Fort Worth City Council approved a proposal by Mercy Culture Church to build a shelter for human trafficking survivors.
The council voted 6-4 on Tuesday to approve the plan. City Council member Jeanette Martinez, who represents the Oakhurst neighborhood where the proposed shelter would be built, voted against the site plan, according to Fort Worth Report.
The proposed multi-million-dollar structure will include a dining hall, a chapel, an exercise room, business offices, a kitchen, storage rooms, gathering rooms, storage areas, and sleeping rooms to accommodate up to 115 guests.
Members from Mercy Culture were present during the public comment session, urging council members to approve the plan.
“I promise, doing nothing will not stop the injustice of human trafficking,” Kaily Morrow said, per Fort Worth Report. Morrow is a pastor at Mercy Culture and the director of The Justice Reform, a nonprofit organization associated with the church.
“Put yourself in the trafficker’s shoes. They will not be coming to a place where they have 24/7 security,” Morrow said.
Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn, in a video shared at the council meeting, endorsed the plan.
“I think it’s something that the faith-based community should be doing, and (they can) do it better than the government can,” Waybourn said in the video.
However, some members of the Oakhurst community showed up to express their opposition to the site plan.
“If the proposed facility was being built in an appropriate location with discretion and without a public marketing campaign that jeopardizes the safety of survivors and neighbors alike, it would have my full support,” Oakhurst resident Sonalie Barr said, per Fort Worth Report. “None of us are refuting the importance of this cause.”
Members from Mercy Culture celebrated the victory.
“It’s been a long and challenging journey to reach this moment of triumph for The Justice Reform. The Justice Residences stand as a beacon of hope, poised to rescue and transform the lives of countless women, rescuing them from the horrors of human trafficking. While this victory is profound, the fight for freedom and justice continues,” Pastor Steve Penate told The Dallas Express.
According to the 2024 3rd Quarter Crime Report from the Fort Worth Police Department, there were 24 reported cases of human trafficking in 2023 and 17 cases in 2024, reported Fox 4 KDFW.