About Us

Latisha was a young girl (or so we thought) on the streets of Chicago who had been trafficked as a child and sold across state lines. She was rescued by Elizabeth Ameling, a mom of a then pre-teen daughter, and a team of teenage girls as a part of a church youth trip. They were there in Chicago feeding the hungry and giving out water in the extreme heat. 

As they drove to a safe house, Latisha told us she was 25 years old, was HIV positive, had been raped, charged with assault, and hated being on the street. She said that no one cared if she “lived or died” because she was “invisible.” Latisha had no identification, social security card, address or education. Her personal items had been taken from her years ago. She was forced to turn tricks, was beaten if she kept any money earned, and had to depend on her pimp for any clothing, food, or shelter. Latisha’s life was filled with fear. She had threats of assault, getting arrested, being hungry, too cold or too hot, and no one knew who she was.

Elizabeth and her team arrived at The Dream Center, a safe house in Chicago, where Latisha was welcomed with opened arms. She was told, “welcome home, Latisha, welcome home.”