Fresh Start on the Farms

ReHope helps restore survivors of human trafficking

Just beyond the garden, chickens are roaming free while the goats are waiting for their next milking. Inside the nearest building, the hum of sewing machines is louder than the rooster outside. Women are hovering over their work with great concentration and hushed conversations. The air smells of their homemade soap. Across the room, another group of ladies encircle a table, working on a mosaic one of them designed. This is not your average farm.

“It all began in 2015, when we opened ReHope, formerly known as Restoration House of Greater Kansas City, as a safe house for women survivors of human trafficking,” explains Roxie Loyd, chief program officer of ReHope. “We started out with two small houses on 7 acres, with the capacity to house five participants. We outgrew that the day we moved in.”

They expanded to their 17-acre farm near Harrisonville in 2019 and now host 17 participants, with plans for many more. Their current facilities include two large houses, a healing arts work building and a beautiful garden. “Our three-year program is dedicated to helping heal and restore victims, to provide open, safe spaces and wraparound services such as therapy, alcohol and drug treatment, and mental health care,” Roxie says. “And we provide everything for them with no cost to the participant.”

ReHope takes women from across the nation, as well as Canada and Mexico. They primarily house women 17 years or older, but they also oversee a campus for children, called ReHope Youth, on a different property.

“We need to break the myth that trafficking looks like a white van or the movie ‘Taken’ — because it doesn’t,” Roxie says. “It’s on your phone. Your children have access to it. Teaching them early about safety and the internet is really important.”

Roxie was a survivor herself. After starting her career with Veronica’s Voice — a survivor-recovery program in Kansas City — Roxie later became a certified alcohol and drug counselor. “From there, I joined ReHope to share all God has done in my life,” she says.

 As a full-time employee, Roxie stays on-site in an apartment during the week, going home only on weekends. “When someone comes to us, for the first three months or so we’re doing their health care and well-women visits, taking care of any medical needs and setting up their therapy,” she says. “After three months, they get their phone privileges and can leave the property with healthy people. Of course, we help them determine their boundaries and who their safe contacts are. Unfortunately, sometimes family is not healthy and is often involved in how trafficking begins.”

The girls don’t always stay. “Sometimes it takes up to seven times for someone to complete the program,” Roxie says. “There’s often tough ties that tug them back in, be it addiction, mental health or many other reasons that pull them into their old situations and they go back to what they know.”

But the committed team at ReHope refuses to give up on their mission. “We’re a support system for life, as long as they want it, even after they’ve finished the program,” she says.

There aren’t many programs across the country that offer ReHope’s holistic and ongoing approach, says Judy Sifuentes. She would know; she was a participant for two and half years and has worked at ReHope for the last three years as their operations and social enterprises manager.

“Long-term programs are hard to find,” Judy says. “I’ve been to a few short-term programs throughout Missouri and there’s nothing like this. Most of them are 30 to 45 days and have a ridiculously high turnover rate, plus they are costly. Here at ReHope we’re rent-free and don’t charge for our services, so that allows the girls to save up their money for a new start.”

At ReHope, participants receive so much more than just a safe space. They provide everything from access to medical services to anger management courses to trauma treatment to spirituality groups. “The girls will typically take a class or two in the mornings and the second part of their day is open to either gardening, tending the animals or anything related to healing arts and life skills,” Roxie says.

The ReHope campus has an entire building dedicated to teaching the women new trades. “We make everything from soy candles to cold-processed soaps to stainless steel tumblers,” Roxie says. “Every Tuesday, some wonderful women from a nearby church give one-on-one sewing classes. We also have an Italian chef who comes in and teaches the girls how to cook.”

The women may also look for a job after they’ve reached certain milestones and goals for themselves, usually after four or five months. “The whole time they’re here, they’re saving 70% of what they make,” Roxie says. “And all the survivor-made stuff is sold on our website and the proceeds go entirely back into services for them.”

ReHope is supported by donations, for everything from clothing to hygiene products to utilities. Their biggest fundraiser is their annual gala, where they host a silent auction, accompanied with a dinner and notable speakers. They have also done an “Over the Edge” fundraising event, where individuals either pay or get sponsored to rappel 150 feet off the side of the Overland Park Marriott.

“Somebody invited us to the first gala and I knew instantly I wanted to help,” recalls Cindy McCloud, a ReHope volunteer. “Working in this ministry, I soon realized and learned to recognize signs of trauma and trafficking can be in your own close families. I thought I was here to help them when in reality ReHope has helped me.”

Cindy, who has volunteered for the past 10 years, started out cleaning houses for them, but that soon turned into overnight mentoring.

“I come every other week and basically hang out with the girls. We make dessert or we’ll watch a movie. I’m available if anyone wants to talk,” she says. “I’ve seen with my own eyes what a little bit of love can do to change the lives of others. We’re all the same. We can’t always change our circumstances, but we can change our hearts.”

Like Cindy, many people donate their time to ReHope, and their contributions make a huge impact on the participants. “We couldn’t do what we do without volunteers,” Roxie says. “They are literally the backbone to what we do, and we have 24/7 coverage because of them.” Some volunteers are overnight mentors, while others drive the girls to their appointments or provide maintenance.

ReHope recently acquired Veronica’s Voice, which will be their new crisis stabilization service. “If we took someone straight off the streets, they need some time to get stable before coming here,” Roxie explains. “This prephase housing will prepare them for eventually transferring to our program or another program if we’re full.”

ReHope is also actively expanding their farm. “We are excited to be building tiny homes. We have funds raised for infrastructure for 20 units, a community center and the first 10 tiny homes.” In the past, ReHope couldn’t house women with children because it didn’t have the room for them. The tiny homes, with their one, two and three bedrooms, will change that. They’ll be able to house 32 individuals once the homes are completed.

“My favorite part about this program is watching the girls rebuild their lives,” Judy says. “I was sexually exploited at the age of 8, but wasn’t trafficked until I was 28. I became homeless, actively addicted and was sold from person to person until I was rescued and came to live at ReHope. I am coming up on four years of sobriety and living the best life I could imagine. Without ReHope, I would have never been able to achieve these things. This program is more than just a program. It is a new chapter to a whole new life.” 

To learn more about ReHope, visit www.rehope.org or contact Roxie Loyd at roxie@rehope.org or 816-793-0500.

Kaiser is a freelance writer from Hartville.