The October issue of the Stop Trafficking Newsletter highlights issues around providing assistance to human trafficking survivors for their healing journey.
A section of the newsletter on Finding a Place to Call ‘Home’ features descriptions of residential safe houses operated through the collaboration of women religious, and includes the following article about LifeWay Network:
LifeWay Network
LifeWay House has been in operation as a long-term transitional safe house since 2012. It receives guests, who have suffered from both labor and sex trafficking and are between 18 – 37 years of age. They have come from Nigeria, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Mexico, Losotho, China, Congo, Senegal, Dominican Republic, Sri Lanka and the U.S. Referrals are from service providers with anti-trafficking programs in the New York City area that have Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the LifeWay Network.
Each resident has a case manager, who provides legal aid, translation and interpretation services, mental health care, medical care and job skills training. LifeWay provides the safe home and the secure and supportive environment in which they can be empowered to heal and acquire the ability to live independently. A group of women religious live with the residents.
The house has over 22 volunteers who offer opportunities for friendship, conversation, social outings, creative activities, gardening. All these help build social skills. Tutors assist with the many work and school assignments. Monday meetings provide opportunities to learn about budgeting, apartment hunting, job seeking, etc. To continue to keep this model sustainable we will continue to need dedicated trained persons who will form the host community.
As always funding for such a program is critical in an ongoing sustainable manner. It is important that the host community, the social worker, house manager, and program staff come together periodically to meet with a clinical psychologist to speak together about feelings and experience encountered in walking with the women.
LifeWay Network also provides five beds for short-term emergency safe housing, until other arrangements can be made. During this period, which may range from days to weeks, a needs assessment is conducted by a case management provider, and plans made for a long-term living arrangement, which may include referral to LifeWay House.
“The women at LifeWay House regularly cook and share meals together, and this has become a vital and appreciated part of their daily routine. Where traffickers place them in isolation, LifeWay offers community. Where traffickers prey on lack of family support and fear of homelessness, LifeWay offers the experience of living in a loving, supportive, secure and stable home. Traffickers force their victims into situations of subservience and dependence. LifeWay helps them on the path to independence by modeling and supporting their education and work skills.
It is our hope that LifeWay House helps in creating resilience for our residents.” – S. Joan Dawber, a Sister of Charity of Halifax and LifeWay Founder.
The Stop Trafficking Newsletter is dedicated to fostering an exchange of information among religious congregations, their friends and collaborating organizations, working to eliminate all forms of trafficking of human beings.
To read the full issue of the October Stop Trafficking Newsletter, access the PDF at:
https://www.stopenslavement.org/stoptraff1210.pdf#page=3