Freeway Phantom - BONUS: Courtney's House

Episode Date: July 19, 2023

We explore an issue deeply connected to the missing persons cases we've disccused this season: domestic trafficking. Tina Frundt of Courtney's House in D.C. takes us through her story as a survivor, and how her nonprofit works to combat the effects of human trafficking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The True Crime Podcast, Sacred Scandal, returns for a second season to investigate a led sexual abuse at Mexico's La Luz del Mundo Mega Church. Journalist Robert Garza explores survivor stories of pure evil experiences at the hands of a self-proclaimed apostle who is now behind bars. I remember as a little girl being groomed to be his concubine, that's how I was raised. It is not wrong if you take your clothes off for the Apostle. Listen to Sacred Scandal on the IHR radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. 911 what's your emergency? It's a nightmare we could never have imagined. An Achiller?

Who is still on the loose? In the 1980s we're in high school losing friends, teachers, and community members. We weren't safe anywhere. Would we be next? It was getting harder and harder to live in Mompine. Listen to the Murder Years on the iHeart Radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Freeway Phantom is available each week on Wednesdays to hear each episode add free and one

week early. Check out 10terfootplus at 10terfootplus.com. You'll listen to Freeway Phantom, a production of I Heart Radio, 10terfoot TV and Black Barber Midsfu. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the podcast author or individuals participating in the podcast and do not represent those of IHR media, Tinderfoot TV, Black Bar Mitzvah, or their employees. This podcast also contains subject matter that may not be suitable for everyone.

Listener discretion is advised. Here's the reality of Missing Youth. In a salary, reality, the reason why you all don't see it. So if you're listening to this right now, I want you to go on DC's website, police website and look for missing kids. And I'm missing children that come up. I'm going to tell you right now 90% of the boys and girls are in my program. The hard thing is we can't tell you who because these are still open cases so it's hard when it's traffic. The homicide detectives termed the cases the little girl cases. This child was laying on the side of the road.

I wouldn't go, no way. I wouldn't come out. Those first five murders should have been a huge warning bell for the police. We just want to know what happened. This person must have saw that they were thinking that maybe it's just one person. He says, oh, they need to know. This is me. I thought they'd take with Ketchum.

I thought it was just a matter of time. I'm Celeste Headley, and this is Freeway Phantom. Over the course of this season, we've covered the murders of eight young black girls that occurred in Washington, DC, between 1971 and 1972. Six were confirmed victims of the freeway phantom and two were unconfirmed. In talking about each of these cases, we've uncovered bigger systemic issues at play, like racial bias in the media and police response. But while talking to Henderson Long of DC's missing voice, we became aware of another issue

that's sadly too prevalent today, human trafficking. Today, many of the reports of missing children can be attributed to child sex trafficking. Whenever you talk about missing people, you better address trafficking because it's always gonna come up. In 2022, 25,000 children were reported to the National Center for Missing and Expoited Children as runaways. The Center reports that one in six of those kids

were likely victims of child sex trafficking. Anytime a young person is missing, they can victims of child sex trafficking. Anytime a young person is missing, they can fall victim to sex trafficking, they can fall victim to physical abuse. This is important. Whether they ran away on their own, or whether they were abducted is so important. And I don't wanna minimize structures in the family

and voluntary, when a person leave voluntarily don't mean they left voluntary. It's coercion going on from the camp, and Tina's going to get into all of this. Henderson told us about Courtney's house, a DC-based organization that works with survivors of childhood sexual exploitation. The organization receives dozens of referrals every year. For this bonus episode, we sat down with its founder, a domestic sex trafficking survivor, to discuss the issues currently facing other survivors, and the work that her nonprofit does to advocate for and support them.

My name is Tina Front, executive director and founder of Courtney's House is based in Washington, DC. The mission isn't to rescue, right? It's to give survivors a place of community and encouragement to help them get out the life and that they learn the tools so they won't re-enter the life. It's not about saving people with a hill. That's God, I can't save you, but I can help you and lead you to the water and encourage you to drink it. That's what I can do without judging.

