News stories recently highlighted the revictimization of minors under the care of The Refuge for DMST, a nonprofit serving domestic minor survivors of trafficking in Bastrop, TX. As a fellow organization working in the anti-trafficking space in Central Texas, we are heartbroken and horrified by this gross injustice.
Although we do not have any formal affiliation with The Refuge (they work with minors aged 11-17 and our Austin programs work with adult survivors 18 and over), they have previously referred young adults to our transitional housing program and we did receive one of their prior residents into our house in 2020 for a period of time.
As always, we stand with survivors. We pray for the girls who were moved from the facility and placed in other care-- may they experience safety, health, and healing from the layers of trauma they have endured. We pray for truth, accountability, and justice over all perpetrators who were involved. And we pray for the community of service providers here in Central Texas-- may we be people of the highest integrity, humility, and transparency as we all continue to walk alongside survivors and create truly safe spaces for them to experience freedom, hope, and restoration.
As an organization, we are wholeheartedly committed to operating out of our Core Values of sustainability, excellence, partnership, faith, and dignity. We know that this is messy and hard work. As we continue to process this travesty with our staff and our board, we will continue to humbly and proactively walk in a state of self-examination to maintain and improve our own best practices to best serve beneficiaries.
Please know that we value you as our supporter and are available if you have questions or concerns about our work or the issue. If you'd like to schedule a time to talk to me directly, please do so through the Calendly link here.
For Freedom,
Addie P.
Founder and Executive Director
