Today we’d like to introduce you to Vanessa Forbes.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 2004 I graduated with a Bachelors in Psychology and in 2008 I earned my Master’s in Business Administration. After working several years in the Oil & Gas Industry we decided to have children and I made the decision to not return to the corporate workforce.
In 2014, I was invited by a dear friend to take an Elijah Rising Awareness Van tour. This tour opened my eyes to the reality of what sex trafficking is and how it is hidden in plain sight in every corner of Houston. Upon returning home to Katy, we realized sex trafficking was alive and at work here in Katy under the guise of Foot Reflexology and Massage Establishments. At that point, we knew we had to get involved and I became a volunteer for Elijah Rising working at bringing awareness and outreach to the Katy area.
In May of 2017, I became staff as the Interventions Director for Elijah Rising. For the past year, I have been working tirelessly to continue to bring awareness not only to Katy but to all parts of the greater Houston area. I also coordinate all of Elijah Risings Interventions, where we intervene on behalf of the women who are enslaved in sex trafficking and sexual exploitation as well as the men who are purchasing sex.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Balancing the needs and responsibilities of self, wife, and mother as well as the psychological demands of my job are difficult. I am mindful of my own self-care and utilize counseling to ensure that I have an outlet for the difficult aspects of my job. I also love kickboxing and coach several nights a week. Kickboxing is one of my stress outlets and has been vital in my own self-development.
Please tell us about Elijah Rising.
Elijah Rising’s mission is to end sex trafficking through prayer, awareness, intervention, and restoration. We are a small non-profit and we rely heavily on our amazing volunteers.
I am the Interventions Director which means I monitor areas of sex trafficking, plan, staff and oversee all current and new interventions, as well as maintain a database of illicit massage parlors, Latin American cantinas, street prostitution, sexually-orientated businesses and hotel prostitution. I also maintain data collected through our interventions including how many establishments have been shut down, how many women were encountered and given the 24/7 hotline number as well as how many men purchasing sex were encountered and given resources.
I am known for my initiative to file complaints to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation on every illicit massage establishment in the state of Texas. To date, with the assistance of volunteers, we have filed over 500 complaints and have a goal to file 50 per month until we have filed complaints against every illicit establishment in Texas.
Elijah Rising is one of the few “boots on the ground” organizations. We don’t just talk about what is going on in our city but we go out and attempt to create relationships, meet needs, bring the hotline number and to show love to those who our society has deemed unworthy. I am thankful for every single organization in this fight against sex trafficking because we all have a role to play but I am proud that our organization is going out and meeting the women where they are.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
We learn and grow from ideas that don’t work so I can’t say that I would have done anything differently. I am learning to rely more heavily on input from survivors from the sex industry and to seek guidance from those who have more experience.
Contact Info:
- Address: 5818 Southwest Freeway Houston, TX 77057
- Website: www.elijahrising.org
- Phone: (832) 628-3439
- Email: vanessa@elijahrising.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elijahrising/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElijahRising
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Elijah_Rising
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/user/ElijahRising
Image Credit:
David Gamboa, Leanna Cox, Laura Chiles
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