As a trafficking survivor herself, Tina decided to devote her life to helping others escape exploitation. She joined advocacy groups, fighting to support other survivors, but it wasn't easy, and her own journey out of trafficking wasn't quite over. After years working in anti-trafficking nonprofits, she considered going back into what she calls the life. I actually was in a very bad place. Couldn't make no money directly last child. So it was crazy doing all this stuff.

Want to see a man here, I was a ward. It still wasn't doing good. Because I wasn't supposed to be there. So I went out on the track. This is like 2007. So I went out on the track. A track is like, where you go, right? If you want to sell yourself, I'll never call it sex work.

Because I never thought it was. So with that being said, it's Chicago, it's one of real winter. It is literally five degrees outside. You know, it's people out. But what I was paying attention to was, I'm just gonna walk around and see if any pimps out here in this adventure. And it was, the car started following me. It was a pimps.

So I'm like, shit, I can't go home because he found me. So I'm like, I'm about to cut through the alley. I hear this sound and I'm about to run because I think that it's a wreck. It's about about to fall, but you know, it doesn't look like a wreck. So it was this girl who was like 15.

I had him behind the dumpster, and then I realized that pick was also looking for her. So I was like, hey, I'm about to help you. So I did, and at that time, I really couldn't find anything in Chicago. You know, that really worth the traffic in or really did what they said for a place for her to go to. But I was able to talk to foster care and find its placement, and then I realized I'm supposed to go back to DC. Tina's calling was clear, helping survivors like herself get back on their feet, but she still struggled to find her place within the system. Her previous experience is working for domestic trafficking advocacy groups, left her feeling

burned out, and exploited. I didn't want to start my own organization. And when I say that, that's because I was at another organization. And being a survivor is actually pretty hard in this movement. Being at this organization, it was difficult. I worked 90 hours a week, took care of my mother, and also had two small children at that time. And when I left that place, I was drained.

I was mentally drained. So I was feeling pretty down. And as a survivor, I felt used it. I felt like I had another pimping. It was an organization. As a black woman, I felt like this movement wasn't creative for me. It as a survivor, I felt that.

And that's crazy because it was off of my tears. Before happening to me, that it was created off of, but I was feeling pretty down so my mom at the time was like, look, you guys started your organization. Like, I want you to start your organization. She's very religious. And I said, uh-uh, no, that's not. No, but it's not the science.

Two weeks after that, I get a call from the foundation. I used to find the organization I was with for the house and so they funded it so they knew I ran it. And it came to me and said, we have a grant that's coming out. You should apply for it. Got the grant. It was $120,000.

And I'll stay with you. So I said, well, why don't you do what you need to know how to do street outreach? So to do? Street outreach. So we started with street outreach, like I started for other people. Said I'll start that getting people out, give volunteers. And I'll train them correctly. We're gonna do real-ass street outreach, right?

Like on the Pim Control tracks, on the ground, with a Pimpset. And so I did. So we did things different. I switched up the items we gave were pimped at. So I did. So we did things different. I switched up the items we gave out every six months. So first it was like chapstick, smears. Getting into the neighborhoods themselves, showing up in these communities.

Her willingness to meet people where they were, helped establish Tina and her volunteers as friendly and supportive faces in the communities. What made me feel good at night, like what really made me feel good was that you would see people. They would pull them out and we would pass the smile. And they would say things because you have to bring a message to shoot for them. This is not even one situation in the new world. We had a youth, our first mother at 13,

when they started to array it, she didn't come to me until she was 15. But I used to see her at the rates and what happened was most of my referrals come word-of-mouth. And I'm so honored by that, because it's other youth in the program that tell their friends.

