STOPPING HUMAN TRAFFICKING OF GIRLS

In 2020 there was a 98% increase in online attempts by sex traffickers trying to recruit children
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children 2020
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The average age that at-risk youth are lured into sex trafficking in Arizona is just 13 years old
YES Study Arizona 2020
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Over 340 children have been recovered from human trafficking in Phoenix in just the past 18 months
AZ Human Trafficking Council Report 2020
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Children spend an average of 154 days trapped in human trafficking before they are recovered
ASU 6 Year Analysis 2015
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Less than 1% of survivors of human trafficking cases are identified
CASE Study 2019
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In 2008 we found this 13 year old being trafficked on the streets of Phoenix

In 2008, while doing inner-city outreaches to reach at-risk youth, our Executive Director Brian Steele and his wife Skye Steele found this 13-year-old being trafficked on 51st Avenue in Phoenix.

It changed their lives forever. 

After getting her the emergency medical help she needed, they scrambled to prepare a room for her at the Phoenix Dream Center and welcomed her in. 

Brian and Skye now live every day on a mission to Stop Human Trafficking. 

This girl they helped in 2008 has now graduated college, is married and they are STILL in contact with her.

This was the start of the human trafficking recovery program at the Phoenix Dream Center. 

Since opening in September of 2008, the human trafficking recovery program at the Phoenix Dream Center  has served over 900 girls and young women, mostly between the ages of 13 and 26 years old. 

This is a picture that a volunteer took just after we gave this girl a rose and told her they had somewhere for her to go to be safe and to get help.

Get Alerts Whenever A Girl Is Recovered

Get real-time text messages whenever a girl or young woman is recovered and arrives safely into our program. If the girl has any immediate needs you’ll get alerted to that as well. (we promise no more than 2 or 3 texts per week)

Phoenix Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Video Training

Have you heard what’s happening locally to children who are being trafficked?

It’s horrifying, sad, and real…

Local children need help.

Local families need to stay safe.

This training series will show you firsthand what is happening to local children and young people, and how YOU can make a difference in their lives.

Here's How We Are Stopping The Human Trafficking Of Girls And Young Women Today

AZGOYFF Director Maria Fuentes, AZ Governor Doug Ducey, Dream Center CEO Brian D. Steele, StreetLightUSA CEO Skye Steele, Council Chair Cindy McCain, Homeland Security Director Gilbert Oranita

Passing Laws To Help Stop Human Trafficking

For 10 years the Phoenix Dream Center has been honored to serve on the Arizona Governors Human Trafficking Task Force and Human Trafficking Council as well as the City Of Phoenix Mayor’s Human Trafficking Task Force. 

We also serve on task forces across Arizona with the FBI, Homeland Security and local and regional law enforcement entities to help ensure victims find help and justice. 

Through these task force coalitions we work closely with the FBI, Arizona Attorney Generals Office, Phoenix HEAT Unit, Homeland Security, Governors Office, Mayors Office, Department of Child Safety and dozens of service providers. 

Much of our work is focused on expanding services for victims of human trafficking. Some of the work is focused on bringing justice to victims and making sure traffickers get arrested. 

What Survivors Feel When They Come To The Phoenix Dream Center

A survivor shares her heart about what it was like to be recovered and brought to the Phoenix Dream Center.

What Girls Who've Completed Our Program Are Saying

“This guy trafficked me starting at 16 years old. When the police finally got me out I needed to come to a place like the Phoenix Dream Center to get better.  They’ve given me so many amazing opportunities and resources. You won’t find any other places likes this…I mean this place like saved my life.”

Katie

“I ran away from home at 17 and an older man took me into his house. It turned bad and he started locking me in the bathroom and telling me when I could eat. The SWAT team raided his house and brought me to the Phoenix Dream Center. I made a lot of friends at the Dream Center and I got my high school diploma. First thing I ever accomplished.” 

Mariah

“At the age of 14 they put me out on the streets day and night. I would bring the money back to them. I got beat, I got raped, it was terrible. When I got away a school councilor called the Phoenix Dream Center and they took me in the same day. I was pregnant and they helped me and my baby have a life.”

 Ronni

SPECIAL PROJECT HAPPENING RIGHT NOW

How can girls who have survived human trafficking rebuild their lives, find careers, go to college, and reconnect with the community?

Traffickers keep victims purposely isolated from the community.

In fact, it’s one of the control techniques they use to make sure survivors aren’t able to get free. 

