Our Story
When you first hear about human trafficking, it is shocking. For our founders, it was life changing.
After spending several years working in ministry full-time with the homeless and those living in extreme poverty and addiction, we started to see firsthand the evidence of sex trafficking happening in our city. We always assumed that this was an issue happening in other countries and if it was in America, it was confined to big cities like LA or New York. We were shocked to find out that it is happening in our own backyard, right here in Catawba County, North Carolina.
As we began to learn more and talk to the existing agencies in our state, we found that there was a huge gap in care for victims - housing. There were no beds, nowhere to send victims, and it was costing lives.
To make matters worse, the organizations that were already working with human trafficking survivors were burning out fast. We met case workers who were barely hanging on under the heavy burden of caring for dozens of victims at a time. We met fantastic people who cared about this cause with deep passion, but just could not get enough funding to keep up the fight. We met caring volunteers who had invested years in working with survivors, only to give up because there just were not enough resources out there.
Someone told us, "When we rescue a victim, there's nowhere to send her. So what should we do?
They end up going back to the trafficker because we can't offer them any appealing alternatives."
Then we began to meet victims firsthand, diving in headfirst to search out the invisible trafficking victims in our community. As we heard their stories, we were forever changed. Someone had to do something - so why not us?
After spending several years working in ministry full-time with the homeless and those living in extreme poverty and addiction, we started to see firsthand the evidence of sex trafficking happening in our city. We always assumed that this was an issue happening in other countries and if it was in America, it was confined to big cities like LA or New York. We were shocked to find out that it is happening in our own backyard, right here in Catawba County, North Carolina.
As we began to learn more and talk to the existing agencies in our state, we found that there was a huge gap in care for victims - housing. There were no beds, nowhere to send victims, and it was costing lives.
To make matters worse, the organizations that were already working with human trafficking survivors were burning out fast. We met case workers who were barely hanging on under the heavy burden of caring for dozens of victims at a time. We met fantastic people who cared about this cause with deep passion, but just could not get enough funding to keep up the fight. We met caring volunteers who had invested years in working with survivors, only to give up because there just were not enough resources out there.
Someone told us, "When we rescue a victim, there's nowhere to send her. So what should we do?
They end up going back to the trafficker because we can't offer them any appealing alternatives."
Then we began to meet victims firsthand, diving in headfirst to search out the invisible trafficking victims in our community. As we heard their stories, we were forever changed. Someone had to do something - so why not us?
Our Services
- 24/7 Hotline
- Crisis relief services
- Emergency housing
- Food, clothing, and personal care items for exploited women, men, and children
- Outreach services in the commercial sex industry
- Referrals for drug detox and treatment, medical care, mental health evaluations, and long term care
- Educational trainings about human trafficking for local law enforcement, hospitals, schools, churches, and work places
Our Core Values
1. Just one life is worth everything.
We're not interested in showing off and we won't measure our success in numbers. We believe even one rescued life was worth all of the hours and dollars we poured into this mission.
We're not interested in showing off and we won't measure our success in numbers. We believe even one rescued life was worth all of the hours and dollars we poured into this mission.
2. We accomplish more by working together.
We're not trying to be trail blazers and we don't want to spend years trying to replicate what other organizations are already doing successfully. We accomplish more by utilizing the resources that already exist and working to fill the gaps where precious lives are falling through the cracks.
We're not trying to be trail blazers and we don't want to spend years trying to replicate what other organizations are already doing successfully. We accomplish more by utilizing the resources that already exist and working to fill the gaps where precious lives are falling through the cracks.
3. Everyone deserves a second (and third and fourth) chance.
Part of working towards restoration is understanding that people are going to mess up - a lot. We go into this work knowing that the people we help will make mistakes and we will continue to offer support and resources again and again. We do not refuse assistance to ANYONE ever. If we cannot help in house, we will always provide a referral to an organization that can help.
Part of working towards restoration is understanding that people are going to mess up - a lot. We go into this work knowing that the people we help will make mistakes and we will continue to offer support and resources again and again. We do not refuse assistance to ANYONE ever. If we cannot help in house, we will always provide a referral to an organization that can help.
4. People should never, ever be for sale.
Every person has value - to God, to us, and to the world as a whole. You cannot put a price on a human life and we believe it is intrinsically wrong to place a human life up for sale. Likewise, we approach every exploited and trafficked person as a victim - understanding that this was not a choice they made and they should never be blamed or shamed.
Every person has value - to God, to us, and to the world as a whole. You cannot put a price on a human life and we believe it is intrinsically wrong to place a human life up for sale. Likewise, we approach every exploited and trafficked person as a victim - understanding that this was not a choice they made and they should never be blamed or shamed.
5. We do not exploit the exploited.
Because we work with people who are already vulnerable, we make careful choices to insure that they are never exploited further. This means we treat each case with utmost confidentiality and never share the identities of survivors and their families. We do not disclose identifying details of their circumstances without permission. We do not ask the women we help to publicly share their stories to help us raise funds. We want them 100% focused on healing. We encourage the ladies to practice sharing their testimony in the safe place of our support group.
Because we work with people who are already vulnerable, we make careful choices to insure that they are never exploited further. This means we treat each case with utmost confidentiality and never share the identities of survivors and their families. We do not disclose identifying details of their circumstances without permission. We do not ask the women we help to publicly share their stories to help us raise funds. We want them 100% focused on healing. We encourage the ladies to practice sharing their testimony in the safe place of our support group.
6. We never have it all figured out and we can always do more.
There is no limit to the impact that My Refuge City can have and we will not put a cap on what we can accomplish. Even when we think we've reached the peak, we will always take time to ask how we can learn more and do more. We also commit to having a survivor of sex trafficking on our board of directors at all times. We believe survivor leadership is powerful and important.
There is no limit to the impact that My Refuge City can have and we will not put a cap on what we can accomplish. Even when we think we've reached the peak, we will always take time to ask how we can learn more and do more. We also commit to having a survivor of sex trafficking on our board of directors at all times. We believe survivor leadership is powerful and important.
7. This isn't about us at all.
Our work should never be about us and should always be about the precious survivors we serve. We do not crave the spotlight and we reject any opportunity that would make this about who we are rather than the people we serve.
Our work should never be about us and should always be about the precious survivors we serve. We do not crave the spotlight and we reject any opportunity that would make this about who we are rather than the people we serve.
