HAMMOND, La., (WGNO) — The New Orleans Mission, a faith-based organization, has expanded its Lynhaven Retreat.
The 18-acre sanctuary now has seven new duplexes, built for mothers, children and sex trafficking victims who are working to rebuild their lives.
“We’ve been able to walk women through addiction, mental illness, human trafficking and overcome those issues and now reunite them with their kids, so they can become the moms that God created them to become and that was the purpose of these cottages,” said CEO of New Orleans Mission David Bottner.
The free housing is made possible by donations from the community.
“All of our funding is through individual support, corporations and local foundations. We don’t take any government funding, because all of our facilities are faith-based. So, it’s the community making it happen for their community,” Bottner said.
Bottner added that the retreat is a way the women and children can get out of the distractions of the city of New Orleans and focus on their recovery.
The ribbon cutting was held on Wednesday, May 8.
“As they begin to heal from that, we see change externally. You could see pictures of women that came in 87 pounds and walking dead and now they’re full of life and full of energy. So, we see that over and over. I mean, we see over 100 women through our doors, so, we’re not talking about a small group,” Bottner said.
However, there’s still more work to be done.
“There’s always a need so we already have plans for another campus and we’ve been funded to build eight more houses.”
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