Frequently Asked Questions
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Bremen and Haralson County is our community too! Covenant Life has a vested interest in keeping our community safe and in being a good neighbor to our community members. With that in mind, we offer answers to questions that are probably on people's minds about this project. Feel free to ask others using the Contact button above and submitting your question!
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What security measures will you have in place? Some member(s) of the House of Cherith staff will be on-site and alert at all times. Cameras will also be used to monitor hallways, exits, parking lot, and exteriors.
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What happens if a resident decides to quit the program? There are standard protocols in place to handle residents who want to quit their program. House of Cherith staff members will develop an exit plan with them to make sure they get to a different program or at least a safe place, and will even provide transportation to their desired destination. On the rare occasion that she refuses to work that process and wants to leave immediately, they will take her to a safe location and contact other local agencies who will assist with getting her where she wants to go.
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Do the residents have unsupervised time? No. There is a strict schedule that is followed daily and the women are accounted for at all times. Eventually, several months into their program, they can earn "passes" so they can leave the premises with an approved person, for an approved activity (such as shopping or dining), and for an approved amount of time. At no time are they just allowed to wander.
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What is the danger of pimps/traffickers coming here? This will be a Phase 2 program. Phase 1 takes place at the main campus in Atlanta and includes time in the "safe house" portion. This is a 7-10 day window of time during which the trafficker may still be looking for his "property". After that time, they typically just recruit someone else to take her place, thus replacing that "revenue stream". Remember, this is an economic venture for the trafficker. They can make as much as $35,000 a week in Atlanta. They will not waste time and money for long looking for one particular woman. In addition, the whereabouts of these women are kept confidential. The trafficker should not have knowledge of her location. If for some reason a trafficker does find her location, there are protocols in place to deal with those emergencies, and local law enforcement is just moments away should we need them.
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What is the danger of a resident trying to set up a prostitution ring in Bremen/Haralson County? The overwhelming majority of women in our facility will have been rescued from a trafficker in the metro area. Women who leave the program to go back to "the life" tend to immediately contact their trafficker and seek to return to their "track" - the area they are accustomed to working. It makes far more sense to return to the familiarity of their former clients than to try to start from scratch in an unfamiliar small town.
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What will be the impact on local schools? None. There will be no children at this campus for the foreseeable future.
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What will be the impact on traffic and utilities? Minimal to negligible. The church is on a US Highway and a fairly well-traveled side street. There should be no noticeable increase in traffic. There will be a slight increase in water and power usage, but considering that 12 residents would be the max capacity, that would not impact the infrastructure in any significant way.
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What will be the economic impact? There will be approximately 3 full-time and 3-4 part time staff members at this campus. Priority will be given to hiring locally. In addition, we will be seeking to make connections with local health and mental health providers to assist the residents with their needs. That will have a beneficial impact on the local economy as well.
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