Whitney's Journey
*Photo representative of the women we serve.
“I never imagined I would have the opportunity to support myself and reach my goals.
Now I am overwhelmed with all the opportunities that keep popping up. I don’t know which opportunity to take first.
I am working on my GED, I have multiple job offers, I am committed to my sobriety, and I am learning more about myself than I ever have.
It takes time to get to where I am at, and these months with ESTN have gone by so fast. I am glad I found you.”
Whitney* was the victim of sexual abuse, generational poverty and familial homelessness. She spent her childhood surrounded by drug-addicted adults and was first trafficked by her mother at age 15. She went on to be violated multiple times a day by strange men so that her mom could pay for housing, food and drugs. She didn’t realize she was being trafficked because her experience looked different from the media’s portrayal. She wasn’t kidnapped or sold overseas. She never even had to relocate.
Whitney did not disclose what happened at home in order to protect her mom. But she also carried shame and guilt, believing that her existence caused the financial strain on her family that led to her circumstances. Statistics say Whitney was headed toward an early death from violence, drug overdose or suicide.
Horribly abused, deeply traumatized, and intimately betrayed, Whitney had nowhere to turn. Trafficking destroyed her childhood and left her with physical, mental and emotional wounds that without intervention lead to lifelong desperation. She ran away and on the streets, she was trafficked again.
To disrupt this, Whitney needed immediate intervention, paired with a promise of safety and stability. She found End Slavery Tennessee (ESTN) and participated in our 9-month Residential Program. To sustain her recovery, she found herself desperate to find a job to support herself for her move out of the Residential Program, but her lack of rental history and trafficking-related criminal record made it difficult for her to find affordable, safe housing. It also made it difficult to find a job that promised opportunity that would aid her to break the generational cycle of poverty.
While Whitney is in a better place today than she was seven years ago, there are gaps in services that could have enhanced her recovery journey.
The gaps that exist in our current model include length of program and number of beds available. Through experience and research, ESTN recognizes nine months is not enough to successfully overcome the barriers and trauma most survivors face.
Support from our community means future survivors in need can experience two years of supportive resources at the Survivor Restoration Campus. Because anyone like Whitney deserves to live in a safe and stable community filled with compassion and hope.
*Name and some details changed to protect confidentiality.