Thursday, November 6, 2008
Project helping to get Dallas prostitutes off the street
New Life Opportunities is a project designed to help over 800 female and male prostitutes working in the Dallas area begin to put their lives back together and get off the streets. The project was initiated by the Dallas Police Department and eight social service agencies (including the Stewpot's Community Voice Mail Program) in October of 2007. However, prostitution is not a new problem in the Dallas area.
The magnitude of the problem was first identified after 9/11, when police began to step up their patrol of major transportation corridors and became aware that there were hundreds of prostitutes working the 5000+ daily trucks at five large truck stops along I-20. For six years, the police have been arresting these prostitutes, the majority of whom suffer from severe drug addictions, only to have them spend a few nights in jail and then return to the streets. The DPD acknowledged that this "revolving door" was not an effective way to deal with the serious problems that these prostitutes faced, and called on local social agencies to work collaboratively with law enforcement officials to provide the long term solutions that these people need to turn their lives around.
Once a month, project members meet and set up outdoor mobile stations from 7pm to 3am near areas with high prostitution activity. This month's operation took place at Park Lane and Central Expressway. Prostitutes are rounded up by Dallas Police officers and brought to the processing station to receive medial care, psychiatric evaluations, access to social services, and counseling. If the individuals have felonies they must go to jail, but if they have only misdemeanors on their records, they may choose to enter a 45 day treatment program instead. Some prostitutes prefer to go to jail, where they are able to sleep, eat three meals a day, and get cleaned up before they return to the streets to feed their drug addictions. However, most prostitutes are ready to get off the streets and are thankful, if not surprised, that people are out there to help them.
My first night volunteering with the organization, I met 9 women who had been taken in during the sweep. It was around 10pm when I saw the first woman arrive in handcuffs, and I was surprised by how young she appeared. After sitting down with her to explain how she could use Community Voice Mail to stay in contact with her family and find out about jobs and social services, I learned that her name was Janet* and that she was only 18 years old. Janet gave us shy responses to our basic questions and I got the impression that she had not been on the streets long. As a young women myself, I couldn't help but wonder how our lives could have turned out so differently, in such a short amount of time. In contrast, when I was 18 I was enjoying my freshman year of college and not having a curfew for the first time in my life. I made a note to call my parents the next morning and thank them for my high school curfew, education, and everything else.
The next woman I met that night was in her early 30s and had two children. She was beautiful with long blond hair, and bright blue eyes. As she slid into the chair across from me she asked, "Got a light?" motioning to the unlit cigarette in her hand. I shook my head no and she sighed and said, "I didn't think that you would be one to smoke". She introduced herself as Cindy and we began talking about some of the things she regretted, including smoking. She explained how she had lost her children after a divorce and felt like everyone had turned against her, including her family. Then, she began to cry. "I'm really trying!" she exclaimed through her tears, "But it's never good enough. I just can't do it on my own". Cindy truly felt like no one believed in her and that all of her friends and family had abandoned her. Somehow, her support systems had given up on her, or at least she thought they had. I hoped that through New Life Opportunities she would find a new support system of people who did believe in her and were willing to help her get through these difficult times.
One of the last women I met that night, Sandra, stands out in my mind as well. She was a grandmother in her early 50s and was also beautiful with dark skin and short black hair, but was missing all of her front teeth. When I asked her if Community Voice Mail was something that she could use, she was excited and said that of course it was, but that she thought she couldn't find a job because she was an ex-felon. I explained that the majority of the jobs we post on CVM will accept ex-felons. Sandra looked at me in disbelief and asked, "Really?" Evidently, her record as a felon had presented obstacles to finding employment in the past. Sandra threw her hands up in the air and began to sob. "Praise Jesus", she exclaimed. "I just can't believe it, everyone has been so nice. Even John [the undercover cop] was so respectful when he picked me up. And now you're giving me clothes to keep me warm, food, medicine, a phone number...Praise the Lord, someone is here to help!" I reassured her that we were there to support her and that I knew she could make it. As she was leaving, she kept repeating, "Thank you. Thank you".
Each woman I met that night had a unique story and background. However, I had the sense that many of the women shared strong feelings of desperation and abandonment. The women didn't believe that they had anyone to look out for them, and in truth, many did not have the support systems and security they required for most of their lives. Often, the women grew up in abusive situations, suffered from low self esteem, and turned to drugs and sex as a means of escape. Without anyone to rely upon, their lives spiraled out of control until they ended up on the streets. Not one person I met wanted to be in the situation in which they found themselves; they were just so consumed by desperation that they couldn't see a way out.
When I arrived home after my late night volunteering with New Life Opportunities, I spent some time thinking about the women I had met who at that moment must have also been settling into their own beds, either in jail or a shelter, and I was extremely grateful for everything that I had been afforded. The women that I had met that night weren't much different from me. The main difference, I decided, was that I had been lucky to be surrounded by an extensive support system of caring family, friends, and teachers growing up, who were always there to help me when times were rough.
Fortunately, New Life Opportunities offers a support system for people who might not have had one before. Many of the participants in the program are former prostitutes themselves, and are able to relate to the struggles that these people are facing. Through a comprehensive program and the hard work of a dedicated staff, the prostitutes are able to begin rebuilding their lives and escape the dangers of drug addiction and prostitution. Many of the women I met had children or grandchildren. When we help these women, we are not only helping to improve their future, but the future of their children and our community as well.
* All the names in this article have been changed.
Christine Marie Denison is Assistant Director for Children and Youth programs at The Stewpot.
By Christine Marie Denison of Street Zine