And so that's what actually happened with her. She used so many's what actually happened with her. She knew so many people that were receiving our services. She decided to trust us. After months of hard work, securing funding, 501C3 status, and establishing community relationships, it was time to find a home base. Tina settled on a house in the Congress Heights neighborhood

of DC. This would become Courtney's house, which opened in 2008. My youngest daughter's name is Courtney and my oldest daughter's name is Shanae, but the house in was gonna be Shay in Courtney's house, but I didn't name it. My mom left that in her will. The name, and she left me a small amount of money to start Courtney's house. Courtney's house works with youth survivors of trafficking. They come to the program through referrals and many of them have been on the missing children registry.

Tina and everyone who staffs Courtney's house had built a robust community in the DC area, connecting with many of these missing kids who might otherwise be forgotten by the system. So if you for missing, there's two parts of that story. If they're currently missing right now, foster care, others, parents, they still refer them to me. I still look for you for a lot.

There are sites, but more importantly, most of our kids know of my, and people who are in the life you all, we all know them. It's the same people. So that's my first start. And because I have a relationship with them, we can work with the police and help in that sort. Because I usually have more information than the police do. So that's one. And I know a lot of different places where people put people. So that's one, and I know a lot of different places where people put people.

So, that's one, too. Henderson Long and I have been thinking of ways where we can say things. So, behind the scenes, I do email Henderson Long and say who's in our program or not. And if we need their help, but publicly, he cannot give that information. Henderson and Tina agree that when legal terms like trafficking are turned into buzzwords through media firestorms, the risk of misinformation that comes with the heightened tension is high. The way I kind of break down a few words so that we can understand. Modeling day, trafficking, trafficking.

These are buzzwords we've all heard. So the reason why they came up with trafficking that confuses everybody. They got the other things that are connected to trafficking, right? Drug trafficking, organ trafficking, guys. It's a government work. Government doesn't make up new words for things.

They don't. They add it to one. So then it confused all of you, because it's created by the government and lawyers, not by people. So what that meant is the charge of trafficking. So that can mean you walk you to came here today to interview me and I, and that's what I told you. But I locked the doors, took everything and I forced you either to clean the drop in the sun, for sure to have sex with somebody against your will. You're over the age of 18 just barely. So then I have to prove any trickery, any fraud. So trickery, how did I trick you to come here? Fraud, I lied about something.

And then you're over the age of 18, so I have to prove that you didn't choose it. If you are 12 or under the age of 18, then you don't have to prove any force of fraud. So that's what trafficking gets to have the next thing that confuses people is a Pimp and a Traffaker. The reality is a Pimp and a Traffaker is the is a pimp and a trafficker is the same. Pimp is a trafficking charge. They're going to pimp, charge, they get a trafficking charge.

That's the confusion, right? Because we try to separate it because the TV glamor rises, Pimp's, oh, they just fun. They got a pimp slap. They fun. It's so fun, but it's not. Sacred Skando, one of the best new podcasts of 2022, is back with a closer look at the darkness surrounding mega-church La Luz del Mundo and its leader, Nasson Joaquin Garcia. They believe that he was Jesus Christ on Earth. It wasn't even so much that he liked sex. He wanted something to pray.

It's the largest cult in the world that no one has ever heard of. For three generations, La Luz del Mundo had an incredible control on his community that began in Mexico and then grew across the United States. Until one day, A day of reckoning for the man whose millions of followers called him, the Apostle. Their leader was arrested and survivors began to speak out about the sexual abuse, the murder and corruption. This is just a business and their product are people. They will kill you.

Listen to all episodes now on the I Heart Rainy Up, Apple Podcasts, or whatever you get your podcasts. 911, what's your emergency? You shot her! Oh my God! It's a nightmare we could never have imagined. And a killer who is still on the loose. My small town rocked by murder. There are certain murders I'm scared to discuss.

In the 1980s, we're in high school losing friends, teachers, and community members. One after another, after another, for a decade. We weren't safe anywhere. We're teenagers terrified to leave our own homes. Would we be next? Who is killing all the kids? And why? In that moment, I saw rage.

