Mission Statement
In Alabama, there are approximately 10,000 victims of sex trafficking each year. Of the 10,000, 57% are children, and the average age of child sex trafficking victims is 11-14 years old. These astounding numbers result in over $110 million being spent on purchasing sex in the Greater Birmingham area. Blanket Fort Hope is a group of modern-day abolitionists who serve and give a voice to the most vulnerable members in Alabama, children, through education, advocacy, and the building of a safe haven for Alabama’s child victims of sex trafficking. Since getting started in 2015, we have assisted law enforcement on child sex trafficking cases, spoken to the Alabama State Legislature on House Bills, conducted educational training for churches, governmental officials, schools, and legal and healthcare professionals, and we started The Foster Care Initiative, which is a training program for foster parents who welcome child sex trafficking victims into their homes. While The Foster Care Initiative has helped, we believe God is leading us to open Alabama’s first and only Crisis Center for child victims of sex trafficking, and you can join us in this work through prayer and financial giving.
Goals
- Education
- We provide educational training for churches, community members, legal and healthcare professionals, professionals who work with children, and foster parents.
- Advocacy
- Through advocacy, we give a voice to the voiceless. We have and will continue to speak to the Alabama State Legislature, and we partner with the mandated Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force. We also work on law and policy issues related to human trafficking.
- Crisis Center
- Our organization is unique because it is dedicated solely to caring for child trafficking victims, with the average age being 11-14 years of age, with the goal of offering these children restoration, healing and the opportunity to thrive through a crisis home over the next twelve months and long-term over the next three-five years.
Core Values
- The mainstay of integrity, the hedge of accountability, and the foundation of Jesus Christ constitute the structure of this organization.
- Respect for the communities we work alongside and service is paramount.
- Responsible stewardship of donations and resources is fundamental—transparency is the backbone of this core value.
- Children and people are a priority.
- Prayer—we fully believe in the power of prayer, and thus, we designate three prayer times throughout the day (before we begin work, mid-day, and before we end the workday).
Impact
Blanket Fort Hope serves the state of Alabama through its main programs, which are assisting child trafficking victims, providing human trafficking prevention, education, and advocacy.
- We sit on the mandated Alabama Human Trafficking Task Force, allowing us to effectively partner with agencies statewide and advocate for new laws and policy.
- Trained over 3,000 professionals and children in order to keep them safe from human trafficking.
- Assisted in over 25 child trafficking cases.
- The Foster Care Initiative education program was approved by the State of Alabama to offer four CEU’s to Alabama social workers.
- We have partnered with Kings Home.
- DHR in Jefferson, Shelby, and St. Clair Counties have partnered with us on the Foster Care Initiative.
- Sixty foster families and social workers have been trained to date.
- Four new House Bills combating human trafficking were introduced in 2019, three bills were passed and the fourth is in legislation.
Invitation
In Alabama, Blanket Fort Hope is the first and only agency specifically with the goal of providing a safe place for child victims of human trafficking. We acknowledge that the Gospel is foundational to the restoration of these children. Given this, we see it as a great opportunity to partner with the church and like-minded individuals to build a Gospel-centered safe haven where children thrive. We can accomplish this work if you join us in prayer, giving, volunteering, and sharing.