Every community free of human trafficking

Since the beginning, it has been our aim to fight for the protection of the vulnerable, identify the exploited, and advocate for survivors on their path to restoration

Every community free of human trafficking

Since the beginning, it has been our aim to fight for the protection of the vulnerable, identify the exploited, and advocate for survivors on their path to restoration.

Clients served:

in 2024

833

in 2023

Unbound Now was born when an ordinary group of people encountered exploitation and decided they could no longer sit on the sidelines.

Since 2012, Unbound Now has grown into a multi-national nonprofit with 11 service areas in the United States and around the world.

Each Unbound Now office contextualizes our 3 lanes of effort to meet the unique needs of their community.

We are motivated by our faith and passionate about mobilizing communities, including local law enforcement, churches, and professionals across industries to identify and respond to human trafficking in their city.

Meet our leadership

Susan headshot (1)

Susan Peters

Founder & Chief Advisor

Our Faith

We are motivated by our faith in Jesus and we are passionate about mobilizing the global Church to fight human trafficking.

Our work is focused on the prevention and identification of human trafficking and our programs and trainings do not include information about religion or faith, unless it is appropriate to the environment.

We gladly serve any victim or survivor of human trafficking with no strings attached, regardless of age, race, religious affiliation, gender or sexual orientation.

Our values

Hope Driven

In the dark world of human trafficking, we believe there is hope. Our hope comes from three main sources: our faith, our community, and the survivors we serve. We believe in a God of justice and restoration, who has called us to respond to this need. We are encouraged by a community ready to take action in the fight. And we are inspired by the strength, resilience and courage of the men, women, and children we serve.

Service Oriented

We actively seek to fill the needs and gaps in service in our community. As we serve survivors, we are also eager to serve our partners in law enforcement, hospitals, schools, and more.

Excellence Focused

Unbound Now is committed to maintaining excellence in the service we provide. By following best practices, staying up-to-date on research, training our teams, and providing evidence-based programs, we seek to offer the best service to our community.

Our story

Unbound Now started around a kitchen table as ordinary people came together, overwhelmed by the crisis of human trafficking.

Coming face to face with exploitation as she traveled the world, Susan Peters had a nagging feeling that just wouldn’t let her go – no longer could she or more importantly, any of us, sit on the sidelines of this issue. There was simply too great a need. And so she gathered the men and women around her around a kitchen table as they strategized how they could start first in their backyard.

What started as knocking on the doors of McLennan County, Texas law enforcement has transformed into 12 locations in the U.S. and around the world, with world-class human trafficking prevention training, youth empowerment, and survivor advocacy programs.

Since 2012, Unbound Now survivor advocates have had the honor of serving over 2,100 survivors of human trafficking. Behind this number we celebrate, is over 2,100 stories of freedom from bondage, beauty from ashes, and hope for tomorrow.

2012-2016

March 2012
Unbound Now Waco launches
June 2012
Unbound Now Waco starts weekly juvenile detention center outreach
October 2012
Unbound Now Waco serves first victim of human trafficking
June 2013
Unbound Now Mongolia launches
October 2013
Unbound Now Fort Worth launches
December 2013
Unbound Now Spanish launches
January 2014
Unbound Now Houston launches
June 2014
Unbound Now launches anti-pornography campaign, "Your No is Her Hope."
January 2015
Unbound Now hosts first Not in My City outreach
February 2015
Unbound Now Waco founds Heart of Texas Human Trafficking Coalition
April 2015
Unbound Now begins school based prevention education
March 2016
We see first human trafficking case to trial in McLennan County with the trafficker receiving 12 consecutive life sentences
May 2016
Unbound Now participates in Antioch Movement's Engage the Crisis, serving Syrian refugees in Greece, Germany, France, The Netherlands, & Italy.
June 2016
Unbound Now Cambodia & South Africa launch
October 2016
Unbound Now Waco & the Heart of Texas Human Trafficking Coalition are awarded multi-year federal grant from Office of Victims of Crime
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2017-2022

May 2017
Unbound Now partners with Texas Education Service Centers to provide training to educators & personnel, including district superintendents
June 2017
Unbound Now Bryan College Station launches
June 2018
Unbound Now Texas offices are invited by the Governor's Office to become a designated advocacy agency for commercially sexually exploited youth
July 2018
Unbound Now takes exploratory service trip to Indonesia
May 2019
Unbound Now Mongolia partners with Waco team. to host country-wide training
May 2019
Unbound Now Indonesia launches
February 2020
Susan Peters publishes, "Unbound" the story behind the founding of Unbound Now
October 2020
Unbound Now Fort Worth's youth drop-in center, The Underground, opens
October 2020
Unbound Now Fort Worth expands to become Unbound Now North Texas
December 2020
Unbound Now publishes youth prevention research in Journal of Human Trafficking
January 2021
Unbound Now Waco & the Heart of Texas Human Trafficking Coalition releases three anti-trafficking public service announcements
November 2021
Unbound Now Indonesia - Bandar Lampung launches
January 2022
Unbound Now Austin launches
January 2022
Unbound Now Waco breaks ground on The Reagan, a specialized residential placement for sexually exploited girls
February 2022
Susan Peters receives Baylor University's Pro Texana Medal of Service award
March 2022
Unbound Now teams begin serving in Eastern Europe responding to the Ukrainian refugee crisis
June 2022
Unbound Now Europe launches
October 2022
Unbound Now offices across Texas integrate into one 501(c)(3)
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2023

January 2023
The Reagan welcomes first residents
February 2023
Unbound Now North Texas partners with Unbound Now Indonesia training Indonesian staff on survivor advocacy and meeting with local police
March 2023
Unbound Now is added to Interpol's Human Trafficking Expert Group
May 2023
Unbound Now Bryan College Station launches the Brazos Valley Human Trafficking Task Force
October 2023
Unbound Now begins operations in East Texas, starting in Smith County.
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2024

January 2024
The Unbound Now board approves the appointment of Brian Anderson as the new CEO of Unbound Now.
February 2024
Unbound Now opens an office in Lufkin, TX.
July 2024
Unbound Now celebrates a new milestone of having served 1,000 clients year-to-date.
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