A House Built With Many Hands
BY GINGER WILLIAMS
Featured in Vol 8, Issue 2: Philanthropy
A Jackson Police Department officer stares into the face of a woman working as a prostitute; his only option was to arrest her. He had no evidence or proof to arrest the man who was likely her trafficker. But where would the officer take her? Years later, this same officer would write a check to the Scarlet Rope Project, a home for survivors of sex trafficking.
This is how it started for many who have become involved with the Scarlet Rope Project’s new house, their own stories leading them to participate in building a place for others to feel safe and to heal.
Years ago, a Bible study teacher sat straight up in her bed one night while watching a Youtube video about sex trafficking and asked God, “What can I do to stop this?” She called her friend, a nurse who ran triathlons, to discuss what could be done. Six years later, those two friends, Debbie Currie and Julanne Stone, early leaders of the Scarlet Rope Project, led a tour of women through a partially completed house that will soon house survivors of sex trafficking in Jackson, Tennessee.
There are countless stories of people from all sorts of backgrounds coming together to build this one house. Each contributor’s gifts are being used in ways they had not dreamed of.
A realtor builds her first house, and begins to dream of the neighborhoods she could build one day. A young mom takes a leap to start her own interior design business and arranges furniture to make houses into homes. An attorney loses her husband and begins a journey of healing. An addict attends an AA meeting, celebrates one year sober and begins mentoring other addicts. Each of these stories have played a part in people becoming board members, advocates, counselors and builders for the Scarlet Rope Project.
This spring, many of them stood together on a dirt plot on McCowat Street in Jackson, their individual stories culminating in this moment. They are building a house together that none of them will ever live in. The foundation has been laid and the studs are up for a house that will be a safe haven of healing for survivors of sex trafficking: The Scarlet Rope House.
The current Scarlet Rope House, just down the street, has been housing survivors for several years. Inside, paint and plaster flakes off of the bathroom walls, the water coming out of one of the sinks smells like sulfur, and the A/C unit struggles on hot summer nights. Many donations and kind hands have made the house a home, but it’s old, crowded, and not always functional. The survivors will live there for a year or more depending on their situation.
One is now in college, and needs a quiet place to study. Another is still feeling the darkness of detox; she’s barely able to function. Another is meeting with the staff to work through more stories she’s just remembering. Two ladies sit at the kitchen table to plan meals for the week.
Outside, a survivor jumps out of her chair. Wide-eyed, she grips her cigarette and then quickly calms down realizing the danger isn’t coming. It’s just the wind blowing a shingle off of the roof. Every creak, backfire, sudden movement, car pulling into the driveway or meeting a new person; how long will it take to feel normal? What is normal? The things that have been done to her and over and over can’t be shared; after all, it’s her story. She stares blankly, and then a moment later she laughs at a joke shared in the group. Healing is a bumpy road; if we can even call it a road. She’s more than a victim; she’s a survivor.
“There are very few long term care facilities across the country for survivors; many have been through drug treatment facilities numerous times, but 30 days isn’t enough time to establish new habits and allow for deep layers of suffering,” said Julanne Stone, Nurse and Director of Scarlet Rope Project.“Yes, sex trafficking happens in Jackson, Tennessee. We aren’t just here to help stop trafficking; we are here to educate the community and to provide a long term facility that will give these women a chance to heal and start living a new life. But, we couldn’t build a house by ourselves. We needed a lot of help.”
Melanie Bucholz, Attorney and Director of Survivor Services said, “From learning to cook and shop for the whole house, to budgeting and sleeping at normal hours, attending Bible study, counseling and having 24 care from trauma-informed counselors who have fought their own share of issues, Scarlet Rope Project provides a rich array of resources that the women need to heal. We also need a house that allows women to live here for a long time while accommodating different phases of healing.
We regularly get calls from people in the community who just want to help. But, we also have to protect these women whose vulnerabilities have been exposed in the worst ways. We only allow volunteers who are willing to make long-term commitments and go through trauma-informed training. Building a new house has given the community an amazing opportunity to be a part of helping sex trafficking survivors heal in a very real way.”
At the new house, builders and Bible study teachers used red sharpies to tattoo the studs with Bible verses. The survivors also wrote on the boards of the rooms that will be theirs in only a few months.
Light flows through the efficiently designed house with high ceilings and an open floor plan. From the oversized pantry to the study room and counseling room, the house has been specifically designed for those who will come through the Scarlet Rope Project Residential Program. The firepit encourages conversation; the in-home office keeps the staff near; the kitchen table is for community dinner. Every piece of furniture and every wall has been talked about, planned, prayed about and selected to make life in the Scarlet Rope House a home of healing.
So who is building the Scarlet Rope house? It’s complicated.
What does it look like when an entire city builds a house together? It means that the giving comes in layers. Aspell gifted the lot across the street from their campus. Donors gave money. The organization Eight Days of Hope built the frame. Many others poured over blueprints, furniture, budgets, grants, etc. making decisions for a house they will never occupy.
“I remember sitting down with Frank McMeen at West Tennessee Healthcare Foundation when they were still helping us do our books,” said Julanne Stone. “He has been a great resource. Also, when big donors, like Carl and Alice Kirkland, stepped forward, he made sure that their gift was handled correctly. There are so many others that have contributed by fundraising, building, decorating and planning.”
There are too many to name and no one person contributes more than another. Instead, they’ve all jumped in with their resources and gifts to build a home for women they may never meet. Their own stories have intersected at this moment in history, leading them to this moment to make an impact on the story of someone else. They are building a home together; a home for survivors of sex trafficking. A home that will be in Jackson for years to come.
Who built the Scarlet Rope House? No one built it, and everyone built it. No one person will ever be able to take credit and, without the support of many, it would’ve never happened.
Where do the survivors belong now? The old places are haunted, and they don’t fit there anymore. They are survivors and just passing through. They are welcome here, in a house built with many hands, the Scarlet Rope House. Learn more at www.scarletropeproject.com.
Ginger Williams is a lifetime Jackson resident, who has been a contributor and editor of the Jackson Business Journal, as well as one of the writers of the history book of Jackson: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow and Our Jackson Home. She has spearheaded community events including the citywide water balloon fight on 731 Day; and created the Arts Backstage, a networking event for Jackson’s leaders to meet Jackson’s local artists. She has served on the board for the Jackson Arts Council and the Scarlet Rope Project. She is also a local real estate investor and top producer at Town & Country Realtors. She and her husband Matt, have two sons, Blake and Ethan.