STOPPING HUMAN TRAFFICKING OF GIRLS
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
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
- Over 2,300 young survivors recovered since 2008
- 30,000 square foot of space for healing care
- 16 safe beds for boys and young men
- 41 safe beds for girls and young women52
- 150 sex trafficking survivors served each year
- $46K per year per survivor in healing costs
- 15 Years passing legislation to help victims
- Onsite medical center to address survivor needs
- Onsite chapel is offered for spiritual nurture
- Onsite behavioral health care healing services
- Onsite trauma informed high school
- Onsite physical wellness and wholeness center
- Onsite eye care and dental care clinics
- Onsite career training and job placement program
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
Top 10 Warning Signs For Every Parent
The 26 Key Safety Tips For Children and Parents
Created By Survivors Of Sex Trafficking To Help In Prevention
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.