Anna grew up in California, Ohio, and felt she had a good childhood in her early years. But many of the adults in Anna’s life were suffering from mental illness. At age 11, tragedy struck the family when Anna’s great grandparents died by suicide. Anna’s mother also experienced mental illness and didn’t adequately protect her, which became evident as Anna approached adoles cence. Her mother’s boyfriend raped Anna, and her mother blamed her, helping set the pattern for many of Anna’s later interactions with men.
Anna went to live with her grandmother between the ages of 11 and 18, but she was also in and out of foster care when raising her became too much for Anna’s grandmother to handle.
Anna had a great deal of trouble in school, both with being bullied and picking fights. Anna’s first child was born when she was in her late teenage years, and she became enmeshed in a series of relationships that went from bad to worse.
Her former partner “John” represented the worst end of that spectrum. Anna lost custody of her children when John accidentally injured her two-year old while he was high on drugs. Her grandmother, who had partially raised Anna, began caring for Anna’s children. But in another blow to the family, Anna’s grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer and died within four months. Anna felt so alone without her grandmother and found herself returning to John.
John introduced Anna to harder drugs, and eventually, to prostitution. Anna’s children, including one by John, went into foster care. Anna became pregnant again by one of the men she was trafficked to, and by this time she was addicted to drugs, as was the baby that she gave up for adoption.
Anna tried to get clean but had been in and out of jail from 2002 to 2015. Getting clean is hard enough without the insecurity that comes with frequent periods of incarceration. She eventually was able to separate from John, although she was still doing drugs. Anna got sober for two years before relapsing.
Then in 2018, Anna reached back out to Scarlet Hudson, who she had previously met some years earlier. Scarlet has a faith-based street ministry called Women of Alabaster that provides pathways to freedom to victims of sex trafficking and addiction. Anna committed to getting sober with Scarlet’s support. She began connecting with good people who gave Anna the tools she desperately needed to move forward with her life.
Anna has maintained her sobriety now for six years. Anna heard about OJPC through a friend within that recovery community. Second Chance Director Verjine Adanalian helped Anna see that she was a victim who was not responsible for her trauma. Anna was, however, responsible for her healing, and OJPC was ready to assist.
With help from the Second Chance team at OJPC, Anna’s records have been expunged under Ohio’s safe harbor expungement law. Through your generosity, OJPC can continue to help more clients like Anna who have been victims of human trafficking.
Having her record expunged has allowed Anna to focus on her dream job, being a peer navigator for the Hamilton County Justice Center’s care pod and she is credentialed as a Chemical Dependency Counselor Assistant II (CDCA II). Anna is currently attending college to complete her Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor II (LCDC II).
Anna wouldn’t be able to work at the jail without her record being expunged, and she wouldn’t have bothered attending college previously. Her record expungement has meant a completely new life for Anna. Her passion for her work is obvious. “I get up every day and come to work so that other women can realize they can take ownership of their lives,” Anna states. “They just need one person to believe in them, and I can be that person.” Our community is better for Anna’s determination to pay forward the help she received. And your help can make a difference for so many women like Anna.
After working hard to rebuild relationships with several of her children, Anna now has five grandchildren that she adores. Anna wants to be as special to her grandchildren as her grandmother was to her.
Anna is grateful for OJPC’s support, and she sees a bright future for herself. “I’m going to be a full-time counselor working for a nonprofit, sharing my experiences so that others don’t have to experience what I did.”
With your support, more individuals like Anna can succeed with OJPC’s legal assistance.
If you’ve already made a recent gift to OJPC this season, THANK YOU! If you haven’t yet donated, I hope you’ll consider including OJPC in your year-end giving plans. Your support truly makes the difference for Anna and so many others.
In gratitude,
Gabe Davis
CEO