Our residents come from all over the country and sometimes, from all over the world. They find out about us in a variety of ways. Because our organization is Survivor-Led the trust and community survivor leaders have built often results in many of the referrals we receive. Other residents come from an emergency placement program called Out of Darkness who we have built a strong working relationship with. Some come to us from other rehabilitation programs.

There is common misconception that human trafficking is only an issue in other countries or big cities. This just simply isn’t true. We can cite several different stories of women, men, and children caught up in human trafficking in rural communities. From being forced into labor trafficking to being sexually exploited out of their home, these stories are real and tell us that human trafficking exists where people exist: everywhere.

Set Free Monterey Bay is a fully donor-supported organization. We do not receive money from the government. We have been awarded some grants from other survivor-serving organizations and private foundations. We benefit from the pro-bono services many professionals offer to us. However, the vast majority of our funding comes from people just like you! We are always looking for more business partnerships and monthly donors. It is our joy to keep our donors up to date on what is happening at the home through our e-newsletter If you want to be a part of our donor family, Invest Today.

One of the many aspects of healing our staff learned early on was to cling to the identity of being seed-planters. By this we mean that we look at every day a woman is in our home, with food to eat, someone to talk to, a bed to sleep in, and a place to belong as one more day we get to plant the seed of hope in her life. We offer up to 2 years, but women choose to stay varied amounts of days, months, or years. Statistically, it takes 7 different tries at a rehabilitation program before a survivor can fully hold on to restoration and a new way of life. Women enter our home at various places in their journey: for some, this is their first try at a program. For others, this may be their sixth attempt. What is most important to our staff during whatever the time variation of a resident’s stay is that she knows that there is place in this world where people want to support and empower her through the love of Christ.

A typical day in the life of the residents at our home is very structured. The day begins with breakfast and then daily devotional time at 9am. After devotions, the morning is filled with classes that are more therapeutic in nature, meaning individual therapy, group therapy, art therapy, etc. At noon, an hour is taken for lunch. Afternoon programming consists of a fitness hour and then classes that are more geared toward learning life skills. We choose this structure because the emotional work of therapy daily is very difficult. We try to do that work early on in the day so that the rest of the afternoon is used for classes and activities that can help the residents to decompress. Programming ends at 4:30 and is followed by a community meal. Evenings are considered free time for the residents in which we encourage them to implement hobbies or fellowship with each other. Lights out is at 11pm.

YES! Thanks for asking! Please contact: ashley@setfreemontereybay.org for more information.

We have so many opportunities! If you're looking to get involved financially, check out our GIVE page to make a gift online, or explore other opportunities to give. Volunteers are vital to our program, and we are always looking for individuals who want to offer their time or skill sets! Check out our Get Involved page to learn more. We would love to partner with you, your business, your church, or community group. If you have an idea that you don't see listed, we want to hear it! You can share with us at connect@setfreemontereybay.org

Feel free to send us an email at connect@setfreemontereybay.org. We would love to continue the conversation with you, your circle of influence, your church, your small group, or your school.