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By LIZZIE BOWEN | Staff Writer

PELHAM – Blanket Fort Hope, a child sex trafficking survivor advocacy agency, is hosting its official groundbreaking ceremony at the site where their children’s home will be constructed.

The groundbreaking ceremony is set for Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022 from 3:30-5 p.m.

“We are excited to begin construction on the state’s only children’s home that will allow government officials a place to house children that have been trafficked and are unable to remain in the care of their family,” Blanket Fort Hope CEO Alexa James said.

State and local government officials, DHR representatives and law enforcement personnel are expected to be in attendance.

“While child trafficking numbers in Alabama are hard to nail down, we know that there are too many survivors and not enough beds,” James said. “And the survivors that are identified don’t find the resources they truly need to be restored. Our Restoration Home will address this gap.”

Blanket Fort Hope will be serving nine child survivors in its home, focusing on girls ages 12-17. Over the next five years, it hopes to build an additional 6-7 foster homes on its 73-acre property in Shelby County.

“Children are the most common victims of human trafficking,” Bailey said. “Crisis centers are needed to provide hands-on, face-to-face help to those who are the most vulnerable in our state. This under-served group of victims desperately needs this help in Alabama.”

More information can be found by emailing phaedra@blanketforthope.org.