Archangel Advocacy LLC

HUMAN TRAFFICKING LEGAL ADVOCACY

Exploitation of Vulnerable Adults in King County: The Hidden Crisis

 

Archangel Advocacy LLC | Advocacy & Justice for the Unhoused and Overlooked

 

“If you don’t work, you don’t eat.”

 

These were the words one unhoused woman in Renton heard as she was forced to collect scrap metal and haul buckets of gravel in exchange for a spot in a tarp shelter and a bucket for a toilet.

 

 

She is one of many survivors of a quiet epidemic of exploitation and abuse targeting vulnerable adults across King County—especially those living with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and substance use disorder (SUD).

What is Exploitation?

Exploitation occurs when someone takes unfair advantage of a person who is unable to protect or advocate for themselves due to disability, illness, or housing status. This includes:

 

forced or quid pro quo labor – like cleaning, scavenging in dumpsters, landscaping or caregiving in exchange for food or shelter

 

Deprivation of basic needs – like access to toilets, water, hygiene, or safe rest

 

Gaslighting, use of open firearm brandishing, and psychological abuse – where perpetrators deny the harm, twist reality, or label the victim "crazy" is often used to keep victims in the cycle of exploitation.

 

Verbal coercion or threats – using fear of abandonment, retaliation, or loss of shelter to maintain control.

Is It Legal? No.

In Washington State, these actions may violate multiple laws:

RCW 9A.40.100 – Human Trafficking and Forced Labor

 

RCW 74.34 – Exploitation of Vulnerable Adults

 

RCW 9A.40.040 – Unlawful Imprisonment

 

Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD) – Protects people with disabilities.

 

Constitutional Rights – The 8th, 13th, and 14th Amendments prohibit cruel treatment, involuntary servitude, and denial of equal protection.

 

Even more troubling, many victims are unaware that what they’ve experienced is illegal. They are told that “this is just the price of being homeless or being unable to regulate their own mania and depression,” or that they’re “lucky someone lets them stay.”

 

How to Spot Perpetrator Behavior

 

Perpetrators of exploitation often use control, intentional triggers, gossip, fear, and manipulation to maintain power. Watch for:

 

BehaviorDescription:

 

Gaslighting...“That never happened,” “You’re crazy,” or “You’re just high.”

 

 

Isolation: Discouraging victims from contacting outside agencies or family. 

 

 

Withholding Needs: Using food, water, or toilet access as leverage

 

 

Quid Pro Quo Demands        "You can stay here if you clean my property or run my business every day."

 

 

Verbal Abuse or Mockery Targeting someone’s mental health or past mistakes to degrade them. Intentionally bringing up traumatic subjects like the suicide of a relative, the failure of a marriage, or aspects of the horror of cold and lonesome unhoused experiences to intentionally trigger a vulnerable adult for further exploitation in free labor or even charging them to live in a rodent infested abandoned vehicle.

 

 

 

Survivor Strategies & Resilience

Despite the odds, many survivors fight back quietly and courageously. Here’s how:

 

Document everything: Keep a log (even verbal memos to yourself or photos and videos) of what is said or done.

 

Know your rights: You do not have to trade labor for basic survival. Forced labor is illegal.

 

Connect with skilled peer advocates: You are not alone—there are people who believe you and can help.

 

Be concise and strategic to escape safely: When ready, seek relocation help from support networks or shelters that don’t require mental or physical exploitation in return.

 

 

 Where to Get Help in King County, Washington

 

Emergency Support

 

King County Crisis Line (24/7): 1-866-427-4747

 

911 – if you are in immediate danger

 

Advocacy & Legal Assistance

 

Archangel Advocacy LLC – www.archadvo.com

 

Trauma-informed peer support, legal aid, and documentation assistance. (206)271-9756

 

Solid Ground Legal Clinic 

 

Free legal aid for low-income adults – www.solid-ground.org

 

Seattle Disability Rights Washington

 

Focus on systemic abuse and housing rights – www.disabilityrightswa.org

 

Washington State Adult Protective Services (APS)

 

Report abuse or exploitation – 1-877-734-6277

 

Behavioral Health & Shelter Services

 

REACH Program (Evergreen Treatment Services)

 

Outreach for people with SUD and mental illness – www.evergreentreatment.org

 

DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center)

 

Housing + behavioral health case management – www.desc.org

 

✊ Archangel Advocacy: We Hear You. We Stand With You.

 

At Archangel Advocacy, we believe that every person—housed or unhoused, sober or using, diagnosed or not—has a right to dignity, choice, and protection from abuse.

 

 

We offer:

 

 

Peer support with lived experience

 

 

Help reporting abuse

 

 

Documentation and affidavits

 

 

Legal referrals

 

 

Compassionate listening

 

 

Coaching you how to represent your rights through Advocacy

 

 

 

You are not a burden. You are not broken. You are being wronged. And we can help