Have you heard about The Salvation Army’s Promise Program? NO! Well, you should know about it. It stands for Partnership to Rescue our Minors from Sexual Exploitation. It’s based right here in Chicago, IL, and is doing an awesome work.
In January of 2005, The Salvation Army’s PROMISE initiative (Partnership to Rescue our Minors from Sexual Exploitation) was launched in Chicago to combat sex trafficking of children. The model, developed by The Salvation Army, includes the formation of a task force which engages in initiatives that address the PROMISE provisions of awareness, prevention, intervention, and service delivery. Strategies for implementing the provisions are developed by members who represent the social service, education, legal, judicial, healthcare, law enforcement and other government sectors thus ensuring a comprehensive and holistic approach.
One of the newest additions to Promise is Anne’s House – Illinois’ first long term trauma based residential program for young women and girls who have been impacted by sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. This trauma based program will offer comprehensive services including, but not limited to, individual and group therapy, life skills training, support with academic and vocational goals, social and recreational activities and spiritual guidance.
Appropriate candidates for the program are females from the United States, without children in their custody, ages 12 to 21, who are actively being commercially sexually exploited (sex trafficked), are willing to voluntarily enter the program, and willing to abide by program rules and regulations. All program candidates must be psychiatrically stable and willing to achieve and maintain a drug and alcohol free lifestyle.
Since they are one of a few programs in the nation dedicated to serving this target population, they will be receiving referrals from US residents across the nation. They will accept referrals from government and non-government organizations. They do not accept international or foreign national referrals.
Anne’s House is dually licensed by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services as a group home and child welfare agency.
Here are a few pictures inside Anne’s House:
For more information on the Promise Program, visit their website at www.sapromise.org. You should also visit them on Facebook, and like their page. DO IT NOW!