WACO, Texas (KXXV) — WATCH HERE:
Texas continues to report some of the highest numbers of human trafficking cases in the nation, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. A Waco nonprofit is working to address a critical gap in recovery resources by converting a building into safe, stable housing for survivors.
Lovely Village, founded in 2004 by Emily Mills and her husband Brett Mills, provides outreach groups and job training for survivors of sexual trauma, trafficking and exploitation. Over time, the organization identified a missing piece in the recovery puzzle.
"Really what we learned is living wages are great, but if you don't have a safe space to live, you can't sustain that living wage. So, residential is a huge gap, sustainable housing is a huge gap for women in recovery who have custody of their children," Emily said.
The organization broke ground on August 1 on a building that will house 4 residential units. Once construction is complete, applications for those units will open.
Emily described the program as a comprehensive, long-term commitment to healing.
"This two year residential program really incorporates holistic healing. So job training, mental health, physical health. There's structure to it, and we know that's a long term program. Two years is a long time for someone to commit to, but it's really what it takes to break that poverty cycle, and to really help with healing," Emily said.
Brett Mills, CEO of Lovely Village, said the path to breaking ground was longer than expected.
"We started this process in 2023. We were gifted the building, and the city simultaneously said we have these grant funds available and this would be a great fit for this project. That ended up becoming a three year process that we didn't know about nor them at that point," Brett said.
Brett said he hopes construction will wrap up within 9 to 12 months.
For Daphny Milligan, the organization's Community Care Coordinator, the mission is deeply personal.
"It's generationally important. My mom, she's long gone now, had her history, and then I had my touch of the streets, and substance use, and sexual trauma," Milligan said.
"It speaks to the need for generational healing," Milligan said.
Brett encouraged anyone who may benefit from the program to take the step forward.
"Chase your dream. If your dream is to find a better living situation, to change your occupation, to find your self worth, chase your dream, and so, apply," Brett said.
Lovely Village still has $360,000 left to raise to complete Phase 1 of construction. Any donation, no matter the size, can make a difference.
Visit https://www.lovelyvillage.org/ to donate.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
