“I’m Proof It Can Be Done” 

When Mia left home at 18, she was full of ambition and promise. An honors student from Milwaukee with a bright future, she had been accepted into college but couldn’t afford to attend after her parents’ divorce. “I was upset and just trying to figure out how to make it on my own,” Mia remembers. 

She moved into her first apartment, determined to support herself, but when her job fell through, she started looking for work anywhere she could. “I was scrolling Craigslist looking for work, like so many people did back then. I didn’t know I was walking into a trap.” 

What seemed like a simple job posting turned into forced labor and manipulation. Mia was taken from Wisconsin to Ohio, then Connecticut, by traffickers who controlled every part of her life. “They took my ID, my money, my freedom,” Mia says. “They made me feel like I couldn’t leave.” 

But Mia’s resilience ran deep. In the summer of 2014, she made her escape. “I got all my documents back by playing along, and when I had the chance, I ran,” she says.  

With sheer determination and the luck of a promo code she received for free Uber rides for new customers, she managed to get from Connecticut to New York City on July 4, 2014. “I just kept hitting that free ride button until I made it,” she laughs. “It’s wild to think about now, but I was free.” 

A Stranger’s Advice and a Second Chance 

Once in New York, Mia was still in survival mode, relying on sex work to pay for food and a place to stay. Over time, she found herself attached to a regular client, a “john” who, unexpectedly, offered her a turning point. 

“I wanted to stay with him, but he looked at me and said, ‘You can’t stay here,’” Mia recalls. “He told me about Covenant House, said they help girls like me. It wasn’t the advice I expected, but it changed everything.” 

By September, Mia found her way to Covenant House. She still remembers that first day. “I was terrified, but Miss Grace, one of the staff, was so kind. She calmed me down and told me how I could qualify for specialized housing for trafficking survivors. She gave me hope when I had none left.” 

At Covenant House, Mia found what she needed most: safety, a bed, and people who believed in her. She accessed counseling, job training, and educational resources. Within eight months, she was in supportive housing and later transitioned to her own apartment through Rapid Rehousing. 

Turning Pain into Power 

Today, Mia is thriving. She’s a lab assistant at a Bronx hospital, working with immigrants and low-income patients, and is pursuing her degree to become a clinical laboratory scientist. “I want to impact people’s health and help my community,” she says. “I’ve found my purpose. I’ve turned my pain into power,” Mia says.  

Mia also continues to mentor young women who are navigating the same challenges she once faced. “They see my progress and feel encouraged,” she says. “We’re growing together.” 

The Work of Covenant House in Anti-Trafficking 

Mia’s story underscores why Covenant House invests so deeply in the fight against human trafficking. Across our federation, we provide safe shelter, survivor-centered support, legal advocacy, and trauma-informed care for youth escaping trafficking and exploitation. 

About 1 in 5 of Covenant House residents in the U.S. and Canada are trafficking survivors, and, in Latin America more than 1 in 2 of our young people are survivors. For many young people, like Mia, we are the first place where they feel safe enough to rebuild their lives. The first place where people believe them, and believe in them. 

“I tell young people, if someone says it’s easy, they’re lying,” Mia says. “It’s hard. But with the right support, it’s possible. I’m proof of that.”  

July 30 Marks World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 

• Around the globe, some 27 million people are exploited for labor and commercial sex, according to the U.S. Department of State’s 2024 Trafficking in Persons report.
• Increasingly, traffickers use digital platforms to recruit, groom, defraud, coerce, and exploit victims.
• At Covenant House, 1 in 5 of our U.S. and Canadian residents have experienced trafficking and more than 1 in 2 of our Latin American residents are survivors.
• Learn what you can do to help trafficked youth and survivors.