“Karen” is a 22 year old sex-trafficking survivor from the local DMW area, whose exploitation began when she was a 15 year old child. When Karen was first introduced to FAIR Girls, she was very reluctant to receive services because of her past negative relationships with other service providers. However, after working with FAIR Girls for a few months, she became more open to planning and achieving her goals with the assistance of her FAIR Girls case manager. Those goals ranged from more immediate to more long-term, including obtaining her driver’s license, going back to school, and finding permanent housing. Once Karen felt stabilized and was accepted into school, she returned to the community and began the long process of re-building her life. Unfortunately, a couple of years later, Karen lost her school scholarship and had difficulty finding safe, stable housing at the same time that she learned she was three-months pregnant. Karen disclosed to our Vida Home Housing Manager, whom she had build a close relationship with during her first stay at the Vida Home, that she was feeling desperate and out of options and she was considering engaging in survival sex to make ends meet. To help support Karen through this challenging time and reduce her risk of being re-exploited, FAIR Girls invited Karen back into the Vida Home and to re-engage with case management services. During her second stay at the Vida Home, Karen obtained another full scholarship, that afforded her the opportunity to work towards a Bachelor's degree in Nursing. Karen received individualized family therapy, to help restore her support systems before she delivered her own baby girl. FAIR Girls worked closely with Karen to help her apply and prepare for moving into a long-term maternity facility after her 90-day stay at the Vida Home. FAIR Girls staff also worked with Karen to develop the life skills that she needed to stay safe and stable back in the community, including self-advocacy and financial planning. Today, Karen remains in contact with the FAIR Girls staff and continues to show remarkable resilience and strength as she takes back control of her life.
|