Her father had always been frightening. He loomed large over her, in rages that would often end in severe and painful “punishment”. Trying to protect her two younger sisters, she would stand in his path and take the blows herself. When her mother tried to step in, he would turn his anger towards her and her mother would often be badly beaten.But life took an even darker turn when her father drove her to a small house with a fence around the yard. There, she was “sold” and taken in the trees surrounding the property by a stranger. This began a pattern of being given to men she did not know. They did unspeakable things to her. She was five.
For Maria (not her real name) the years before she came to Santa Maria were filled with violence and continued abuse. Rarely did she feel safe and there was always someone who profited off her pain. Finally at the age of 24, Maria found a place where she could begin to heal.
Maria now finds the support she needs in a network of agencies that understands human trafficking on a deep level. She has received treatment for substance use, counseling, job training and life skills. As she gains her independence and stability, these non-profit agencies assist her with the healing and the skill development she needs to become independent. She has identified two crucial components to her journey in recovery- finding a place that she felt safe and accepted and working an understanding trauma counselor.
“Only in my trauma counseling sessions, did I finally open up to the abuses, the violence and the humiliation that I had suffered. I found a safe way to finally speak about the pain and the hopelessness that was my life,” she says.
Although trauma counseling is vital to recovery for those that have experienced trafficking, it is costly and requires extended sessions. At the beginning of the year, SMH was seeking funding to add to our roster of available counselors. We did not want to be unprepared for the many clients who required these life-changing services. We wanted to add a part- time counselor to our staff.
Self-described, Houston 20 is a” growing group of influential and committed Houstonians who are forming a movement to advocate for the end of sex trafficking and sex trade in our city by supporting the non -profit organizations providing direct services to victims and survivors.” Their influential circle advocates for policy, funding and attention to the scourge of human trafficking.
In addition, they have created a non-profit team, Houston Area Against Trafficking (HAAT), comprised of direct service providers who share best practices and needs in a spirit of cooperation. Houston 20 fills the gaps and increases the capacity of these agencies to everything from bottled water and grocery gift cards after a disaster, to direct support for programming and large items needed to continue services, safely and with dignity. The collaboration is enhanced by leadership and focus from Houston 20 co-founders Jennifer Hohman and Amy Pierce.
We are grateful to Houston 20 for their funding, but just as important, we appreciate their kindness and concern expressed through notes, check-in’s and kind words to our staff. They are living their mission and making a real-world huge difference.
#FightForUs is a Social Community Movement to raise our voices and combat sex trafficking.
BECOME AWARE. GET ENGAGED. FIGHT.
Nine years ago, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) began the Healthy Kids Healthy Families program started as a three-year initiative designed to improve the health and wellness of at least one million children through community investments. The program was extended as BCBSTX’s ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of children and families in Texas. The program has impacted the lives of millions of Texas children and families through the more than $14 million in grants awarded by BCBSTX to community organizations statewide. BCBSTX — the only statewide, customer-owned health insurer in Texas — is the largest provider of health benefits in the state
Indeed, our CFT is one of the most transformative programs in our portfolio. CFT provides evidence-based support, education and tools to help vulnerable families improve their ability to appropriately care for, nourish and interact with their young children. At its’ foundation, CFT promotes healthy infant-child development through improving the home environment and caregiver competencies, attitudes, and behaviors. A crucial component of the work includes improving the mother’s mental and physical health so she is better able to bond with and care for her child. CFT helps mothers sustain long- term recovery from substance use, provides the entire family with education, skills and support to commit to and sustain positive behavioral changes and builds resiliency in children to mitigate trauma. It is a natural extension of our continuum of care and has been experiencing rapid growth since its inception in 2013.
Our staff tailors services to each mother-child dyad and family, providing services in individual or group format, at the home or a community based site, to best meet family needs. In addition, CFT works with partner healthcare and social services providers to improve their ability to serve vulnerable families impacted by substance use and/or trauma through the provision of education, training, technical assistance, and onsite support through co-location and integration of services. CFT services are currently provided for the residents of our treatment program as well as at 18 partner locations to improve care access. Due to COVID protocols, a number of our community services now are offered virtually and we are looking forward to the day when we can fully return to the field.
In today’s world, we can all benefit from some positivity. We’d like to encourage you to feel empowered and share kindness with our women residents, who are working hard on their recovery journey.
Connection is one of the most important treatments of substance use disorder (SUD). Connecting with other human beings that share similar experiences is one of the strongest components for recovery. This connecting ability can turn pain to passion to purpose, bringing about hope and strength for a recovery journey.
We provide a safe space for treatment and harm-reduction. We lead with education and relapse prevention skills. We connect a community of services and increase the scope of the recovery community itself.
