In 2016, our Founder, Elizabeth Koldyke Boolbol, and a core group of dedicated board members were deeply troubled by the presence of human trafficking in Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Despite the community’s affluence, it’s a regular location for trafficking activity due to its location along the I-95 corridor, the presence of two large casinos, and the county’s proximity to both New York and Massachusetts. Fairfield County is also home to Bridgeport, a former factory town with high rates of poverty, unemployment, and crime.
In 2019, PEHT opened a drop-in center at a church in Bridgeport, offering food, hygiene products, and support to trafficking survivors. The COVID pandemic suspended these efforts, so PEHT began to make plans for a residential anti-trafficking solution.
In January 2021, we welcomed our first residential clients to the PEHT home — and we have proudly operated at full capacity since we opened our doors.