Groundbreaking held for new Scarlet Rope House in Jackson
JACKSON, Tenn. — Wednesday, people gathered for the groundbreaking of the new Scarlet Rope House that has just begun construction.
“We’ve been downtown four years in a safe house, and so we are actually breaking ground to build a new safe house that will double the capacity to serve survivors of sex trafficking,” said Julanne Stone, the Executive Director of the Scarlet Rope Project.
Along with being a bigger building to house more survivors, Stone says she also hopes it will stand as a representation of the nonprofit’s mission.
“We’re hoping that the construction of this home kind of gets our name even more out in the community to make people aware that we are here, but more importantly, for people to be aware that we have victims of sex trafficking here in this community. And so we want to start a broader conversation in our community about sex trafficking and what that looks like,” Stone said.
Stone says getting a new safe house has been in the works for the last three and a half years.
The plan was forced to be put on the back burner due to the pandemic.
She says finally being able to make it happen wouldn’t have been possible without the support of those in the community.
“We are a faith-based, grass roots nonprofit started here in Jackson,” Stone said. “We are based off of private grants and donations through private individuals and businesses, and so the community has made this possible because of those relationships that we have with different businesses and individuals and it’s because of that, that we’re able to build this house.”
Stone says the nonprofit hopes to have the new building completed by November of this year.
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