We provide a safe, loving, home-like environment
for women who have been victimized by sexual exploitation and/or trafficking, and we equip them to begin their healing journey. Our trauma-informed staff and volunteers provide opportunities for growth in life skills, addiction recovery, counseling, wellness, and faith. We prepare the women to gain the most from the program by stabilizing the whole person physically, mentally, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
Beloved: Not Forgotten uses the Genesis Process as its primary programming, which includes an integration of Biblical concepts for personal change, proven relapse prevention techniques, cognitive therapy principles, and the latest neurochemistry research related to human behavior. New brain research shows how trauma (abuse and neglect) can distort who we are, what we believe, and how we act. The Genesis Process initiates lasting heart changes and helps heal the wounds that drive destructive behaviors through a one-on-one relapse prevention curriculum and a six-month small group experience (Dye, 2000).
While living in our home, women are also taught emotional regulation and life skills using evidence-based practices such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI).
Our History
Our founder, Dawnna Plummer, never intended to start a nonprofit organization….
But after living in Thailand and working with children rescued from sex trafficking, she began learning more about what human trafficking looked like in the United States. She realized that the need for sex trafficking aftercare services was as great here as it was in Thailand. In 2015, upon her return, she began to follow God’s leading. Soon after, Beloved was born. Plummer began educating people in our local community about sexual exploitation and trafficking and seeking guidance from organizations in the field.
In 2015, there were no homes for adult women in Indiana, and Plummer saw the need for a residential home in Indiana (According to the 2021 Human Trafficking Hotline, Indiana Statistics reported 176 victims of human trafficking, the majority being females (Polaris Project)). When it came to establishing the safe home, two organizations (Wings of Refuge in Iowa, and Selah Freedom in Florida) reached out to offer guidance. Following their direction, Beloved became incorporated and obtained its 501(c)3 status. Plummer worked with SCORE Northeast Indiana to develop a business plan, budget, mission, vision, and purpose statements for the new safe home.
Dawnna realized that most people knew little about the impact that trafficking had on our local communities. She began speaking at area service organizations such as Kiwanis, Optimist Club, Rotary, etc., as well as in churches across the county. Beloved had booths at events like First Friday in Warsaw, the Apple Festival in Nappanee, Bloomfest in Leo/Cedarville, etc. In addition, Beloved worked with the Indiana Trafficking Victims Assistance Program (ITVAP) and the Indiana Youth Institute (IYI) to bring educational programs to the local area at the Columbia City Public Library, the offices of the Kosciusko County Community Foundation, Baker Youth Club, and the local schools.
One of the biggest obstacles for a newly established program is to find foundations willing to provide funding without accumulated statistics from successful graduates. Therefore, Beloved has put a lot of its time and energy into grant writing and fundraising. With concerted efforts in this area, Plummer has been able to maintain funding to begin the residential programming and hire staff.
We were fortunate to receive templates from an established organization, Wings of Refuge, in Iowa Falls, Iowa, to implement policies and procedures that are legal and ethical. We have established our own Employee, Volunteer, Participant, and Family handbooks which include grace-based and trauma-informed principles from the Genesis Process and other human trafficking training programs.
Our service provisions have evolved in a way that we are very proud of over the past 8 years. In the beginning, we came across many women wanting help, but we were not established as a residential program at that time. We vetted numerous counselors across Elkhart, Marshall, Kosciusko, Allen, and Noble counties and began providing referrals to appropriate counseling services.
In 2017 we started a support group called S.A.A.F.E. Circle (Sexual Abuse and Assault Forum for Empowerment), for women with any kind of sexual trauma in their background.
In 2020, we provided a hotel room, clothing, resources and a referral for a woman coming directly out of a trafficking situation. After this, we began renting an apartment and providing emergency housing for two survivors until they were able to be relocated to other programs.
In 2021, we had our first full-time resident. Since then, we have provided a safe environment and other resources for a total of five women.
In late 2022, we began renting a house, and we are able to provide our full residential programming.
We have prayed for this specific home for the past two years. We knew it would offer a safe residence for our women, as it is out of town and away from the influence of drugs and unhealthy contacts. The rural setting of our home provides a healing environment. In 2022, we were given a $100,000 matching grant opportunity towards purchasing this home. We were able to raise almost $50,000 towards that match, and the donor generously gave the full $100,000. We hope to purchase the home later this year.