And why do you some want the town's secrets to stay dead and buried forever? I'm not sure why you're digging up all this old stuff again, but I'd be careful. Don't say I didn't warn you, Nancy. Listen to the Murder Years on the iHeart Radio app Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Tina says the business of sex trafficking is much more complicated than most people realize. It can take shape in various forms, influenced by gender, ethnicity, and a number of other

social and cultural factors. I want to break down real quickly so you all can understand the four forms of domestic sex trafficking, right? There's PIP control. Most people just talk about that. There is family control. Since the pandemic, 42% of our youth, family control. The next thing gained control,

but you see a lot here of our Latino population. So you'll see MS-13 and 18 street Los Locals. So that's the most popular. and 18 street Los Locals. So that'd be the most popular. And then of course the boys. And the reason why the categorized that way is because you love those different things, right? You're not traffic the same.

So it's very difficult with the boys because what boy wants to say they were sex traffic, sexually abused, without, unfortunately, the African-American community thinking they're good. And I'm just, that's the saddest piece to me. Tina points out that it's not just a misunderstanding of the terminology hurting the movement,

but also a misunderstanding of how to combat trafficking as well. Throughout this season, we talked about how the 2017 hashtag, Missing DC Girls Went Viral. What began as a way to raise awareness of several cases involving missing black and brown teenagers quickly led to complications for the DC Police Department and organizations like Courtney's house. Look, I got everything, man. One, it was just girls.

And not all the boys that were online missed it as well, who were also in my program, where I was like, wait, it's a whole section known as boys. They didn't understand the trafficking and didn't even reach out to people to help them understand. They just like, hashtag, and not, we were furious.

Our kids with furious come into the center like not understanding trafficking. Also, me the kids angry and having trauma. They were literally telling me like they always do. Miss Tanya, you need to call them. Miss, I love them because they had the guy of world power then I had. And we're like, you need to call them a tell them

because this misinformation is not true. You heard the cause when you leave out a whole gender. So the real the kids that are missing like right now, It's not true. You heard the cause when you leave out a whole gender. So the rule, the kids are missing like right now. That is a quick, that lasted for a few months, child. A couple of months. And then that's it. And no one cares.

And the list has grown more than it was. And that's what it did. It hurt. And again, with the boys, it's more boys missing right now than girls. Although we're not talking about that, hashtag nothing. And this begs the boys. It's more boys missing right now than girls, but we're not talking about that, hasch at nothing. And this begs the question, if more young boys are missing than young girls,

why aren't they receiving at least an equal amount of attention? They don't want to believe the traffic can go boys. That's why I think it is. I really think is, they don't. Like, I have to convince people which doesn't make sense. And the way I say it, just to make them think always is. I really think is. They don't. I have to convince people which doesn't make sense. And the way I say it,

just to make them think always is this. Why do we think, we know that boys are abused just like girls. So why would we think, oh, I'll just abuse them, but not profit off the dime. Like say it out loud, it don't make sense.

Right, but the problem is, the boys are the perfect. You know why? They don't say anything about that. The girls will. The boys won't. Tina says racial disparities are another hurdle in the movement to help traffic teens.

These disparities are present in the legal system in policing and even in institutions meant to provide support the nonprofit organizations. She says Courtney's house is fighting against that and trying to set a better example. I'm part of Hope Court. Hope Court in D.C. is a special last court for sex trafficking. So I'm part of that. I don't believe in a court system

that you should go into a court system. I'm on it so they can give the right services at the same time Courtney's house trying to shut it down. Why? Because it's all youth of color. And yes, Caucasian kids are trafficked here. They come to me a different way. They come to me by referrals through their therapists, you are.

