For women looking to escape a life of trafficking and addiction, the way out seems hopeless. They may get a few days of detox, but most have nowhere to go after discharge. Many ministries and organizations require a woman to be clean and sober for 30 days before they are accepted into their programs. So where can these women go after they leave detox? For most of them, the only place they can go is back on the street – back into the same hopeless situation they were trying to escape. Back into that same hopeless cycle.
Hope-Filled Refuge will provide a safe house for women who want to leave trafficking and addiction. We will be their Refuge between detox and the 30-day requirement. Our goal is to provide for the woman’s immediate needs – shelter, food, toiletries, and clothing, along with basic medical, emotional, and spiritual needs – until she can be placed in a long-term rehab ministry. We want to fill in that gap, and help these women break the hopeless cycle they are caught in. We want to provide help and hope.
Hope-Filled Refuge will be located in a farm setting that, once established, will provide most of our food through gardening and animal husbandry. It will also provide daily activities for the women to participate in, giving them the chance to learn new skills and prepare themselves for a new life.
At this time, Hope-Filled Refuge is in transition. We are currently looking to purchase a home with acreage in central Alabama to establish the farm and provide a safe place away from urban areas. God continues to give us vision as to what He wants His safe house to include. Stay tuned for further updates.
Our founders, Rusty and Krista Guillott
Rusty and Krista Guillott are both registered nurses; they met on a medical mission trip to Africa in 2001 and married in 2002. Through the years, even while working full time in the medical field, they have always been involved in local ministry. They have also opened their home to many other believers, especially by leading small groups. By 2022, however, the Lord began opening their eyes and hearts to the growing problem of human trafficking when they began supporting a local ministry, Hope-Filled Rooms, a ministry that works with trafficked women in the streets of Birmingham, Alabama. By 2023, they realized the very real need for a safe house for these women who want to leave the streets. Rusty and Krista began earnestly praying for someone to fill that need. They were both shocked when, individually, God revealed that He was calling them to open the safe house for women! They are excited about everything the Lord is doing!
If you believe you may have information about a trafficking situation:
1-888-373-7888
Text HELP to BEFREE (233733)