New Space at Akron Drop-In Home

Imagine your hardest day: You’re desperate for support, care, and privacy. Now imagine needing to share your only safe space with up to 20 other women in only 931 square feet …

This was the reality for our friends at our Matthews Street Drop-In in Akron not long ago.

In 2022, we served over 400 women at this location alone. We appreciated our Drop-In home, brimming with love and friends — but its lack of private space for women in sensitive situations was a real challenge.

On a survivor’s hardest days, there are often deeply necessary reasons for her to access a private space:

  • She may need to make a phone call to Children’s Services to arrange an appointment to meet her child … or to the local domestic violence shelter to arrange safety from her abuser for the night.
  • She may have an appointment with her advocate or recovery coach at our Drop-In because it’s the most stable location she has.
  • Maybe last night really was the hardest night of her entire life — and she just needs a few minutes alone to reckon with all that has happened to her.

Last year we applied for a grant from a local organization, 100 Women Strong, to build an addition onto the back of our Akron Drop-In, providing the much-needed opportunity for both community and private spaces.

We received the grant, and last month the project was completed, adding another large room to our home!

We remained open to our friends for the entire construction process, and the women knew from the moment we broke ground that this project was for them. For many of our friends, this building addition came with the precious understanding that they were receiving something that wouldn’t cost them anything — for the first time in a long time.

On the day the new room was completed, our friends filled the space without hesitation. They didn’t need an invitation … they already knew it was theirs! We prayed and worshiped in that space on the very first day, and since then it has been full of laughter, tears, singing, dancing, art … living, preaching, praising — and HOPE.

The rest of the house is now free for our friends to have private spaces for phone calls and quiet conversation, and space to be still if they aren’t ready to be close to others just yet.

We are grateful for 100 Women Strong’s partnership with us on this journey to bring the healing and hope of Jesus to survivors! As God allows us to enlarge our physical space, we are thankful for your prayers and support that help build up His Kingdom right here in Northeast Ohio!

Help Multiply Hope This Year!

RAHAB interacts with dozens, sometimes hundreds, of women every day who are in desperate need of encouragement and love. Our goal is to meet them where they are, share the hope of Jesus with them, and walk with them on their healing journey.

Multiply Hope Partners are dedicated monthly donors who fuel this mission on a daily basis. Because of them — because of you — we are able to provide services to these women and children day in and day out.

Here are just a few examples of how your monthly giving as a Multiply Hope Partner can make an impact:

  • $25 per month helps serve one survivor in our Outreach ministries for a year.
  • $50 per month helps serve one youth survivor in Minor Programming for a year.
  • $100 per month allows RAHAB to celebrate with our survivors for their birthdays, sobriety, new jobs, and so much more!
  • $500 monthly helps serve one survivor for a year in our Adult Drop-In Homes.
  • $2,500 monthly will help serve a survivor in Restorative Housing for a year.

A little can truly go a long way. Your consistent contributions provide peace of mind for the women and children we serve, knowing they will never go without the support they need.

Please consider partnering with RAHAB Ministries to provide these services and more to survivors of trafficking right here in Ohio. To multiply hope, visit our website to learn more and sign up today!

Community Training Opportunity

Did you know RAHAB provides free community training?

It’s true, and there are options to attend in person and online!

A community trained to know the signs of human trafficking — and best practices for providing services to those affected by trafficking — is a community that serves survivors well.

By educating yourself about trafficking and how to identify it, you become part of the solution! When we build a culture of awareness, our communities are better equipped to identify survivors and support them on their healing journey.

Training topics include:

  • Human Trafficking 101
  • Needs and Vulnerabilities
  • Trauma Bonding
  • Trauma-Informed Language
  • Self-Care
  • Resources and Screening Questions

Let’s make our communities better and safer by spreading awareness about trafficking today! Register online now to join us and spread the love and hope of Jesus to survivors!