Walking with Survivors After Trafficking

Think back to a recent moment when you felt safe. Safe enough to rest, breathe deep, use imagination and connect with yourself and those around you. Where were you? What did it look like? Sound like? Feel like? For many of us, those memories feel accessible and present. For survivors of trafficking, safety and the feeling of safety often feels inaccessible and distant, removed through acts of exploitation and abuse.

Last week, a client mentioned that engaging with our staff (along with two other advocates in the community) was the first time they’ve felt safe. With a history of system involvement as a child, trafficking, and social isolation, this client is now experiencing the healing impact of safety in a home, holistic support, and individualized care. One of our primary goals as we walk with friends who have experienced sexual exploitation is to help them establish safety, sometimes for the first time in their lives, so that they can connect with themselves and the world around them. Last month, we looked at the issue of human trafficking (which you can read here if you haven’t yet), and this month, we want to focus on our response.

At Red Oak Hope, the heart of our mission is the belief that every survivor deserves freedom, hope, and the opportunity for restoration from trafficking and exploitation.

Freedom from trafficking is more than just a one-time occurrence. Freedom for a lifetime is fostered by walking with individuals through crisis, meeting basic needs, providing safe shelter, and creating space where exploitation no longer defines their daily reality. We do this through crisis response, advocacy, case management, and in large part through collaborative partnerships with other local service providers, law enforcement, and the criminal justice system to help survivors establish and maintain safety.

We nurture hope through authentic, side-by-side relationships. We take time to build trust, acknowledge each person’s experiences, and offer tools like case management to help set and achieve goals. Hope grows when people are empowered to make choices and imagine a future that reflects their own dreams. Through our Transitional Housing Program, hope can take root when shelter and support are a given.

We support restoration by providing space to learn, try, and grow through life skills support, job readiness, and our Restore program, which focuses on a somatically oriented approach to trauma recovery and healing for lifelong resiliency with an emphasis on disability support.

With these services, we aim to come alongside survivors, meet their tangible needs, and provide a safe and supportive environment for healing, so that each person can be secure, independent, and free from re-victimization. With a dedicated and highly trained team, thoughtfully designed programs, and a commitment to robust partnership, we are seeing individuals begin the healing journey and thrive.

Last year, our team provided the following services in Austin and each figure below represents many clients engaging in the hard work of healing after exploitation. We’ve celebrated as clients have embarked on educational goals, engaged their mental health, obtained jobs, and moved into stable housing.

We are deeply grateful for the courage of the survivors we walk alongside and for the steadfast support of people like you who make this work possible. Through giving, volunteering, and spreading awareness, you are helping build a community that champions freedom and restoration for those impacted by human trafficking. As always, please reach out if you have questions or want to connect!

For Freedom,