And they're at private, very well-known private schools in the area, but because I train therapists, it always comes that way. The police return them home, give them a therapist, and then they come to me. It always comes that way. The police return them hot, give them a therapist, and then they come to me. It's not that way for you for people of color, black or brown, and like that. If you look right now, most of the organizations are Caucasian. That work on traffic that have houses and most of them are faith based. Most of them when you go on their website will also tell you in no

shade because God led me to this but God led me to this to make sure I had skills but they say, I just prayed on and on and God gave me a house. I've never seen it because they call me all the time. I've never started a housing the day in my life. I don't know what to do But God put in my heart to do this and I say in that right I said, well God Well, so probably told you can't tell people I'm kind of people that know what they do So they don't partner with me they want to steal my information for free They always tell me how they don't have money just boy So you think these are the places I will refer to any of the Black youth and also the programs they go to,

they want to leave because of the racism. Other kids tease them that are Caucasian, the staff not saying nothing. The racism is throughout this movement. It's very difficult. And Tina's solution? To get involved in every aspect of the movement, from working on policy to training judges to implementing a curriculum on domestic sex trafficking in the school system. I will tell you if you talk to anyone in this area, they are going to say,

it's going to do everything. Han, see, you have to because like one needs the other. I started a youth policy group and it's funded, and now you youth get paid. I don't believe in these things where they ask the youth from giving $25 a gift cards. So, it's $75 every week and $100 for all politicians, you know, they talk to. First we worked on, because they really wanted to work on the not legalizing prostitution in DC, so we were able to block that view.

And right now, we're focusing on foster care, changing some policy. Then I am the first faculty survivor, African-American, for the National Judicial of Judges Training Center. So we trained judges. One might have identified and not arresting. So I focus heavily on my don't arrest because actually because they're judges

for all of them. Okay, I just want to tell you how many of them are like, you know what I do? I just put her in jail and then she'll talk and that's actually the behavior that we try to change the other alternative ways. The other way I work on that is we have a curriculum coming out in schools, not in DC, Maryland, all of Virginia,

but 23 other states. And it is for kindergarten through 12th grade. I really feel like it all has to be a community of understanding what's going on in our own neighborhoods and what's affecting our kids. We're getting good grades, we've got a good schools in the area, they talk about grown people manipulating so of course anyone can get manipulated. We have to work on 500 things of changing laws. We didn't change laws like we have to write because we have to still do the work and support them.

We didn't change laws like we have to, right? Because we have to still do the work and support them. Tina says, approaching the issue holistically like this makes a huge difference because unlike many other similar organizations, Courtney's house provides support that lasts four years down the line. Think about us as that little long-term program. We have people right now that are at college and around the areas doing well, went through

college, maybe when we became dentistry work or chefs that we were able to help. The thing is, I get to see the growth which I love. We go to their events. I get to see that they're getting in college. So some of the things that we did for two of our youth that got into college and going away, we were able to get a grant and pay for books. You y'all know how expensive books are. So we were actually able to do that because we have a fund for scholarships and school items. We're gonna go with one of the youth because she's in care so we'll be going with her and by an item since setting it up. We help pick out her list of what

she thinks she wants to do right now. So when we say a family, I get to see all of you, I can see their children with healthy. You find a need that they need and you make sure you do it. That's that's what I say. Sacred Skando, one of the best new podcasts of 2022, is back with a closer look at the darkness surrounding Megaturch, La Luz del Mundo, and its leader, Nasson Joaquin Garcia. They believe that he was Jesus Christ on Earth. It wasn't even so much that he liked sex.

He wanted something to pray. It's the largest cult in the world that no one has ever heard of. For three generations, the use of the world had an incredible control on his community that began in Mexico and then grew across the United States. Until one day. A day of reckoning for the man whose millions of followers call him the Apostle. Their leader was arrested and survivors began to speak out about the sexual abuse, the murder and corruption. This is just a business and their product are people.

They will kill you. Listen to all episodes now on the I Heart Rainy Up, Apple Podcasts, or whatever you get your podcasts. 911, what's your emergency? You shot her! Oh my God! It's a nightmare we could never have imagined. And a killer who is still on the loose.

