What We Do
RAHAB Ministries provides Christ-centered transformational services to those directly affected by sex trafficking in Northeast Ohio.
Minor & Adult Mentoring
RAHAB provides Minor & Adult mentoring for youth and adults in RAHAB’s services. Our volunteer mentors commit to spending time each week with a RAHAB mentee. RAHAB believes the presence of a loving, consistent adult can bring healing and the Hope of Jesus into the lives of survivors. We partner with Summit County Juvenile Court’s Restore Court docket, the first juvenile human trafficking docket certified by the Ohio Supreme Court and with Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court’s Safe Harbor Docket for minor programming, and Rise Court for adult mentoring.
RAHAB also has two juvenile mentoring centers, Selah’s Place Akron & Cleveland, for youth to come with a staff member or volunteer mentor to spend time, receive clothing or hygiene items, and enjoy a volunteer-prepared meal. Selah’s place is made possible by our partnership with Restore Court and by the generosity of donors throughout the community.
Weekly programming and mentoring instill self-esteem and coping skills, as staff and volunteers strive to reflect the Love of Christ to youth and adult mentees.
Outreach
Teams of trained volunteers hit the streets and visit strip clubs to build relationship and share the Love and Hope of Jesus with the women in these spaces. The women we encounter often ask for prayer from the female volunteers who go into clubs or interact with them on the streets, while the men on the teams wait, pray, and guide our teams. RAHAB volunteers go out regularly, on a weekly or monthly basis, to build consistent relationships and bring Hope to these dark places.
Drop-In Homes
Our adult drop-in homes are intentionally located within Akron and Canton where many of our survivors are being trafficked. Open during weekdays, women can stop in to the homes for family-style meals, Bible Studies, encouragement and friendship. They shop the free clothes closet and receive donated hygiene items and can even take a shower. The homes are a safe haven, a respite and a place for real connection for the women who enter through our doors.
Jail Ministries
Volunteers connect with incarcerated women through jail visits in three facilities in Summit County, writing letters, and leading group Bible Studies. Although the studies are optional, it is not unusual for more than half of the women in a facility to attend.
The Willows – Minor Community Based Programming
The Willows program offers wrap-around support for youth (ages 11-17) and their families during the healing process. Youth in this program are provided with a case manager, and a mentor through our Minor Mentoring program. The family is also provided with case management services, respite care opportunities, and a 24/7 hotline should any need arise.
The Willows also trains and equips foster parents to house youth survivors if the need arises for a youth to be placed outside of the home.
Education, Training, and Inspiration
Education and training are key to preventing and identifying human trafficking. And while human trafficking is an atrocity, the transformations Truth and Love bring are inspiring. Our people have spoken to faith-based retreats, state-wide conferences, large corporations, top hospitals, prosecutors, law enforcement, first-responders, school in-services, students, businesses, and many others. Contact us, if you’d like to request a speaker.