Who it’s for
According to the nonprofits’ website, Bob’s House of Hope is the first safe house in the country for male survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, also known as human trafficking or sex trafficking.
The nonprofit is the only residential facility to include equine-and animal-assisted counseling intervention.
Males between the ages of 18 and 24 can become residents of Bob’s House of Hope. Andrea Jones, director of business development for the nonprofit, said residents come to them through a myriad of avenues such as state and local police departments, border patrol and the FBI.
“We have young men who people think they're just troubled youth and they ran away because they were just bad kids,” Jones said. “That's not necessarily the case. Sometimes they left the home because the damage was done to them in the home by a parent, by a stepfather or an uncle or a grandfather or a neighbor or a mama. They felt that their chances were better on the street than staying at home.”
The background
Jones said Williams was sexually assaulted when he was a teenager and ended up homeless in his 20s. Eventually, he overcame obstacles and had a successful corporate career. After suffering a stroke, Williams assessed his life and decided it was time to take a different path.
“He said, ‘You know what? I don't want to end up dying alone in some hotel room ... I want my life to matter,’” Jones said. “He started saving animals.” Williams founded Ranch Hands Rescue in 2009 to rescue abused and neglected farm animals and later offered equine therapy. Eventually, Williams realized another gap needed to be filled.
“When he started talking to people, he realized that there were so many things out there for [sex trafficked] young girls and young women, but there was nothing out there to address the needs of boys,” Jones said. “As he started dealing with other agencies and law enforcement organizations, he realized that a lot of the youth that were being taken were boys. He decided to do something about that, because he was one of those boys.”
The specifics
When young men arrive at Bob’s House of Hope, medical, dental and mental analyses take place.
Residents fill their days with counseling sessions, continuing education such as earning a GED, household and ranch chores and free time.
The nonprofit staff includes multiple professional counselors.
“Even though biologically their age is 18 to 24, mentally some may be 7 to 12 years old because they tend to revert back to the year the abuse started happening,” Jones said.
Get involved
There are multiple ways people can assist Bob’s House of Hope such as financial assistance, spreading the word about the nonprofit and volunteering.
The nonprofit vets volunteers to teach residents auto repair and handyman skills, music lessons and more.
- Justin, Texas
- www,ranchhandsrescue.org
