Hope for a Future
Refuge of Light is a faith-based organization committed to providing a safe space for young females aging out of the foster care system. The home can house up to 6 residents in a shared housing setting. Each bedroom has a private bath and keyed locking door. The program is designed to serve female youth with a history of, or who are at risk of becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The age of the youth who will reside in the home range from 18-21 years. The goal of the program is to promote complete independence while providing a strong support system along the way. Refuge of Light seeks to give each resident hope for a brilliant and successful future!
Why people need Refuge:
- One of the greatest needs for sexually exploited youth is carryover into independent living when they turn 18 and age out of foster care
- Out of the 11 regions in Texas, Refuge of Light is in 1 of the 3 regions that is severely lacking in offering aftercare to 18-21 year-old females
- 50% of adolescents who age out or leave foster care will be homeless within six months because they are unprepared to live independently and have limited education and no social support
- The biggest difference in a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old is a ‘flip of the calendar’
- Currently, there are approximately 79,000 minor and youth victims of sex trafficking in Texas
(2016 Study by the University of Texas at Austin Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault) - 1 in 3 teens on the street will be approached by a trafficker within 48 hours of leaving home
(National Incident Studies of Mission, Abducted, Runaway and Throwaway Children)
Human trafficking is the second largest and fastest growing criminal activity in the world. Human trafficking or slavery generates $32 billion annually, worldwide (The International Labor Office). Statistics show that within the United States there are anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 individuals sexually trafficked, yearly (U.S. Department of Justice). Tragically, there are only a handful of safe homes and shelters in the entire United States for domestic minor victims. The majority of these victims are young girls that have fallen prey to the commercial sex industry at the hands of perpetrators known as pimps and johns.
Our Vision:
The vision of Refuge of Light is to transform the broken life into the brilliant life through individualized plans of restoration. To equip these young girls with confidence and the skills to realize and formulate their own vision for a new, healthy and meaningful life. Refuge of Light is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the provision of physical, mental and spiritual healing to girls victimized by, and at risk for, commercial sexual exploitation of youth (CSEY) within the United States.
Individualized Care:
Once the girls have been safely placed in the care of the Refuge…. Their new lives begin.
We work with each girl to develop a plan based on their specific circumstances. Youth may stay in the safe home with a goal of finding appropriate long-term placement after they have completed the program. We will assess placement options for each individual, including independent living, continued support through Refuge of Light, enrollment in college or other arrangements. After they leave the Refuge, we will continue to provide targeted aftercare and connection to the program to ensure lasting success.
Our goal is to provide a safe environment for these female youth to heal and transition into a new life equipped with the skills to allow them a successful future within society.
Complete our initial client Referral Form and return to info@refugeoflight.org if you are interested in our program.
Refuge of Light is a member of the National Trafficking Sheltered Alliance. 
NTSA is a network of service providers committed to enhancing services and increasing access to care for survivors of human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Services include a referral system to connect survivors to our program, extensive online knowledge and training for our staff and an accreditation process to ensure survivors receive the highest quality of care from healthy, trauma-informed organizations.
To report a possible trafficking situation or, to seek help for yourself, please call immediately!
National Human Trafficking Hotline
1-888-373-7888
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
www.missingkids.com
1-800-843-5678 (1-800-THE-LOST)
ROL Statement of Faith
As a Christian ministry, Refuge of Light holds to the following tenets of faith that guide our mission, our practice, our leadership and our volunteers in achieving our goal to provide a safe environment for domestic minor girls who have been victimized through sex trafficking so they may heal and transition into a new life equipped with the skills to allow them a successful future within society.
Therefore, recognizing God’s declaration “it is good,” as a statement of value for Creation, we declare God’s value for all persons; accepting the fallen state of Creation due to humankind’s sin, we confess our own limitations and depend upon God’s Grace; and rejoicing in the redeeming, revaluing work of Jesus Christ, we embrace Christ’s redemption and extend it to all.
It was Jesus, who in His message at Nazareth, read from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah (Luke 4:18-19): “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” This message becomes our outline for action, and we proclaim good news, freedom, and recovery as individuals and as a ministry.
2008
It all began with a children’s book. A mother and daughter team, Norma Nullican and Missy Ziviney finished and published: A collection of Squirrel Tales, Something to Crow AboutNewspaper excerpt: “This is the journey of a book; a little children’s book that was written and stored in a closet for 13 years. Now it has come to life to help millions of children who are sold into sex trafficking every year. it is my belief that one book can make a difference.” -Norma Mullican
Fun Fact: The Mullican family really did have a flying squirrel as a pet when Missy was a little girl.
2009
Mike and Norma Mullican start sensing the call to open a home for children. Missy Zivney was working at a local church as a Children’s director. She and a team of people, including Randi Owens, host a day camp with a missional focus to raise money for children caught up in human trafficking. The campers raise $2500 in a week and donate the funds to a local anti-trafficking group, For the Silent. Tyler Paper wrote a cover story about the event and placed it in the religion section. Mike and Norma read the article and God started revealing His plan. Fall: Missy and Norma frequented county fairs and book signings to promote the book as an awareness and educational tool for schools, and as a means to raise money for FTS (For the Silent) The Lord had even bigger plans. The book went through a second printing and anti-trafficking resources were placed in the back of the book as a teacher’s resource guide for at-risk students. God revealed more…a home for girls rescued out of child sex trafficking… the Refuge Safe Home.2010
August 2010: Mike, Norma and Missy start the process of filing for 501(c)3 non-profit status as Refuge of Light. October 2010: Refuge of Light is one of two organizations chosen to participate in an organized mentorship program with Wellspring Living in Georgia. Wellspring Living for Girls’ holistic model pioneers the treatment methods that have provided the first glimpse of success in treating victims of the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC. This multidisciplinary therapeutic model addresses the vast array of mental, emotional and physical traumas these girls experience.** Wellspring operates a chain of resale shops to help financially support their program.s ROL started seeking lease pace to open storefronts as a means of financial sustainability.
2011
January 2011: ROL began ROL Light Ministry within the Anderson County Detention Center which is part of an intervention and prevention program, working with more than 400 at-risk youth. March 2011 Key members of the ROL team visit Wellspring Living in Atlanta, GA to observe best practices of a safe-home environment, including education and therapeutic services May 11, 2011: ROL received our 501(c)3 status, retroactive to September 27, 2010 May 25, 2011: ROL was invited by the governor’s office to be present at the signing of two major pieces of legislation to strengthen anti-trafficking laws: SB 24 and HB 3000. ROL hosted two major events in 2011:September: Made for Survivors, in Anderson County.
October: Children Are Pricele$$, in Smith County. This raised awareness to over 2000 children and adults within our communities about child sex trafficking.