[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 102 (Tuesday, June 19, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E862-E863]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOVERING AT THE REFUGE RANCH

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 19, 2018

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in Austin, Texas there is a beautiful 
community with pets, rooms for arts and music, and beds for 48 young 
girls. No, this is not a sorority house, rather it is a safe haven for 
victims of domestic sex trafficking.
   Known as The Refuge Ranch, this community is designed to assist 
girls that have been rescued from the evils of sex trafficking and will 
open its doors this coming August. When the first girls arrive at the 
ranch, they will have access to a school, counselors, and different 
types of therapy including art, garden, and music therapy.

[[Page E863]]

   Not only will these girls find an abundance of resources on the 
grounds, they will also each be able to create a unique plan of 
restoration known as the Refuge Circle of Care. While volunteers have 
been working tirelessly to build these facilities and bring in 
furniture, girls all over America have been raising money for the 
cause.
   One organization of passionate college-aged women known as ``Pedal 
the Pacific'' will be cycling 1,700 miles down the west coast to raise 
$250,000 for the ranch--more than double the $60,000 they raised last 
year. It is through people such as these that communities like the 
Ranch are able to be built and provide victims a home where they can 
heal.
   Such spaces are necessary, as today in my home state of Texas there 
are almost 79,000 minors that are victims of sex trafficking. Yet, even 
though child sex trafficking is the fastest growing crime in this 
country, there are not even 600 beds offered nationwide for child sex 
trafficking survivors to be able to recover long-term. Organizations 
like Refuge Ranch have the right idea in creating more communities and 
offering more beds to victims of this horrific crime. When it opens in 
August, the Refuge Ranch will be the largest live-in rehabilitation 
facility for rescued victims of minor sex trafficking in the United 
States. Those at the Refuge Ranch have the right idea and I am certain 
that they will provide 48 young girls with not just a safe place to 
sleep, but a home in which they can heal.
   And that's just the way it is.

                          ____________________