Unique home for trafficked teen girls opening soon in Palatine

A home in Palatine for teenage girls who escaped human trafficking will soon open its doors.

The first DCFS-approved home for younger survivors of trafficking in Illinois, the 12-bedroom facility in a wooded area on the village’s north side will hold its grand opening Dec. 17.

It will provide home for trafficking survivors aged 12-18 for six to 24 months. The project is the product of a partnership among Shelter Youth & Family Services, Housing Opportunity Development Corp., S.I. Container Builds Inc. and V3 Companies Ltd.

“We all came together because we saw a significant need not just in our community, but really in the state,” said Carina Santa Maria, CEO of Shelter Youth & Family Services, formerly Shelter Inc.

Currently, trafficking survivors are sent to out-of-state programs or placed in state facilities lacking specialized care, she said. There is often a connection between human trafficking survivors and those in DCFS care.

“We have over 300-plus kids in the state of Illinois who are identified as victims of commercial sexual exploitation of children,” Santa Maria said.

The home will provide 24/7 staffing with professionals, therapists, and survivor-led support groups. The facility will partner with educational experts, school districts, local nonprofits and legal organizations.

“These are probably going to be more of the higher end cases that are going to need some extreme trauma recovery and trauma-informed care who possibly couldn't get that type of healing in a home environment such as foster care,” Santa Maria said.

The facility will meet the additional goal of environmental sustainability — it will be constructed out of shipping containers, courtesy of the Buffalo Grove-based S.I. Container Builds Inc.

“This is something that has never been done before, and it really is meaningful to be able to commit something to the safety of these girls,” said Rory Rubin, CEO of S.I. Container Builds Inc.

The company sources one-trip containers from Chicago's docks that would otherwise end up in “container graveyards.”

Rubin said exterior cladding of the building was finished this week. Interior finishing work will wrap up over the next month. It is the culmination of five months of construction work — a fraction of the couple of years on-site building would require.

“We’re able to build all year round in our factory,” she said.