COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Central Ohio's only space for young sex trafficking survivors is looking to expand its scope.
Gracehaven is a nonprofit headquartered in Columbus that helps children from all over the state. The nonprofit's developmental director Vicky Thompson said it's entering its 10th year and is Ohio's longest-standing therapeutic group home for trafficked teens.
"There's lots of great organizations helping adult victims of trafficking," Thompson said. "But in the youth space, it is limited because it's hard, it's expensive. It comes with a lot of understandable regulations to care for these young people because they're minors."
Until recently, it was the only one in Ohio. In order to serve even more youth across the state, it needs the staff and volunteers to do so.
In Ohio alone, 1,100 young people are trafficked each year. A lot of people believe child sex trafficking isn't close to them, but according to Thompson, it's closer to all of us than we think.
"We've had victims from the nicest school districts in central Ohio," Thompson said.
Gracehaven offers personalized and trauma-informed care for these victims. It's been helping young sex trafficking survivors for a decade, but now, it needs your help. Thompson said it's been a challenge to find, hire and train enough staff to serve these victims.
"Stats and reality says anywhere there are people with expendable income, child sex trafficking is happening," Thompson said. "Ohio is one of the worst states in the country for child sex trafficking."
Ohio has some of the highest numbers of calls in the country to the human trafficking hotline.
"It's also a testimony to the good work our state has done in trying to get involved and battle this issue," Thompson said. "We have hotlines and we have lots of education."
Gracehaven typically serves more than 100 youth survivors a year from ages 11 to 19 through its community case management team. It also has a therapeutic residential group home which is currently home to eight girls.
"It should alarm you that we don't serve more than that many at a time," Thompson said.
The biggest hurdle is staffing. Thompson said it has the capacity for 24, but a license for 12.
"I hope we get to the place where we can serve 24 girls at a time, but my ultimate goal would be to work myself out of a job," Thompson said. "I wish there wasn't a need."
On top of openings at its residential campus, Gracehaven is looking for help in several areas including case management, tutoring, and community outreach.
"Nothing makes it easier for staff to do their job, to do their professional job if they have some trained volunteers working alongside them to lighten the load," Thompson said.
According to Thompson, they feel great about the work they're doing.
"But when you know you are scratching the top of an iceberg and that there's a lot of girls you can't help because you don't have the staff or the case management team as big as it needs to be or the volunteer support, it's challenging," Thompson said.
Thompson said filling these roles is crucial, but finding passionate individuals is just as important because it's not an easy job.
"It's really rewarding to be sitting where I am and look back and say this is the difference that this team has made in the life of this young person," Thompson said.
Other ways you can help are through financial contributions and donations.
"Many of the times kids come to us with not much more than what's on their backs and so they need basic things," Thompson said.
By helping one person break the cycle, she said it saves the community a lot of money.
"It impacts the community by hundreds of thousands of dollars," Thompson said. "Just keeping that young person out of the court systems, out of the criminal system, help them finish school."
Each year, Gracehaven hosts an event called “Over the Edge” to raise money for sex trafficked youth in central Ohio. They raise about $250,000 each year. Individuals raise a minimum of $1,250 to rappel 26 stories down The Chase Tower in downtown Columbus. Over the Edge 2025 will be held on June 13. Space is limited, you can register here.
Education is also key in combatting this issue. Gracehaven is hosting an educators summit this Valentine's Day for those who work with youth on a daily basis. The goal is to equip them with signs and ways to respond to human trafficking. Registration opens Saturday, Dec. 14. You can register here.
For more information on the openings and volunteer opportunities at Gracehaven, visit this link.
