This week we are interviewing Natasha Nascimento, Founder & Executive Director of Redefining Refuge as a part of their graduation from our Partner Grant Program! Read the first part of their story and check back Wednesday and Friday for more.

Today Natashsa shares the ups and downs of starting a safe house.  She shares that despite all the set backs it’s worth the work, don’t give up!

Q: Where were you/your organization when the grant began vs. where you are now? Explain.

A: In 2012, Redefining Refuge began the process of securing and readying a therapeutic safe house in anticipation of Florida adopting safe harbor laws to be applied to female minors who were exploited by means of sex trafficking. However, due to some significant structural issues that were revealed midway through, the project was subsequently halted, and the search for a new space began.  This was extremely disheartening because we had already spent several months renovating this 1920’s home on both the inside and outside.

In late 2012, Redefining Refuge secured a new and very promising location. Not only was this home situated on 10 acres and almost a 100 years newer and several thousand feet larger, but as ‘fate’ would have it, both the inside and outside were replicas of the colors we had painted our first home; colors I had personally chosen at the Home Depot much earlier that year. The scriptural reference “be faithful in little {and I will see to it that you have the opportunity} to be faithful in much” resonated with me deeply.  It was finally all falling into place – or was it?

Unfortunately Redefining Refuge encountered major permitting and licensing hoops in the State of Florida as the Department of Children and Families (DCF) had not yet licensed such a facility. Despite our educated reluctance to be licensed as a ‘group home,’ we were left with no choice in the matter, and ultimately conceded to the terms set forth via DCF. We were licensed in May 2013 to begin accepting residents.

In July 2013, Redefining Refuge received our very first grant from Shared Hope International, but sadly the constraints set forth by DCF failed miserably, and after just a few short months we were forced to close our doors. Shared Hope remained a faithful partner of Redefining Refuge throughout this extremely tumultuous period. In 2014, we were able to try again and finally began to experience more successes than failures. We were included in state law drafting, presenting nationally about our successes and failures on our path to open our doors, and continuing to build relationships with everyone we met. It hasn’t always been easy, but it has been worth it.

[easy-tweet tweet=”It hasn’t always been easy, but it has been worth it.” user=”SharedHope”]

We have had the absolute privilege of growing our relationship and mentorship with Shared Hope from 2013 to 2017, and you have truly been the ‘big sister’ that gave our caterpillar dreams its first set of butterfly wings. You believed uncompromisingly in our mission, in our leadership, and in the true ‘can-do’ spirit of collaboration. There will never be words adequate enough to convey the absolute heartfelt gratitude, love and respect that Redefining Refuge has for Shared Hope.

[easy-tweet tweet=”You believed uncompromisingly in our mission and in the true ‘can-do’ spirit of collaboration. ” user=”SharedHope”]

Because of you formerly exploited girls were able to celebrate a birthday for the very first time. A bed was no longer something that had to be shared, but rather a place to rest a head and dream of a bright and promising future. We went from serving roughly 40 girls per year, to approximately 8-10 girls per year because they are staying much longer. We have had the opportunity to plant seeds for real and lasting change as opposed to merely being a Band-Aid on a larger issue. We have become more of a home than just a ‘safe house’. We are eternally grateful, and pray that your butterfly effect continues to touch the hearts, minds, and lives of all the exploited youth that will cross your path.

[easy-tweet tweet=”Because of you formerly exploited girls were able to celebrate a birthday for the very first time.” user=”SharedHope”]

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Every year Shared Hope works in partnership with domestic and international partners, giving them grants to fund their direct service work with survivors and offer them technical support. This blog series celebrates the graduation of two of our partners. 

Every year Shared Hope works in partnership with domestic and international partners, giving them grants to fund their direct service work with survivors and offer them technical support. This year we are graduating 3 organizations from our grant program and want to share with you their journeys!

This week we are interviewing Natasha Nascimento, Founder & Executive Director of Redefining Refuge! Watch for future posts featuring the rest of their story.

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and why you founded your organization.

A: After spending almost a decade in Finance, I found myself becoming increasingly disenfranchised with my career, and in truth; even myself. Climbing the ‘corporate ladder’ was not fulfilling to me at all. At the time (2008/2009), I distinctly remember reading a C.S. Lewis book that talked about the concept of ‘time’ – specifically that if we were headed down a ‘path of success’ that wasn’t truly ours; then that was not in fact progress but regression at its finest. That struck a chord very deep within me but I wasn’t quite sure why. I only knew I was incredibly miserable on the inside regardless of what my life appeared to be like on the outside.

Months after reading this book, I suddenly remembered making a silent promise to God in elementary school (after learning of a classmate’s parental sexual abuse) that “one day I was going to help girls like that.” Of course as time went by, I moved on with my life and forgot all about this until I was reminded in what can only be described as a miraculous way. This revelation both set and changed the course of my life forever, and although I was determined to keep that promise, I was not quite sure where to even begin. I started volunteering my time, and using my network to provide resources to those respective agencies that were already providing some type of service to sexual trauma/assault victims.

[easy-tweet tweet=”I had to tell everyone this was human trafficking & happening in the US to American children! ” user=”SharedHope”]

In doing this for almost two years, I started to become well acquainted with the concept of ‘forced prostitution’ and upon learning that these children were being arrested as such; sent me into an absolute internal outrage! My mission became astoundingly clear – I simply had to tell everyone that this was actually human trafficking and that it was happening in the United States to American children – who knew?! Starting Redefining Refuge was purely to create public awareness and a call to action, but as life would have it; this tiny ‘mad idea’ took on an entire spirit of its own. Almost a decade later, here I am, and now when I read that C.S. Lewis book, I no longer feel this sense of urgency about time. I have peace that my time is being well-spent on the path I was created for.