The Purpose Behind Hotel Outreach
Every two weeks, rain or shine, the case management team at Cry Freedom Missions visits individuals living in hotels around North Carolina who may be at risk for human trafficking or in need of vital resources. The team is led by Ashley Dixon, a law enforcement veteran of 17 years.
“When I first started here, I had to have a heart change. Being in law enforcement hardened my heart to where I would see things on the street and they no longer bothered me,” said Ashley. “The longer I worked here and interacted with more people, my heart began to soften. The most important thing to me is building relationships in the community. It’s all about connection.”
Hotel outreach allows the team to make these connections and build relationships with individuals in need.
Why Hotels?
A variety of circumstances would lead an individual to seek temporary or long-term refuge in a hotel, from financial constraints to unexpected life circumstances. The hotels that our team visits tend to have a history of prostitution and drug deals. While some individuals are seeking refuge, it can instead put them in harm’s way of drug addiction and human trafficking. Sometimes if an individual is being trafficked, they don’t have a choice over where they reside.
We are looking for trafficked individuals and pregnant women in need of prenatal care and resources.
What Do We Provide?
Through our interactions, we learn what the critical need is of the person we are talking to. We provide:
Toiletry items
Diapers and wipes
Non-perishable food
Water
Blankets
Socks
24-hour hotline number
If the woman is pregnant, she has the option of going to Wayne Pregnancy Center for a free pregnancy test, ultrasound, and other resources.
Meeting The Needs First
The longest recorded conversation in the Bible is in John 4 when Jesus is speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well.
It was the heat of the day. She was thirsty. She was ostracized by the community and felt like she had no worth or value. Jesus saw her needs and said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:13).
Before the heart issue was even approached, Jesus met her with love, affirmation, and words of encouragement.
That is why it is critical when we are doing hotel outreach that we first meet the needs of the individual, whether they need prenatal care or simply a cold bottle of water. That first interaction allows us to remind them of their worth as a human being and begin to establish trust.
It typically takes seven positive interactions for trafficked individuals to make an attempt to leave their situation. Our hotel outreach allows us to have these positive interactions, and overtime, hopefully we can walk alongside these wonderful people on their journey to freedom from trafficking and addiction.
How You Can Help!
Wayne Pregnancy Center accepts donations! You can drop off any new or gently-used baby items at 3501 East Ash St. Goldsboro, NC 27534 or purchase a needed item from our Amazon wishlist.
You can also support our mission by financially partnering with us at Cry Freedom Missions. We are incredibly grateful for each and every gift! We could not do what we do if it weren’t for the help of our community and partners.
Call Our Hotline
If you or someone you know is being exploited, call our 24-hour hotline at 919-988-9262. You don’t have to be in North Carolina to call!