Women Face Sexual Assault In Exchange For Housing

WUNC News | By Laura Pellicer,

Published January 17, 2018 at 3:16 PM EST

A new investigation by the BBC has uncovered scores of cases where women allegedly endured sexual harassment or may have been forced to do sexual favors to avoid eviction or secure housing.

It is a pattern that BBC News reporter Jessica Lussenhop found is under-documented by state agencies. Lussenhop speaks with host Frank Stasio about women in Laurinburg, North Carolina who were allegedly sexually harassed or faced predatory sexual behaviour by two employees of Four-County Community Services, a local housing agency that distributed vouchers from the federally subsidized Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Laura Pellicer

Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.

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Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

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