StATUSA HISTORY

Rev. Allysa McKenzie was a ministry student in the Wesleyan Church in 2008 with a penchant for counseling. At a conference to train as a 3rd world country service provider, she became aware of the world trafficking situation. At a 2009 conference sponsored by the FBI and Homeland Security, she also became aware of the human trafficking problem that existed in the US and recognized there were underlying factors that led to that end. Being assigned to the circuit of speakers at the Wesleyan district level allowed her to raise awareness to trafficking by offering StATUSA’s Haven Church Training to churches and conferences she attended. That led to being donated a building in Haywood County and with the help of local churches and a group of passionate people, an anti-trafficking headquarters was established. In one of the brainstorming sessions, a decision to go into the jail and talk to the incarcerated women was proposed and ultimately approved by the sheriff. That is when the real problems associated with sex trafficking were unraveled and how generations had been stuck in the lifestyle. That is also when the Human Advocate Jail Program (HAJP) was developed. Leadership in the community took responsibility and started building resources to help these women. Realizing that her home community, Brunswick County, is unique because it is between 2 destination cities, Myrtle Beach and Wilmington, has extensive poverty, a high opioid area, and has a trafficking problem, she planned a return. StATUSA received its 501 (c) 3 status in April of 2015, the wheels were in motion and a return was imminent. With a referral from the Sheriff of Haywood County, the HAJP was approved by the Brunswick County Sheriff for use in the detention center. A team was trained and in 2017 the program was implemented not only in Brunswick County but also in New Hanover County. StATUSA’s Open Palm 12-Month Residential Program opened in 2017 and served 9 women through a collaboration between StATUSA and Palms Health and Wellness. This program was developed as a direct result of the needs of the women enrolled in the HAP Jail Program, finding themselves homeless and in lack of basic resources. The StATUSA’s Open Palms Residential Program offered female sex trafficking survivors a holistic way to heal – mind, body, soul and spirit. StATUSA’s provided client judicial advocacy, life skills education/mentorship, workforce training and readiness. Palms Health & Wellness offered medical services, individual and group therapeutic counseling and addiction recovery support. This life changing program ended upon the business closure of Palms Health & Wellness in Brunswick County. Due to the increasing impact and demand from the HAP Jail Program, StATUSA piloted a women’s Resource Center in Shallotte, NC, in 2018. This program advocated for the greater needs of women and families in crisis in Southeast NC & SC. When Covid-19 hit our communities, shut down all jail programs and closed StATUSA’s Resource Center, we saw an uptick in pregnant trafficked women being referred to our services. Traffickers often impregnate their women to use their children as a bargaining tool to keep them from fleeing. StATUSA realized this demographic of women was being overlooked and made plans to reopen the Resource Center to include pregnancy services and education. In March of 2024, StATUSA relaunched their Resource Center, the Women’s Life Center. The Women’s Life Center serves as a bridge for the needs of women and families making difficult pregnancy decisions and individuals exploited by human trafficking by offering pregnancy services and community resources. Here’s a complete list of services provided: pregnancy testing, pregnancy options coaching, parenting and life skills education, mentorship, human trafficking client advocacy, client case management, therapeutic counseling, addiction recovery support, community assistance referrals and material assistance. The purpose of the Women’s Life Center is to break negative life cycles and create positive change in the lives of women and families.