Operation Light Force, a local, Christian ministry dedicated to healing the community, recently opened a house in Dover for human trafficking overcomers. The sanctuary home for complex trauma overcomers will provide a safe place where six females can live, heal and learn with the help of round-the-clock staff.
“It wasn’t until the last five or six years that we saw this huge increase in people who have been through horrible [and] horrendous trauma,” said Chief Operating Officer Dawn Leonard. “What we saw was a need for people to come and stay.”
The house was purchased with the help of investors and generous donations from the community in response to the increased need for long-term, supportive housing for human trafficking survivors. The four-bedroom house will have three rooms with two twin beds each and one room that will serve as an office. For now, Freedom Park is limited to only six female adults, but Operation Light Force is willing to provide assistance and guidance for all human trafficking victims.
“We are more like a house for them to live in for a yearlong program where they can receive therapy, learn education, get job skills, receive healing for the wounds that they have had, just find freedom in their life,” said Leonard. “[We want] to help them and empower them to live healthy lives and to have joy in their lives.”
Operation Light Force was founded in 1998 by Richard Mull to help people heal from physical, emotional and mental trauma with roots in biblical principles. It prioritizes living as disciples and creating a loving fellowship of disciples.
Now, it is asking for the community’s help in establishing a home for overcomers by providing furniture, games, appliances and other essentials for a loving and supportive home. A full list of requested items is available on its website. Freedom Park is also looking for volunteers and staff who would be willing to work shifts around the clock to provide consistent and reliable care to their six overcomers.
For more information or to donate items, visit https://freedomparkheals.com/ or contact director Julie James at 336-989-1628. For monetary donations, visit https://olf.churchcenter.com/giving.
