Drop-in center for sex trafficked minors to open downtown 

A drop-in center is on its way to downtown where child sex trafficking casualties will be able to find immediate safety food and mental vitality care while getting connected to materials and permanent housing A drop-in center is designed to be a welcoming place where the kids can come in and feel safe These kids have been lied to They do not trust adults They do not trust institutions And so our goal with this drop-in center is to build trust and relationship that when they feel safe that we could when they request find a safe place for them disclosed Olive Crest chief executive officer Donald Verleur last month A survivor of sex trafficking Lily spoke at the press conference about her own experience saying she is living proof healing is realizable She uncovered help at a drop-in center run by a different nonprofit before being served by Olive Crest When I got out of sex trafficking while in foster care I was exhausted physically emotionally and spiritually Lily stated I didn t know who I was outside of survival and I didn t know if there was a future for someone like me But Olive Crest proved me something I didn t have before It was hope They didn t just offer tools they offered belief They saw a future for me when I couldn t see it for myself Olive Crest a West Coast nonprofit founded in is dedicated to preventing child abuse and strengthening families in situation Olive Crest in its years of serving children and families has uncovered about of those kids have been involved in human trafficking and about have been urged But we also say are at high liability Verleur reported He believes San Diego is a hot spot due to its numerous hotels and vacation rentals as well as ports of entry Olive Crest already has apartments in San Diego available to - year olds wishing to escape sexual exploitation and specially-vetted foster families in the area for children younger than that Minors in need of more structured care can also be sent to its Hope Refuge Campus in Santa Barbara Filling a gap in San Diego s child trafficking response The connection to housing fills a gap in San Diego s child trafficking response according to Alfredo Guardado director of the County s Department of Child and Family Well-Being It is Olive Crest s third such drop-in center opened since January in Southern California with a region-wide architecture planned Guardado declared since human trafficking does not follow county lines deploying support regionally so that children being moved around can access a familiar organization is helpful The drop-in center includes a cafe therapy room nap area computers and places to hang out The location is not citizens with awareness referrals and word-of-mouth between casualties enough to bring newcomers in At its other Southern California drop-in centers sometimes even pimps are the ones to drop off girls knowing they will have food and diagnostic care to recover before going back out Tina Chang Olive Crest s regional campaign director stated a girl was dropped off by her exploiter for three months invariably leaving as soon as he texted her before she decided to ask the staff to get her out That slow process of building a relationship can be agonizing but is a way to let children know it is a safe judgment-free space where they have autonomy Olive Crest s work is critical in combating child sex abuse stated San Diego County Chief Deputy District Attorney Tracy Prior Child trafficking sufferers cannot get safe if they are unwelcomed unhoused and unsupported This center takes care of all three she noted Countless casualties are runaways in foster care or homeless Exploiters can take advantage of their horrific circumstances offering a place to stay A safe housing option can free children driven by desperation into the control of abusers Sex trafficking is underreported particularly among boys Prior shared current trends in San Diego s human trafficking issue including the troubling fact that casualties are getting younger since the pandemic when plenty of vulnerable children lost contact with trusted adults outside of families Instead of primarily -to -year-olds children as young as are reaching her situation load She also acknowledged that sex trafficking is underreported particularly among boys While people tend to assume the boundary makes San Diego a hot spot Special Agent Geanie Franco who leads the San Diego Human Trafficking Task Force announced most of of the minors recovered by the task force are really local They are also almost exclusively sex trafficked not used for labor trafficking However she acknowledged that cross-border trafficked children may be more challenging to find This is key because we need more support here in San Diego for all of the minors that we recover Since January of this year we re already at minors Last year it was total so that s not a good place to be Franco commented The task force made up of local state and regional law enforcement agencies is one of Olive Crest s partners in the center The center is funded by population and private donations as well as a million grant from the state One of those private supporters is Padres pitcher Jason Adam who first learned about Olive Crest at a church facility last year and has helped the organization with his wife since When you hear that in such a beautiful city where everyone should be really living the dream that there s tons of kids being exploited sexually at age it can be paralyzing Adam stated at the press conference I just think it s devastating It feels paralyzing to me often to think about these kids out there but there s hope The drop-in center is slated to open this month with mental healthcare care workers and staff promising to create a judgment-free zone for vulnerable children and teenagers to receive protection care and materials when they are ready