A new survivor center is a sign of progress for North Star Initiative (NSI). It also represents progress in the war on human trafficking.

North Star Initiative, a local, faith-based nonprofit focused on rescuing young women who are survivors of human trafficking, continues to settle into its new survivor center. After North Star raised funds for the project in 2021, the construction of the new building began in January of 2022 and was completed at the end of last year.

"Modern-day slavery is real," said Janelle Esbenshade, North Star Initiative's director of development. "It's happening, and it's happening in Lancaster County. It's important to be educated in order to be able to help. Ultimately, we want to be able to help as many people as we can. We call them 'survivors' and don't label them as 'victims.'"

The new survivor center will allow North Star Initiative to help more survivors, more completely.

Built adjacent to North Star's The Harbor, the survivor center houses North Star's offices, administrative space, therapeutic areas and classrooms. The new building also allows The Harbor to concentrate more on the daily living needs of its survivors, increasing its resident capacity from 10 to 18.

"We'd really like The Harbor to just be a safe space," said Esbenshade. "But we also had a desire to increase our capacity. We want our survivors to be able to trust again, to become whole again."

North Star's program takes three to 12 months to complete and is designed to support the physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs of trafficked women between the ages of 18 and 35. Esbenshade said that North Star serves young women from across the United States and that some of its current survivors are from Lancaster County.

"We get asked all the time, 'Why don't people just leave?'" said Esbenshade. "Sometimes the victim falls in love with their trafficker."

Founded in 2010, North Star Initiative's The Harbor is believed to be Lancaster County's first restoration home for survivors of human trafficking. North Star Initiative, which is located in Lititz, created its own in-house curriculum based on human trafficking awareness, the teaching of coping skills and life skills training.

"Without proper therapy, survivors aren't really rescued; they're not really freed," said Esbenshade. "Human trafficking has been around for a long time, but only over the last 10 years has it been brought out and been talked about. The education piece is very important to us. Our survivors do have voices, and we want to make sure they use their voices in a positive way. But it takes healing and restoration."

For additional information on North Star Initiative, go to http://www.northstarinitiative.org.