The Wichita Children’s Home has opened a residence to help young victims of human trafficking.
The Garver House can shelter up to 10 children who have been released from the Children’s Home Staff Secure Unit. It provides clothing, shelter, safety and trauma-informed care and education as the victims adjust back to a normal life.
“So what we were seeing is that sometimes we were getting repeated admissions, so that meant repeated victimization,” said Wichita Children’s Home CEO Debbie Kennedy. “And so it looked like what we needed to do was have a residential facility so the girls could be dismissed from that unit into a residential program.”
The Garver House, the first of its kind in south-central Kansas, opened last fall. It is named for Catherine Garver, the founder of the original Wichita Children’s Home in 1888.
Andrew Linnabarry is an intern in the KMUW News Lab.