COLUMBUS, Ohio– Ohio ranks fourth in the nation for the highest number of reported human trafficking cases. That’s just behind California, Texas, and Florida. One Central Ohio organization is trying its’ best to address as much of the problem as they can each week.
- Flores began helping women in human trafficking in 2015
- Drop-In center would be the first full-time center in Franklin County
- Flores believes that by caring and showing love to everyone, it helps to conquer many issues women caught in the trade face
Esther Flores runs 1DivineLine2Health. The registered nurse by trade has been very vocal over the years about the human trafficking problem in the state of Ohio, but especially in Columbus’ Hilltop area. While she spends much of her time helping women caught in the traps of the trade, she hopes to open a full-time drop-in center soon.
Every Friday night, Esther Flores packs up her red truck, also known as the “love bug” to help women caught in human trafficking and their children. She said, “What’s really important is that we’re gonna meet ’em where they’re at.” Meeting them where they’re at often means treating their wounds after they’ve been beaten, providing food, blankets, and Narcan. Many are homeless, often living in abandoned houses, addicted to drugs, and afraid for their lives.
Hopping in the car, Flores hits the streets of the west side along Sullivant Avenue in Columbus, an area she says is the epicenter of human trafficking. Riding for hours, Flores said, “It’s tiring to see women with busted lips...black eyes.” Flagging down one street sister, she heads her direction before getting out quickly to give her a backpack stuffed with items that’ll hold her a few days. Flores said you’d be surprised at who you find on the streets these days. Among the women she meets, are former attorneys, teachers and cardiologist technicians that have landed on the streets. Some are mothers alongside their daughters, many because of opiates. Now that they have nowhere to go, they simply walk much of the night moving quickly, especially when it’s cold; But she makes sure to find as many as she can, reminding them someone cares.
Flores said she helps 40 to 50 women on the streets each Friday night, mainly 18 to 54-year-olds. For those who are ready to escape human trafficking and kick their addiction to drugs, she is there to help with that, too. She said, “We escort them to you know, Mary Haven Stabilization Center. You know, sometimes I have to take them to the hospital.”
When Flores isn’t riding through the streets of Columbus, she’s at a drop-in center, which is a collaborative effort with Garrett Recovery House. There, women pick out clothes to wear, grab a hot meal, and get additional resources to help them survive as they talk with volunteers about the challenges they face. One street sister told us, “Today alone was a lifesaver. Just knowing today was Thursday, and being able to come here, you know, and have everything that we have.” While she admits she’s on the streets by choice, she said it’s rough out there.
“It’s not a good feeling. It’s really scary, but it does help to know that you have the community out here. There’s not too many. You won’t get very far out there; somebody will help you.”
“It’s not a good feeling. It’s really scary, but it does help to know that you have the community out here. There’s not too many. You won’t get very far out here, somebody will help you.”
In the last three years, Flores has seen an increase in women coming for help. In 2017, her organization served 150 women, children, and transwomen. In 2019, that number jumped ten times that with them serving over 1,500 who’ve been trafficked from across the country to Columbus. That was just on the west side alone.
Back to the streets, Flores says it’s non-stop. She often finds women in the alley-ways hiding in large bins out of fear or no place to go. She said even New York and other states have full-time drop-in centers and believe wholeheartedly that “Drop In centers do work.”
That’s why she’s working to open Franklin County’s first full-time drop-in center to help those women caught in human trafficking with drug recovery, peer support, and building better health. She said, the sooner she can open the center, the faster women and children can get help and maybe out of what they’re in, as they’ll have a safe place to go.
Once Flores gets the permits she needs, she hopes to open the center soon thereafter. It would be located in the Hilltop area, making it the only full-time drop-in center in the county. Currently, there are a few other places helping women caught in trafficking in the Sullivant Avenue area; however, they are only open for short periods throughout the week.