Home opening for West Michigan child sex trafficking survivors

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) —

Wood TV 8

by: Byron Tollefson

Posted: Jul 16, 2023 / 10:17 PM EDT

Updated: Jul 16, 2023 / 11:47 PM EDT

A Muskegon nonprofit is opening a home for survivors of child sex trafficking in West Michigan.

It’s a step toward recovery for the survivors of sex trafficking supported by the Hope Project. The group works with 160 survivors around West Michigan — from Muskegon, Ottawa, Newaygo, Oceana and Ottawa counties.

“The reality is it’s happening here. It’s happening in the United States, in Michigan and it’s definitely happening in West Michigan,” said Mary Suarez, the nonprofit’s development and advocacy manager.

The Hope Project has helped survivors of sex trafficking since 2006. Today, it’s finding younger survivors.

“When we began, the youngest client we had was 11 years old,” Suarez said. “As of this year, we’ve had to drop that age in order to be able to support a 9-year-old.”

Suarez said the trauma is often started by the survivor’s own family.

“The majority of clients that come to us, especially the children, have been sold by their parents or someone who’s very close to them,” she said.

The group already opened a transitional home for five adult survivors last December. Some were homeless before.

“It means the world to them,” she said. “Having a safe place for them to go, to know they’re safe, to know they can lay their head down at night, that they’re gonna be OK.”

The new home for children who have survived sex trafficking will launch in October. Six girls between the ages of 11 and 17 currently in foster care will live in the new home for free, Suarez said.

The home, called “Hope Village,” will be at an undisclosed location in Muskegon County. The survivors will receive counseling, mentoring, recreational therapy, case management and education.

“The healing and the difference it’ll make in these kids’ lives is just priceless,” she said.

The Hope Project works hand in hand with survivors, providing individual therapy as well as group sessions to share their experiences with one another.

“It gives them a bond with someone so they know they’re not alone,” she said.

The group provides counseling to survivors’ families as well. Survivors are assisted with legal cases, transportation and hygiene products.

“Things that we take for granted every single day, they don’t have,” Suarez said.

The group recently installed a shower in its office as well as washer and dryer machines for survivors to use.

“Things that are just so invaluable to them,” she said. “You can’t imagine the joy that it brings them.”

The Hope Project aims to prevent future trafficking by co-chairing and staffing the Lakeshore Human Trafficking Task Force, a collaboration between law enforcement, social service groups and survivors.

“We wish we didn’t have to be here, but we’re so blessed we are,” she said. “The 160 clients that we have, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. Those are the only ones we know of that come to us.”

Every survivor who walks through their doors reminds them their fight is far from over.

“To see children come through the doors that have just been broken and used and traumatized, it really is heartbreaking,” she said.

“But we’ve also watched them thrive,” she added. “We’ve attended graduations and baptisms and help them celebrate their first jobs.”

The Hope Project welcomes volunteers, including mentors who help survivors through their recovery. Visit The Hope Project website to learn more.