We work with survivors of sex trafficking as well as work to bring awareness to the community.  We have a private home where we offer a safe place and healing to survivors. We have a Task Force in the Eugene/Springfield area. We speak at churches, the University of Oregon, service groups, and most any place we are invited to speak.

Not yet; we currently have a safe home for survivors. But our long-term dream is to have an actual ranch in the country, where young women can enjoy the healing effects of nature, including equine therapy.

Houses where girls are kept for prostitution are often called “ranches” or “stables.” We are turning that terminology on its head, creating instead a safe, loving home for girls in recovery that is characterized by hope instead of degradation and despair.

It’s also known as forced prostitution. The federal definition of trafficking, from the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, is when a person has exchanged a sex act for a good, service, or money, and there was an instance of force, fraud, or coercion as the initial motivation. Though the common conception of trafficking involves physical coercion, deceit and emotional manipulation are common ways in which girls are forced into prostitution.

Yes. Emphatically, yes. In 2011, Sgt. Curtis Newell estimated that hundreds of girls and women from Lane County--"too many to count"--are trafficked annually. Mick Fennerty, a local FBI agent, tells us that he has one new case of underage trafficking each week. A parole officer in Lane County says that half of her clients have been trafficked here in the Eugene-Springfield area. See our Facebook page for news stories.

We are on the I5 corridor, which is a trafficking route. It runs from Vancouver, Canada down to Mexico and includes Hawaii and Las Vegas. Trafficking is also fueled by pornography and drugs. If there were no demand, there would be no trafficking. We need to deal with this at the root level as well as providing help for those rescued.

Usually through a network of people, but they also find us. Jes Richardson, a survivor has said, “We are everywhere,” and they are. After meetings, individuals will often approach Diana and tell her that they or a family member were trafficked.

We believe that the vast majority of those who end up being trafficked have had their sense of self-worth damaged early on, often by sexual abuse. Abusive relationships, drug addiction, poverty, and manipulation can all put women in a position that makes prostitution feel like the only option. We are seeing an alarming increase in cases of human trafficking, and they don’t necessarily begin with runaways or forcible kidnapping.

So many ways, on so many levels. One of the biggest tasks is to dispel the myths that surround human trafficking. You can educate yourself, raise awareness, and learn how to protect the vulnerable people in your life. To join with Hope Ranch, pray for us, attend a training, or share your skills or resources.

By donations from our community. We have been a nonprofit organization since 2011.

We welcome you to get involved! Please come join us, with the awareness that many key people in the organization strive to live actively, openly, and humbly by their Christian faith. For example, we value prayer and want this organization to adhere to faith-based principles. But we know that hope, help, and healing are not limited by beliefs or where you go on a Sunday morning.