MONARCH WINGS MINISTRIES
Mission Statement
The mission of Monarch Wings-Hope Against Trafficking is to provide a holistic program including a safe house to help female survivors of human trafficking rebuild, restore and transform their lives. We are a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization working for the last 3 years to answer the call for safe housing and restorative support for adult female survivors of trafficking in Southeast Michigan to have hope for their future. We are preparing to launch Magdalene Detroit, the first program of its kind in Southeast Michigan. Magdalene Detroit is a 2-year residential program that provides rent-free housing and comprehensive services focused on the physical, mental and economic transformation needs of female survivors of trafficking so they become empowered to thrive once again.
About This Cause
Our Objectives The objectives of Monarch Wings-Hope Against Trafficking are to offer a safe place paired with a comprehensive program for adult survivors of human trafficking to recover, heal and thrive. Monarch Wings-Hope Against Trafficking is centered around a trauma informed, victim-centered approach that allows for individualized plans that offers the victims of human trafficking the opportunity to make informed decisions about the support they need to work through the impact of the crime and help them work toward identifying and achieving their personal goals. Grounded in universal values of compassion, hospitality and community living, women come directly to Magdalene Detroit from the street or incarceration, and are given a key to the home they will live in and are told that for the next two-years, they will be a part of a community that will freely and lovingly support their recovery. Our Program This program, in collaboration with community stakeholders, will address each of the medical, counseling, legal advocacy, educational, and vocational needs of female trafficking survivors. There is no other program like this in southeast Michigan. As such, Hope Against Trafficking is committed to establishing this program with the following objectives that will help to empower women: o Respond to the physical, emotional and psychological needs of adult female human trafficking victims o Provide assistance to help stabilize their lives after trafficking through counseling, case management, support systems, temporary free housing, workshops and employment opportunities o Move survivors towards independent living through education, job skill development, life skills coaching, goal setting and budget development, and a matching savings program o Educate survivors of their legal rights within the criminal justice system through advocacy, referrals and accompaniment to relevant services o Create awareness and training in the surrounding communities to inform the public about how to identify trafficking victims and how they can best support the survivor’s spectrum of needs as volunteers o Develop and support an advocacy platform at the local and national levels reflecting the challenges and best practices in combating female human trafficking to support the development and implementation of related practices and policies With the victim in the center of this kind of holistic approach to restoration, each of the priorities of this project will be met. The goals of counseling allow women to have more ways to plan for their safety; to increase knowledge of community resources they might need in the future; and to feel less isolated. Legal advocacy allows the women to understand their rights as crime victims; to have increased knowledge on a range of legal options; and to understand their role in the court process. Inter-agency collaboration meets the specific mental, physical, emotional, and skills needs of each victim, thus restoring a measure of safety and security as they move toward increasing healing and independence. The success of Magdalene Detroit is underpinned by the recent acquisition of our first home. Our program is based on the success of our sister program, Magdalene/Thistle Farms Nashville, which has achieved a remarkable 84% success rate in transforming the lives of survivors into self-sufficient individuals with hope for their future, as well as establishing successful social enterprises that have empowered/equipped women with key job or vocational skills. These social enterprises created will provide a solution to the multiple barriers to employment faced by Magdalene residents. Women at Magdalene Detroit will obtain paid vocational training and job placement, full and part-time management level employment, and asset building for economic independence through the savings program. The program will move these victims out of poverty and contributes to ongoing individual recovery through financial stability, and provides a sense of accomplishment and purpose. We seek to empower women by providing a victim-centered and trauma-informed approach that catalyzes their journey towards increased autonomy and self-sufficiency, and increased feelings of safety and well-being: o Providing a 24 month, rent-free, home environment based on a community-living model o Helping residents live honest, positive, and self-sufficient lives o Providing a supportive environment that decreases their dependence on drugs and alcohol o Providing educational and paid vocational opportunities o Fostering self-understanding through personal and spiritual growth o Offering the time and support needed to recover from abuse and to fully understand the role it plays in trafficking, prostitution and addiction o Providing a matched savings program for income and asset development o Offering opportunities to work towards economic self-sufficiency at a café and/or social enterprise established by Monarch Wings-Hope Against Trafficking Implementation Each home will house a capacity of 5-6 adult female human trafficking victims providing them a free 2-year holistic program allowing them to begin to restore their lives. In our first year, we expect to provide advocacy services to an additional 50-100 women that hear about the program. Through strengthening and building our stakeholder relationships and collaborative efforts, increasing awareness and improving advocacy against human trafficking, Monarch Wings-Hope Against Trafficking is confident that it will be assisting an increasing number of human trafficking victims. With the anticipated success of the first home, we will seek additional home(s) to purchase in order to accommodate those on a waiting list. Monarch Wings-Hope Against Trafficking is committed to providing this supportive environment by collaborating with other service providers to leverage community investments and to equip women with the mental and physical support needed to overcome their past and secure a future that is filled with hope and promise. We believe that together we can bring HOPE against trafficking, HOPE for stronger communities, and HOPE for restoration! Join us in our cause to fight hopelessness and bring HOPE back to the lives of these women!