 **This blog entry was originally published on September 25th, 2023 as part of our September 2023 digital newsletter** After years of praying, building, and preparing, Rebirth Homes opened the first home in Riverside County for women who had been trafficked six years ago. As the completion date approached, we had to choose a date to officially open our doors and decided to open them on a Monday in September of 2017, but the ideal date for opening was 9/11. Opening on this day of remembrance for the lives of those lost when the Twin Towers fell and thankfulness of the heroism of those who served during that time was a decision we wrestled with as we wanted to remember 9/11 and at the same time realized that we wanted to create the opportunity for freedom for survivors of human trafficking. Ultimately, our first home — called Redemption Home — opened its doors on 9/11/2017 and we celebrate this step toward freedom each year.
Six years later, God has done amazing works through Rebirth Homes, and we have been able to serve about 300 survivors of human trafficking. Daily, we receive calls from survivors looking for assistance. While not every person who calls us enters our residential programs, we work with each person to try to get them to safety, which is sometimes the hardest thing to do. I want to share a couple of examples of what this looks like.
Sometimes we get calls from people who are out of state. One person called us asking for help after leaving California. She was a state away and in desperate need of assistance. We worked with her for about a day trying to get her to a safe location. Ultimately, she was able to relocate to another state and land in a safe place. It is so difficult trying to help someone who is in crisis and wants help but not having options.
Often, it’s our partner organizations and strong network of support that allows us to match survivors with the right safe place to meet their needs. For instance, we worked to help a person who had a disability and a service animal find a safe option that would best fit her situation. In this case, we worked with ten other organizations trying to find options for her, and ultimately had to refer her to a place outside of Southern California. In this case (and in all cases), it was important to us that we present different options to the survivor and support her in her decision. Traffickers work to take away freedom, choice, and voice; but in each connection with someone who is looking for a safe place, we work to support and to listen. What can be so challenging, though, is the way our options are so frequently limited. In this case, we had zero options in Southern California.
I share these cases with you to give some insight into the complexities of the work being done at Rebirth Homes and also to help you imagine the burnout our team faces. As you can imagine, it is heartbreaking to get a call from someone who has experienced extreme trauma and wants help only to tell them we have no options. Currently in the Inland Empire, we have zero safe houses/emergency shelters for trafficking survivors. The explanation for this is too long for this article; however, I share it with you to point out the big gap in resources. When we get a call from someone exiting the life of trafficking who is looking for a safe place to stay for a month or so, we refer them to homeless shelters or places outside of the Inland Empire. In order to effectively serve this population, a facility needs to be solely focused on human trafficking and staffed accordingly as there is risk of retraumatizing survivors without the proper set up.
Despite the challenges we face, we have also seen God’s blessings during the last six years. In particular, we have been blessed to witness women’s lives changed forever. With our focus on community, women have made Rebirth Homes their own and called it “home.” We could not ask for anything more. Every night spent in one of our homes is a night out of being trafficked and homeless. We celebrate those nights of freedom with each woman who is home. We pray for those who have not made it “home” yet and are working on their freedom. We pray for the resources needed to better serve this population and ask God to bring an abundance of resources to meet the critical needs.
Along with praying for these needs, I want to ask that you consider sponsoring our fall gala on November 9th. All funds raised go directly toward our residential programs. Our goal is to raise $100,000 for these programs and every dollar makes a difference in the lives of survivors. To sponsor or attend our event, please click on the link below.
Blessings, Debbie |
Happy Anniversary! 🎉
Updated: Aug 6
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