Christian couple Chris and Anna Smith are opening the first ever shelter for sex trafficked boys later this year, and the couple believes the project was completed because of God's will.
According to Anna, Anchor House, a 4,430-square-foot, two-story main building and a 1,639-square-foot cottage facility was funded by private donors and will be operating free from debt.
Anna admitted that from the onset, they encountered many challenges such as finding the perfect location for the facility, which took several months. When they finally found the ideal lot to build the facility, there was also strong opposition from the community who believed that their safety would be compromised by having the facility of sex trafficked boys so near their homes, Christian Headlines reported.
Residents raised concerns that the couple - who did not want to compromise the location of the facility because some of boys would need to testify in court - did not disclose the purpose behind acquiring the land originally.
In order to allay the concerns of the community, the couple organised a series of informational meetings for the community in which they shared their plans for Anchor Home.
They assured their neighbors that boys who will live in the home will be referred by law enforcement and advocacy groups from around the country and will have to pass drug screenings and personality evaluations before being admitted into the home.
To address issues on confidentiality, the home will not accommodate referrals from the local community. To address issues on security, a group of volunteers, night guards, supported by a high tech security system will monitor the facility.
While community members were not very pleased with the idea of housing a home for sex trafficked boys, they eventually began to accept it.
"Looking back, I am grateful for the heartache of this journey. God was moving us at His own pace, growing us, and maturing us," Anna said.
