Our Lenten Outreach
Latisha’s House is dedicated to giving women who are vulnerable to exploitation or trapped in the sex industry a new beginning and a safe place to call home. With 24-7 trauma informed care and supportive services, our first residence in Hampton Roads, Virginia opened in 2014. Our second residence in Central Florida opened in 2019.
Mission
To provide a long-term safe house for adult female victims of sex trafficking and offer individualized support to empower them to build a bridge from their traumatic past to a positive future.
Vision
To be a nationally recognized organization that saves lives through the establishment of safe houses for victims of sex trafficking.
Why Get Involved?
These young women are “the girl next door”, the new kid at school, and the teenager buying candy at the 7 /11 while you pump gas. They are overwhelmingly from our backyards.
In Florida, young women are trafficked from Jacksonville to Miami. They are coerced into prostitution by boyfriends, family members, and strangers. Florida is ranked 3rd in the nation for human trafficking cases.
Latisha’s House Florida answers the need for long-term trauma-informed services for adult survivors of human trafficking with safe housing and wrap around services including financial literacy, vocational training, education opportunities, and medical/dental/ mental health and substance abuse help.
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Latisha’s House in Central Florida
The local Latisha’s House serves all of Central Florida including survivors from Seminole County. Survivors live on the local Latisha’s House campus for an average of 18 to 24 months at no cost to them.
“The mental bondage and manipulation many survivors have had to deal with for years makes it tough to go from being forcefully dependent on someone to independent living,” explains Stephanie O’Connor, the Director of Development and Outreach for Latisha’s House Florida. “The reality is that, like victims of domestic violence, a survivor may go back multiple times before the final straw. We do our best to help connect these women to the services they need and be the last stop for them, once and for all.”
Latisha’s House establishes survivors with local physicians, dentists, and therapists and focuses on financial education, vocational guidance, and skills training. The Latisha’s House team also provides support for women who are yearning to reconnect with their families and children. The faith-led organization follows Christian principles but accepts anyone regardless of their spiritual beliefs.
“It all depends on the needs of the woman we’re working with,” Stephanie says. “If she wants to get back to school, we help by finding local scholarships or financial support – whatever will get them one step closer to seeing a better long-term future. The reality is that we are getting more calls than we have the services and capacity for. We can’t do this alone, which is why we love partnering with organizations, even those doing something similar to us. If they have a bed for a survivor, we take it. If they have a good medical provider, we need it. This is a big community effort!”