widespread support for the anti-trafficking movement. An informed and activated community is necessary for any comprehensive solution to meaningfully impact human exploitation.
We aim to host a hotline that increases access to services for individuals experiencing trafficking. For each person we are able to connect to a resource, we chip away at the trauma human exploitation causes. In developing, maintaining, and improving the resources available through the hotline, we also strengthen the network of community-based agencies across Colorado as they address human exploitation.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We are driven by a vision to end human trafficking, a severe form of exploitation. We hold the belief that social change - community-led, bottom-up solutions - is the pathway to eliminating human exploitation.
But what kind of social change would it really take to end human exploitation? While we know there is no single solution, we also recognize that nobody has the answer yet. LCHT employs the best possible methods that we know of right now to work towards eliminating human exploitation, and to continually ask - and answer - this question of ‘what would it really take.’ In other words, we are both working towards the solution and helping figure out what that means along the way; we drive social change through our programs, and simultaneously use our programs to better understand how to achieve the social conditions that would eliminate human exploitation. In this way we operate as a laboratory for collaboratively bringing ideas together to move towards solutions.
Human trafficking is a complex issue for which there is no single root cause. Complex issues require comprehensive solutions that mobilize a broad range of sectors and methods. LCHT believes those solutions lie in our communities, including formal and informal networks defined by geography, identity, and social connections.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
In 2005, our organization formed as a state chapter of the Polaris Project, a nationally recognized organization. With the support of a small group of dedicated volunteers, we enhanced local anti trafficking efforts by raising public awareness and facilitating professional trainings. In 2009, in order to establish our work at the forefront of Colorado's anti-trafficking movement, we transitioned to an independent 501(c)3 called the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking. We deliberately chose to describe ourselves as a laboratory to reflect our understanding of the need to incorporate a mix of ideas, with input from multiple sectors, to adequately understand and address the problem. Since our founding, we have built a strong network of partners, supporters, and leaders to amplify our capacity and impact. We are a recognized leader in anti-trafficking with established public support, an active Board of Directors, and a developed staff with the experience and skills to advance the mission.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since 2005, LCHT has trained over 55,000 professionals and community members to recognize and appropriately intervene in human trafficking situations, we have conducted three major research projects to drive action and inform policy, we have assumed administration of Colorado's 24/7 human trafficking hotline / textline, and we have developed 200 future human rights leaders. For 15 years, LCHT has advanced a data-informed approach to anti-trafficking by completing major research projects that have provided valuable data regarding the problem of human trafficking in Colorado and beyond.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking
Board of directorsas of 02/27/2024
Julie Laser
Jo Solonika
Clarivate
Allison Nipert
Allison Nipert Communications
Julie Anne Laser-Maira
University of Denver
Patricia Alvarez Valverde
CU Anschutz
Arnold Hanuman
Colorado District Attorneys’ Council
Devin Pitts-Rogers
CapTech Consulting
Daniel Trznadel
United States Marshall Service (Retired)
Rachel Hartgen
CARE USA
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/27/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.