A nonprofit organization, combating sex trafficking of girls, announced the purchase of a confidential residence for sex trafficking victims on Wednesday.

OneVoiceHome purchased land formerly owned by Cal Farley, who ran Girlstown, U.S.A, a home for abused and neglected girls.

“This property, since the late 1940s, has always been designated as a place for abused and neglected girls, and OneVoiceHome gets to carry that mission forward,” said Laura Pratt, executive director of OneVoiceHome.

The campus will be a home for victims to adjust to a normal life, Pratt said.

“Our No. 1 priority, because it’s something these girls have never experienced in their entire lives, is safety and security,” said Pratt. “It involves things like equine therapy and simply being outside or being active or developing a healthy lifestyle. The needs for each girl is going to be vastly different. and we hope to develop a program that is going to cater to that.”

Without campuses like this, many victims reside in juvenile detention centers to stay safe from their traffickers, said Leslie Timmons, primary prevention director for Voice of Hope.

“When they’re in a juvenile detention center, it is jail. They are treated like prisoners/ They wear uniforms, they’re booked in, as opposed to a therapeutic residential center, where they’ll have more freedom and homelike atmosphere,” she said.

The campus features a pool, tennis courts, gymnasium, private residences and chapel, among other amenities for these minors to utilize as they settle into their new life.

“Their brains and body are not in the capacity to heal until you address all layers of that trauma, so this facility has the ability to address whatever the victim needs to process,” she said.

OneVoiceHome is working in collaboration with Voice of Hope, an organization that provides support to victims of sexual violence.

“There’s a huge need because nationwide there are very few beds and all of them are full on a regular basis. To have something here in the West Texas area is huge and it’ll be very helpful to provide a full range of services for youth that are involved in sex trafficking,” Timmons said.

In 2017 alone, Voice of Hope assisted with 68 sex trafficking cases, 16 of which involved minors, said Timmons. They identified another four victims so far this year.

“Most people don’t want to think it’s a problem on the South Plains, that we are immune to big city problems. But we have all the problems big cities have,” she said.

Pratt estimated it could take another 12 to 18 months before they welcome new residents. The organization needs more funding and community support to make the necessary renovations, she said.

They will have their Running to Rescue fundraiser on June 2 to raise funds toward renovating the campus. For more information or to donate, go to www.onevoicehome.org.