Our Sustainability Plan
Community
Human/Sex Trafficking is a “profession” that has been around since the beginning of time and is something that, unfortunately, will be around until the end of time. There will always be a need for the services that Beloved offers. Currently, there is only one other home for adult women survivors of sexual exploitation and trafficking in northern Indiana. They offer housing for fourteen women and their children.
We work with the Indiana Trafficking Victims Assistance Program (ITVAP), the Indiana Youth Institute (IYI), the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking (ICESAHT), and local FBI agents to bring training programs to the surrounding area, conducting human trafficking training for the community. Educating the local communities on the proper definition of human trafficking, what trafficking looks like in practice, who the traffickers are, how someone is groomed to be victimized by a trafficker, and what ways traffickers find their victims, unites the public with Beloved’s mission to fight human trafficking in our communities.
Educating the public offers a preventative measure to stop trafficking before it begins. The trauma that affects those victimized by trafficking causes not only mental health issues and drug addictions leading to institutionalization, but it also fosters an ongoing dependence on social services, such as food stamps, Medicaid, etc. The residents of Beloved benefit because they are taught skills that allow them to transition from a life of dependency into functioning, self-supportive, individuals in the community. The taxpayer benefits financially as fewer people are institutionalized and dependency on social services decreases.
Organization
An organization is only as strong as its workforce, and at Beloved, we have a solid group of certified and trauma-informed staff members currently in place. Our staff are trained in recovery coaching, life skills coaching, case management, Biblical principles, health, and wellness. All of our staff members are certified Genesis Process coaches. We currently employ two full-time employees: an executive director and a program coordinator, and one part-time employee.
From the beginning, Beloved’s guiding principle has been that we will provide sustainable salaries for our staff. We also offer paid vacation and pay for counseling services as needed which prevents a high turnover rate of staffing and offers stability for the residents in our program. Providing competent staff who remain consistent in our program, builds trust between staff and our residents aiding in the healing from trauma and helps them become independent community members. Successful graduates generate hope for the new residents enabling them to envision their own future success, and this in turn sustains our organization in the future.
We will continue to thrive as we train community members and past residents to volunteer as mentors, skills coaches, tutors, fundraisers, and speakers for the cause of anti-human trafficking. This not only helps Beloved keep salary expenses down but, as the community becomes involved, they are more likely to donate their time and resources.
Beloved is well networked in existing systems of care for community support, such as the Kosciusko Coalition on Drug Education, Northeast Indiana Anti-Trafficking Network, Recovery Residence Network, and other community network organizations that are aligned with our mission and vision.
As program success is proven by the successful transition of residents into community living, the community network organizations will be more likely to refer women in need of our services to Beloved.
Financial
We rely on personal, church, and corporate contributions, monies from grants, and fundraisers. Our women use local food banks and are given food stamps to purchase their groceries. We shop for their clothing at Goodwill and similar organizations to reduce the cost of operations. These methods aid in our financial sustainability.
Additionally, in the Transition Phase of the Beloved program, the women start working. At this point, we have them begin paying a program fee. This helps them begin putting the budgeting skills they have learned into practice, and it also helps to provide financial sustainability for the program.
Beloved also has various fundraisers throughout the year. These bring in larger one-time contributions. But Beloved has also added social enterprise components, such as crowdfunding and cooking, baking, and arts and crafts sales. In addition, we give the option for participant family members to give a charitable contribution to Beloved: Not Forgotten.
