Michelle escaped a dangerous human trafficking network... and found Covenant House.
Michelle’s Story
At 15, Michelle had already experienced a life filled with unthinkable pain when she decided to run away from her grandmother’s home for the last time. She hopped a bus out of town, hoping to find a new life and the opportunity to start over.
Instead, when she arrived in the big city, she found hunger, fear, and a pimp who forced her into a life of prostitution.
Working hard just to barely survive, she needed to find another way...
Escaping the Dangers of Street Life
Like many of our young people, Michelle is a good kid who had a rough start in life. When she was small, her father was killed during a drug deal gone bad, and her mom turned to drugs to cope with the loss. Because her mother wasn’t able to care for Michelle and her siblings, they were sent to live with their grandmother.
Michelle’s relationship with her grandmother was explosive, and to make matters worse, her grandmother’s boyfriend sexually and physically abused her. She tried to escape the abuse by running away, but with nowhere else to turn, she was always forced to return to her grandmother’s house.
This unhealthy pattern continued for several years until finally Michelle couldn’t take it anymore. She left home for good, determined to be freed from the constant pain she endured in her grandmother’s home.
She traveled out of state to the big city, optimistic that she’d be able to start a new life. On the bus one afternoon, a nice-looking, well-dressed man – Lavon – took notice of Michelle and began to chat with her. She enjoyed the conversation and felt comfortable with him so agreed to meet him again. It seemed she had made a new friend.
But she soon learned the sad reality – Lavon was no trusting friend. He was a pimp, and he wound up forcing Michelle into prostitution, expecting her to make at least $2,000 a night, or be beaten.
Michelle was not only a victim of an abusive family life and teen homelessness – now she was also caught in a dangerous human trafficking network.
Despite the horrible experiences she’d faced both at home and on the streets, Michelle’s spirit didn’t fade and her hopes were not destroyed. Somehow, she was able to gather the strength to escape from Lavon and find safety at Covenant House.
The staff at Covenant House met Michelle with warm and loving arms. Here, she immediately found a bed and blanket and healthy meals, and began receiving healthcare and counseling to help her heal from the horrible ordeals she had been through.
All across America, there are thousands of homeless kids who are vulnerable to the many serious dangers of street life – girls who have been abused and are being lured into joining gangs or trapped by human traffickers.
The names and faces of some of our kids have been changed to protect their identities.