What We Do

Our Goals

While the primary mission of Breaking Free is to provide direct services to victims and survivors, we also aim to: 

• Ensure that the services provided are victim-centered, trauma-informed, and operate within a culturally appropriate, age- and gender-specific context;
• Provide permanent housing and rental or placement assistance to our target population;
• Decriminalize victims and encourage the use of pre-court diversion in lieu of criminal charges against women in prostitution;
• Educate law enforcement, the criminal justice system, medical professionals, service providers, educators and students, faith communities, and the community at large about the effects of commercial sexual exploitation on women;
• Expose prostitution and sex trafficking as violence against women; and
• To stop the demand that drives sex trafficking.

In November 2022, the Breaking Free Board of Directors committed to the organization’s sustainability by entering a robust strategic planning session with an external consultant. Through this process, Breaking Free will redefine the mission, vision, and values of the organization, and identify areas of strength, weakness, and opportunity. The organization will build unity around redefining what “survivor-led” means to the organization today and what programmatic shifts may be necessary for sustainability and growth in the next three to five years. We anticipate that going through a circle of healing and a strategic planning session will strengthen our organization from within, by addressing internal policy, procedure,

comradery, collaboration, and norms, allowing us, in-turn, to better equip the survivors we work with daily and eventually hire on as staff-survivors.

Pausing services at our four-bedroom emergency gap house that opened in 2019 allows the organization time and resources to refocus attention to programmatic and organizational evaluation and understanding our place in the industry and how we can be most impactful. We are committed to ensuring we continue to meet the needs of our community through our street outreach initiatives in both St Paul and Minneapolis, weekly support groups for our Sisters of Survival and Alumni groups, weekly skills-based classes, daily drop-in center assistance, support, and advocacy, and the continuance of our permanent supportive housing program and financial resources provided to clients. 

We commit to keeping our stakeholders involved and apprised of what is happening at Breaking Free and being transparent along the way. We anticipate this process will be inclusive, impactful, and healing for our staff, volunteers, clients, and community and hope that Breaking Free will have support from our community along the way. 

Stay tuned for information on how your voice can be heard through our inclusive strategic planning process!