The Problem
- Texas is the second-largest hub for sex trafficking in the country.
- The city of Dallas is one of the top 10 cities nationwide with the most sex trafficking.
- It is a $99 million a year crime.
- There are an estimated 400 trafficked teens on the street each night in Dallas.
- The average age of entry into trafficking is 12-16.
- Most of these children/youth are runaways, which are often trafficked within 48 hours of leaving home.
It is important that a victim’s needs are met through a holistic continuum of care from prevention to recovery to restoration. As many children and youth are trafficked at such a young age, most have dropped out of school and not completed their high school degree or GED program. However, after rescue, re-entering a traditional school environment is usually not an option due to the child/youth’s PTSD, trigger events and need for ongoing therapy. Most local high schools are not equipped to manage or maintain a high needs student – placing them at greater risk for dropping out again. In addition to educational deficits, since the child and youth were often trafficked at early ages, they have not developed the life skills that would normally be learned in a traditional household. These life skills are immensely important to ensure long-term success and restoration.
The Solution
The Youth Support Center at Juliette Fowler Communities provides counseling, coaching, mentorships, and life skills programming to help youth ages 12-24 escape or avoid trafficking and exploitation. The Youth Support Center provides transportation to pick up youth who would otherwise be unable to visit the center and houses closets full of clothes, emergency food and feminine products. The Youth Support Center offers educational, wellness and job skills programming, by establishing a plan with goals for the youth’s future.
To meet the need for intensive prevention, support and recovery services for at-risk children and youth, including those rescued from sex trafficking, Juliette Fowler Communities, through its Children, Youth and Family Services programs, provides this on-site, one-stop location for child and youth victims to receive whole-person services from carefully selected and vetted partner agencies. The Youth Support Center operates with trained coaches available during all open hours. These coaches engage with the child and youth and maintain a relationship through treatment and into restoration.