Amos and her congregants noticed that women working in nearby exotic dance clubs on North Dixie Drive in Harrison Twp. were being exploited. They bravely went inside the clubs to offer support and kindness to the dancers.
“Many of the dancers were addicted to alcohol and drugs, and seemingly had given up on their dreams of happiness, family, and home,” said the current executive director of the nonprofit, Dona Pierce. “But the volunteers wanted them to know they were very special, and deserved respect. Happily, many positive bonds were developed along the way.”
Over time, there was a need for more resources which led to the establishment of Oasis House.
“We were the first organization of its kind to help the community better understand the depth of the problem” Pierce said “It wasn’t just women choosing that line of work— dancing or some other type of sexual exploitation. They were often coerced, manipulated, drugged and forced. At that time, the community had overlooked or failed to acknowledge the extent of the crisis.”
Today, Oasis House continues to serve human trafficking survivors by offering direct services to those in need of advocacy, safe housing, therapy, educational programming, and spiritual guidance.
There’s a weekly bible study in the Montgomery County Jail. Pierce said survey results reflect that well over half of the female inmates in this project share that they have been harmed in a sexual way. She suggests this is strong evidence to prove that many of the incarcerated women are victims themselves, despite their offender status for other crimes.
While she does not condone criminal behavior, she believes that without adequate help these women will likely continue to incur barriers to success and create more strain on the social and criminal justice systems.
According to Pierce, experience shows that many women engaged in one form or another of sexual exploitation are the victims of childhood sexual abuse.
“This fact makes it imperative that our community address and protect children in every way possible.”
To that point, Oasis House recently developed a guide for youth on conquering child sex abuse and exploitation. They plan to share the workbooks with local teen group leaders so they can choose how to best educate and protect their youth.
A safe house
Oasis House operates a safe house where women can live up to two years as they work on healing and transformation to good health and wellness.
Here’s what they can use:
- Non-bleach cleaning supplies
- Laundry detergent
- Sandwich, freezer plastic storage bags, foil and plastic wrap
- Shampoo and conditioner for damaged hair
- Feminine products
- Small and large trash bags
- New bath, hand and wash towels
- Dish-washing soap
- New bras (in all sizes)
- Scarves, gloves, hats
- Journals, devotionals
- Copy paper
- Postage stamps
- Gift cards for pizza or fast-food restaurants, Walmart, Target, Kohl’s, Kroger, Lowe’s, Visa, MasterCard, Speedway, Amazon, gas cards
If you’d like to drop off items you are asked to call ahead to schedule a time: 937- 898-7811. The Oasis House office is located at the Job Center, 1133 S. Edwin C. Moses Blvd., Suite 384, Dayton 45417.
Other ways to help:
The organization can use help with a variety of jobs ranging from teaching educational classes, jail ministry, household repairs, or conducting small fund-raisers for the organization.
For more information, see www.oasishouse.org. If you have questions, contact 937-898-7811 or email dpierce@oasisforwomen.org.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Meredith Moss writes about Dayton-area nonprofit organizations and their specific needs. If your group has a wish list it would like to share with our readers, contact Meredith: meredith.moss@coxinc.com. Please include a daytime phone number and a photo that reflects your group’s mission.
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