But when a survivor gets recovered, it’s critical they not only get the healing they need but that they reconnect with the community. 

This is all done through safe and reliable transportation. 

A transport van means the difference between a survivor getting plugged into a career, college, and reconnecting with the community – and it’s the single greatest need that survivors we are serving have right now.

Phoenix Dream Center Human Trafficking Program Overview

This video explains how the program works to recover and restore young women.

Here's Exactly How The Program Restores The Lives Of Human Trafficking Survivors

Family Systems Model

Our Family Systems Care Model of Service contributes to some of our highest success rates. This model seeks foremost to create the atmosphere of a nurturing and caring family. Many of our survivors have never known a healthy family home life and yet we’ve found that it is one of the most powerful tools we have in truly meeting the deeper needs of survivors. While healthy professional boundaries must always be maintained, our staff are strategic about working to genuinely relate to the survivors on a level that is very real, open, honest and forthcoming. An additional focus on forgiveness and forever-family helps survivors get through difficult life situations both during and beyond the program.

Therapeutic Healing

We’ve found that a trauma informed approach is one key to meeting the therapeutic healing needs of the survivors. Other keys to success include a broad spectrum of behavioral health and medical health care such as EMDR, group therapy, individual therapy, equine therapy, K-9 therapy, art therapy, emotion regulation therapy and PTSD counseling. All of these services are conveniently offered right on campus in the Halle Healing Center and the Williams Eye Care Center. At no cost to the survivors, all of the therapeutic and medical services are provided by Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Dignity Health, Life Health and Wellness and Williams Eye Care.

Safe and Secure Housing

For human trafficking survivors the first step is always safe and secure housing. We provide safe housing to 41 young women (plus up to 12 babies) and 12 young male survivors in luxury suite apartments that we call the Dream Rooms. We’ve found that esthetically beautiful space for survivors to live in helps build trust and helps them want to stay. The Dream Rooms also help them feel valued and increases their long term success after the program. Additionally a 24-hour trauma informed security team facilitates a camera and security system to provide for the safety of all of the survivors.

Spiritual Nurture

We’ve found that faith plays a large role in the lives of many of our survivors as they try to process the past abuse and as they work through their healing; physically, emotionally and spiritually. While our faith based services are not required of the survivors in our program, most survivors do participate in Church services and bible studies and have expressed that they experience deep healing by doing so. The campus offers licensed pastoral nurture care as well as chaplain services that are specially equipped to help meet the spiritual needs of human trafficking survivors.

Advancing Education

We believe education is key to our care model and we’re proud to have a fully accredited high school right on our campus. Survivors can get their high school diploma and get college preparatory classes right on campus. We additionally work with local colleges like Grand Canyon University, Arizona State University, Carrington College, Art Institute, Argosy University and Brookline College for scholarships.

Success Rate

We’re proud to report that our 2019 Quality Assurance Report showed that program graduates had a 94% Success Rate that held for at least one year after they completed the program. We measure 15 variables in 3 key areas of life to determine our success rate. This rate came by way of a 62% program completion rate, a 25% transfer to higher level of care rate, and a 13% drop out / relapse rate.

A Survivor Shares Her Recovery Story

Recovered by a police raid and brought to the Phoenix Dream Center for healing.

Get this info and more in this FREE Human Trafficking Family Safety Guide

PDCGreenCheckA

Top 10 Warning Signs For Every Parent

PDCGreenCheckA

The 26 Key Safety Tips For Children and Parents

PDCGreenCheckA

Created By Survivors Of Sex Trafficking To Help In Prevention

PDCGreenCheckA

Proven Strategies For Parents To Start A Conversation With Their Kids

Frontline Follows A 16-year-old Through A Recovery Operation

The story of a 16 year old survivor from recovery to restoration at the Phoenix Dream Center.

A compilation of over 100 volunteer and donor insights featuring 42 human trafficking organizations

Gift Catalog

You can support key areas of a girl’s recovery out of human trafficking. Go to our Gift Catalog Page and shop for items that support survivors in their healing. 

Shop Amazon

Check out our wish-list on Amazon where you can purchase and have them deliver it right to survivors in our program.

Remodel A Room

You can give a gift today to the room renovation fund that is helping 4 more survivors get recovered. Help remodel a room to help 4 more survivors get recovered.

Join Us At The Stop Traffic Walk To End Human Trafficking

The Stop Traffic Walk raises funds for the nations largest human trafficking effort through the Phoenix Dream Center, StreetLightUSA and Short Creek Dream Center.