Tricia MacFarlan, second from left, co-founder and executive director of Mirror Ministries, stands with staff members outside the nonprofit's new Esther's Home facility for survivors of sex trafficking.
Photo by Sara SchillingA ‘haven of hope and restoration’ set to open in Franklin County
It’s a warm, inviting home with comfy chairs and couches and a large kitchen. The bedrooms are carefully and thoughtfully decorated.
The art hanging on the walls is peaceful and encouraging.
Outside, there are plants and flowers, plus cats and horses.
There are places to exercise, to read and to study. There’s space to gather together as a group, and also spots for solitude and reflection.
It feels apart from the hustle and bustle. It feels safe and tranquil.
If a single word could sum it all up, it might be this one: healing.
That’s exactly the idea. The nonprofit Mirror Ministries is close to opening its long-planned Esther’s Home, which is billed as “a haven of hope and restoration” for young survivors of sex trafficking.
The home’s exact location isn’t public for safety reasons, but it’s in rural Franklin County. It’s been remodeled and is ready to go.
Esther’s Home, the first “restoration home” for underage survivors of sex trafficking in the state, is set to open in Franklin County this year. The home is pictured before renovation. (Courtesy of Mirror Ministries)
MacFarlan hopes that will be by year’
‘For these kids’
The home has been in the works for years.
It gained momentum when C3 Tri-Cities did a giving campaign for the project, which brought in $85,000, MacFarlan said. The Richland church then raised another $65,000 the following year, she said.
Mirror Ministries launched its own capital campaign in 2020 with the goal of raising $4 million to pay for a facility and the first few years of operation.
“We wanted to make sure we had enough to pay our staff and keep our doors open and never have to be knocking on doors saying, ‘Hey, we’re about to close.’ That’s not good for the girls. They’ve been through so much trauma already,” MacFarlan said, noting that the campaign was successful.
Mirror Ministries found the house and property that’s become Esther’s Home and made some modifications and renovations, with in-kind donations of materials and labor helping with the cost. The nonprofit secured the occupancy permit for the property about a year ago.
It then went to work furnishing the home and hiring staff.
“We probably were a staff of five when we started the capital campaign. We’re staff of 21 right now, and when fully staffed we’ll be about 30,” MacFarlan said in September, adding that 14 staff will be at Esther’s Home.
The home must have enough employees in place before it can be licensed by the state. MacFarlan said Mirror Ministries has been preparing for the licensure process and will be ready to go once hiring is done.
“The state is really excited for us to get open. They’re rooting for us ... they know how desperately we need something for these kids,” she said.
By the numbers
The U.S. Department of Justice calls child sex trafficking “a pervasive and underreported crime" – and one that’s hard to quantify, in part because trafficked children are at times advertised and presented as adults.
A study in 2013 estimated that more than 200 children were being trafficked in the Tri-Cities, MacFarlan said. At first, “we all thought was pretty crazy, (until) we got going and saw more and more and more and more people,” she said.
Mirror Ministries has the mission of helping domestic child sex trafficking survivors, but it also works with people of all ages who’ve been commercially sexually exploited, meaning they’ve been sexually abused for financial gain.
Esther’s Home will be open to girls in the community and beyond. It’s one of only a relatively small number of similar facilities in the country.
It has room for five girls, plus a kitchen, living space, vast outdoor space, a gym, horses and space for equine therapy, counseling offices and more.
The focus will be on restoration.
Tricia MacFarlan, far right left, co-founder and executive director of Mirror Ministries, stands with staff members inside the nonprofit's new Esther's Home facility for survivors of sex trafficking.
| Photo by Sara Schilling
Each girl will have her own room, with safety features – from controlled entry to alarm clocks with no cords and closets with no clothes rods – plus plenty of cozy touches, including colorful bedspreads and weighted stuffed animals.
On a wall near the bedroom is some framed art, created by staff, with messages such as, “God will keep his promises” and “Home sweet home.”
Eventually, “that’s where the girls’ artwork will go,” MacFarlan said. “They’ll each have their own frame.”
Symbol of hope
MacFarlan helped start Mirror Ministries about 15 years ago.
It grew out of a church ministry and initially focused on education and awareness, before adding community-based advocates to work with survivors, a 24/7 hotline and more. Last year, the nonprofits did assessments for 108 people, and “this year we’re over 78 at the moment,” MacFarlan said in mid-September. She described an assessment as “a step to freedom” for survivors, where the nonprofit assesses needs and how it can help.
MacFarlan said she’s excited that Esther’s Home is so close to opening after so many years of work. In the future, two more homes are planned at the site.
The facility is named for the Biblical heroine Esther, who’s become a symbol of hope for survivors of sex trafficking.
In the Bible telling, she was a Jewish girl in the Persian Empire, and “the king had banished his queen, so he needed a new queen. His dignitaries decided to gather up all the beautiful young girls in the kingdom and bring them in,” MacFarlan said, noting Esther was among them – whether she liked it or not.
The king fell in love with Esther, and she became queen. When the king was persuaded to kill the Jewish people, Esther risked her life to intervene.
“We see her as a young girl who started out in the same place as (a sex trafficking survivor). She not only got her own freedom, but actually was responsible for being part of saving the lives of hundreds of thousands of people – an entire nation,” MacFarlan said. “(She’s) a nice mentor to look at.”
MacFarlan’s vision is that Esther’s Home is empowering.
It will help young survivors find respite and experience peace while they work toward healing. And it will have ripple effects, MacFarlan said.
“God is faithful, and our community is extremely generous. We were able to help communicate that need, and they saw that need. Even though it’s only five girls at a time ... those five girls will impact generations to come,” she said. “It makes a world of difference.”