Page 10—New Frontier CHRONICLE • June 2014
Haven ATL fights trafficking in Atlanta The Salvation Army works to undercut the country’s largest commercial sex industry. BY TAMARA STINSON
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tlanta is one of only eight U.S. cities classified as an “alpha-world city” by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network and ranks fourth in the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered within city boundaries, yet it’s another economy in Atlanta that’s stealing the attention. According to a 2014 study from the Urban Institute (UI), Atlanta ranks first among U.S. cities for commercial sexual exploitation. In 2007 alone, its underground sex economy netted an estimated $290 million. It’s numbers like this that keep Hillary DeJarnett up at night. As co-founder and program director of Haven ATL, DeJarnett and her team, including Co-Founder Captain Sandra Pawar, work to help women transition from victims of sex trafficking to leaders in their communities. “These girls are powerful,” DeJarnett said. “They’re smart. They’re intelligent. They just really need support and they need to be held accountable and have a place to grow, so that’s what we try to do.” The idea for Haven ATL came to DeJarnett while working on her master’s thesis in nonprofit management at the University of Georgia. The assignment turned into a full-time job after DeJarnett presented the idea to Pawar. The pair then established Haven ATL as a Salvation Army program. “We are located in a neighborhood in Atlanta where commercial sexual exploitation is very prevalent and visible,” Pawar explained. “Before Hillary presented the idea of Haven ATL, I spent a lot of time praying in front of strips clubs and brothels. I even began building relationships with women in that lifestyle and inviting them to the corps. I asked God to guide me on this mission and he sent Hillary and Haven ATL my way.” The UI report states that the underground commercial sex economy in the Atlanta area is mainly comprised of three sex trafficking venues: street and online prostitution, Latino brothels, and massage parlors. There is also a significant amount of pimp-controlled prostitution on the street and online via websites such as Craigslist and Backpage. Haven ATL works to reverse this damage out of The Salvation Army’s 53,000-square-foot Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in the Pittsburgh neighborhood. Later this year, Haven ATL will move into its own drop-in center and offices. The donated house, also in the Pittsburgh community, will provide a more intimate setting for the 20 women involved to access counseling, mentorship, job training, cooking classes, yoga and Bible study. In the backyard, there’s a community garden to teach the women about farming and landscaping. “I think the house is truly going to be that haven for the women,” DeJarnett said. “A place they can come and know that they are safe and know that they are loved.” Pam, a former madam who turned to the sex trade after her
PEER-TO-PEER
I think the house is truly going to be that haven for the women. A place they can come and know that they are safe and know that they are loved.’
—HILLARY DeJARNETT
family was displaced by Hurricane Katrina, sought help at Haven ATL after being arrested. She is now one of the organization’s community leaders and helps get women, girls and transgendered individuals out of the industry rather than into it. “I kept trying to do it by myself and I kept falling back into it,” Pam said. “If you’re already thinking about changing, Haven ATL is the place to actually make it happen.”|NFC
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raising model, which taps into an organization’s existing base of supporters by equipping them to champion a cause on the organization’s behalf—thereby building a bigger army of supporters and donors organically. During the recruitment phase, leaders are chosen to represent program areas, including fitness, arts and education, ice skating, day camp and church. Those leaders then recruit people actively engaged in their respective programs, to volunteer. Once all 100 volunteers are recruited, they are trained with the information and skills needed to solicit financial support from family and friends. Each volunteer also has an individual fundraising goal ranging from $500 to $1,000. The campaign started in 2009 with a $60,000 fundraising goal, and has since been raised incrementally to $90,000. Nearly $520,000 has been raised in the campaign’s
six-year history to provide more than 13,200 scholarships to people in the community who can’t afford programs at the Kroc Center. One recipient joined the Kroc Center after a Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis to start walking again. The scholarship fund also afforded Ricky, a 7-year-old foster child who came from an abusive home, the opportunity to make friends, express and grow his faith, learn to read and discover that he’s good at math and loves skateboarding. Ricky’s foster mother, Heather, said giving to the scholarship fund is like giving life to children like Ricky, who wouldn’t have opportunities otherwise. “It’s such a wonderful place and it’s a place that people can feel confident giving money to because it’s being used in the right way,” she said. “I’m evidence that it’s being used in the right way.”
Maria, a working, single mother, said the scholarship program helped especially during school breaks. “If my daughter didn’t have this Summer Day Camp scholarship, I wouldn’t be able to go to work, and we couldn’t survive,” she said. Kroc Centers across the country have expressed interest in adopting this fundraising model. The Hawaii Kroc Center already jumped aboard to raise $20,000 in its inaugural year using a peer-to-peer model. “The heroes campaign means sustainability for the Kroc Center’s fundraising efforts over a long period of time,” said Maria Todaro, director of communications and community development at the San Diego Kroc Center. “It’s an effort that gets the community invested in the success of the center, and creates a pipeline for identifying and cultivating potential major donors.”|NFC
FORMER OFFICERS
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“Some former officers really want to be reconnected,” Hussey said. “If you’ve gone to the degree of becoming an officer, The Salvation Army is part of you. This group is also an advantage to the Army—it’s a huge resource of people and skill that could benefit The Salvation Army in some way.” The territory agreed and is sponsoring the cost of the retreat, which is themed “Reconnecting.” General sessions will focus on facets of this idea, along with workshops on topics such as forgiveness and individual stories of the journey since leaving officership. “It’s an opportunity for dialogue and healing of relationships,” said Major Harry Lacey, pastoral care officer, whose responsibilities since June 2012 include making contact with former officers on behalf of the Army as part of the territory’s Officer Care and Development department. “The Salvation Army wants to reassure former officers that they are still a part of us, and we want to be a support. They’re still people that need pastoral care; I need that, too. We all do.” According to territorial data, the Western Territory’s ranks included 699 active officers in 2004. Since then, 272 cadets were commissioned as officers, 70 former officers were re-accepted, 214 officers retired, 41 A/Captains were brought to full status, 14 active officers were promoted to Glory, and 145 officers resigned or were terminated. Territorial Personnel Secretary Lt. Colonel Doug O’Brien is slated to speak at the event. “There are layers of relationships in The Salvation Army, and positions and dynamics change,” O’Brien said. “We have former officers who feel hurt, misunderstood, wronged, and we’d like to take the opportunity for restoration and to explain how things have changed.” In recent years, alterations to international and local policies provided the option of a “year of reflection” in the midst of individual or family issues. Dependent on specific needs, one person might remain active in officership while a spouse takes time away and receives counseling or health care as needed. After five years of service, a person leaving officership is eligible for a transition grant in lieu of retirement. Officer discipline falls under three levels of the Officers Experiencing Difficulty plan, which was established roughly 10 years ago. In this process, first the divisional commander will discuss the issue with the individual and the pair agrees on a growth plan. At level two, an accountability plan is still created but it’s also sent to the territorial personnel department. Finally, the plan is reviewed by an officer review board and agreed to by the territorial commander. The officer is involved in this process, aware he or she is being considered for termination, and allowed to make a personal case of the situation. “This event is a chance to provide answers to people for what’s happened, why it’s happened and the avenues by which resolution can be brought,” O’Brien said. “If we can move people closer to a place where God is going to use them productively in The Salvation Army, we’d like to do that.” If you are a former officer or know someone who is, send contact information to thussey3167@gmail.com to assist the committee in building its list of invitees. Follow New Frontier Chronicle for upcoming information on registering for the event.|NFC