The Hallow, Samaritan House’s newly opened residential facility in Virginia Beach for youth victims of human trafficking, was built from a labor of love.
Samaritan House Executive Director Robin Gauthier said no one said no to the nonprofit’s requests as it strived to build the first facility of its kind in the Commonwealth.
“And how could you?” she said.
Virginia ranked 17th among states in the number of human trafficking cases and 13th in the number of signals or reports of human trafficking in 2023, according to data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline website.
Dede Wallace, a victim services specialist with Homeland Security Investigations, said it’s very sad how people think they can make a profit off another human being. Wallace explained that human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some form of labor or commercial sex act.
The Hallow, she said, is a safe place unlike any other, where young victims can be brought out of the shadows and be their true selves.
“It’s not just a place for them to go,” Wallace said. “It’s a place where they can heal, make the transition from victim to survivor in a safe way and give them a place that feels more like home.”
The 6,000-square-foot space features a trauma-informed design intended to create a sense of safety, community, respect and dignity. The $1.4 million facility, which opened Nov. 1, features eight bedrooms and one American with Disabilities Act-compliant bedroom, a kitchen, open living and dining areas, a recreation room, a classroom and a sunroom with swings .
“It’s very, very soothing,” Gauthier said of the soft colors, plants and beach-themed artwork, including inspirational sayings and words of encouragement.
“Everyone has their own bedroom so they have their own autonomy, which is important for children who are controlled, trafficked and told what to do,” Gauthier said.
The Hallow, licensed by the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, is designed to provide a therapeutic environment for girls ages 11 to 17. In addition to internal services such as individual, group, art and equine therapies, the girls can attend school virtually in a special internal classroom.
The facility is staffed 24/7 and Gauthier emphasized that it is not a lockdown, but a voluntary program that can help eight to 16 girls annually.
“We hope that the children who come want to stay will feel like it is a place where they are welcome and where they can really deal with their traumatic experiences of being trafficked,” Gauthier said.
The dire need for a residential facility for minors came to light in 2017 after Gauthier said the nonprofit wrote a grant and worked with the Virginia Attorney General’s office to develop the Hampton Roads Human Trafficking Task Force.
“The task force conducted operations and started finding children, but we at Samaritan House were only willing to help adults,” she said of the 250 adults who have since been helped through the organization.
“Most of the children found went to juvenile detention centers because it was safe for them and they couldn’t run away, but it is not the appropriate space for a child who is a victim of human trafficking,” she said.
Eager to fill that gap in the region, Gauthier said the organization began a capital campaign five years ago, at the start of the pandemic.
Judge Glen Huff chaired the Samaritan House board at the time and said they unanimously decided there was a gaping hole that needed to be filled.
“There was no way for these children to have a safe environment in which they could heal,” Huff said.
The project received significant support from the community and donors, including a generous $1 million seed donation. A grant from the city of Virginia Beach followed.
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An ADA accessible room at The Hallow at Samaritan House in Virginia Beach, photographed on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. This new facility is a safe place for young human trafficking survivors, ages 11 to 17, to begin their journey to recovery and healing. They are licensed to house eight youth at a time, but have nine bedrooms, including the ADA-compliant room on the main floor of the house. Each private room features a bed, desk, wardrobe and storage space. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian pilot)
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The 1.8 hectare land was purchased from a church in Virginia Beach and named for the sacred ground on which it is built. Local builder Chesapeake Homes quickly stepped up after company President John Barnes met with Gauthier for 30 minutes over a cup of coffee and sketched a building on a napkin.
Kerri Woodward, vice president of operations for Chesapeake Homes, said the company reached out to trade partners who were on board with the mission to build the home. Like a true community, she said they came together to donate much of the labor and supplies.
“We didn’t want to add significant debt to a project and we didn’t do that: we are debt-free,” Gauthier said.
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With phase one complete, Gauthier says the organization is now focusing on phase two: converting the undeveloped outdoor space into additional therapeutic areas.
Robyn Robertson, mission progress officer for Samaritan House, said fundraising is underway to transform the facility’s grounds.
“Being outside in the sun and the light is so healing too,” Robertson said. “These areas are really crucial to their overall healing.”
So far, the large backyard features The Garden of Hope, flower-filled beds built by volunteers from the Coastal Virginia Building Industry Association’s Professional Women in Building Council.
Additional plans include meditative, sports and play areas, including a concrete half basketball court for mixed-use sports, a Japanese garden with a water feature, a pollinator garden, fruit trees, a pergola with swings, a fire pit and a walking path.
“It’s something special that we get to do to build homes for people, but being able to build a safe place for children to go after going through such a traumatic experience is just something unique. -nice thing to be able to do for the community,” Woodward said.
For more information about The Hallow, visit samaritanhouseva.org/thehallow.
Sandra J. Pennecke, 757-652-5836, sandra.pennecke@pilotonline.com
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For help
If you or someone you know is forced to participate in an activity and cannot leave, whether it is commercial sex, domestic work, farm work, construction, factory, retail, restaurant work or any other activity, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1- 888-373-7888 or text HELP to 233733 (BEFREE).