My small town rocked by murder. There are certain murders I'm scared to discuss. In the 1980s, we're in high school losing friends, teachers, and community members, one after another, after another for a decade. We weren't safe anywhere. We're teenagers terrified to leave our own homes. Would we be next?

Who is killing all the kids? And why? In that moment, I so rage. And why do you some want the town secrets to stay dead and buried forever? I'm not sure why you're digging up all this old stuff again, but I'd be careful. Don't say I didn't warn you Nancy. Listen to the murder years on the I Heart Radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. After sitting down with Tina, she agreed to give us a tour of Courtney's house. It's a large two-story house with five rooms, a communal kitchen, and a spacious living room.

We started at the front door, working our way through the house, as she walked us through how it works. So Courtney's house, let me kind of start from the beginning real quick, we're a drop-in center. So a drop-in center is not housing. So the popular misconception is everybody just needs housing and we can't provide services because they need housing like that doesn't actually make sense. So the reason why we're in a house is because I always tell them this is like their house right? They're a center. We just have to work out here. So I think that's important for a community but also a lot of our youth do have placements,

you know, in foster care has placements. So they do some dog, and then here in DC, so youth age goes to 24 in DC, which is good, that's because they had specialized housing. And what was happening, and like the regular over 18 housing, was they were being sexually assaulted, they were being retrafied. So DC had to like do something different, right? So our ages here are 11 to 24. So again it goes up. So we can't find housing for people who needed because of the youth at that past here. So more people will provide housing. Even though they provide housing in these places

they we accept sex trafficking, they really don't do the case management. So you still need a program to work with them. And again, they have a relationship. And usually those programs don't know anything, I see really about them. So the next part of that, and you work with boys and girls,

and always have, because of my own experience, so we've always worked with boys and girls at the beginning of Courtney's house. Almost 12 years ago. How many years ago? You're right. So with that being said, when you come here, you sign in, right? The other thing is we have because of the young population, every day we have the activities.

So we have a calendar that we have with different activities that the survivor service coordinators do. So we don't say case managers, they're in Courtney's house. So if a day does activity, we have 101's, 101's is counseling. But no care wants to be like, I can't wait to go to counseling. It's so great. So we call them 101's because that's what it is. They get to pick a topic, but I promise you,

you can pick a topic, and I'm always gonna be able to make it back to trafficking. But that's the good thing is that we say 30 minutes on purpose, those are how long the sessions are, but they're not. And that's because they talk more. So it's usually 45. So with kids, you gotta be like 30, right?

So get them to 45. All right. So we do that, but you earn points so when I go upstairs I'll show you what are like you know when you go to the subway or get something to eat and they have those little cards You know my hair style has got those and the fifth one you get free your half off or whatever So here we have those cards and they get punched when they do group. Group is on Saturday, those are still online right now, and they're called transitioning your mindset out of life.

Then we have a boys group specifically too. That's here, and it's 30 minutes. All of them say 30 minutes, but again, they go over a course. So with that being said, June was prima. So we also did some pride, like what matters. And look how just artistic they are. It's girl, I can't make young fun. So this is some of our work from some of their things. We have a lot

of no competitions, we won't play with the uno. And then third of all, we unfortunately had a, unfortunately, we had a pool day. So, you know, kick-ins, right? Minos and shark, you know. And I think saying these things and our hide-and-seek competitions here, will tell you the young population.

So when I say I work with youth, I don't know why people think the higher age when like our average age is between 11 and 17. Next, we moved into the downstairs kitchen, which leads out to the backyard. Okay, so we eat all together. We have a drop in the center eight that cooks every day. She's putting a new menu up. I like something day she's putting a new menu up but I like that's what I like so she's putting a new menu up so that's not here but we do have all our babies you know what their allergies are in such here too we had some stuff donated and when it was those high winds it tore up our little umbrella but this is our back guy then. All that was donated to be do cookouts and stuff for the kids. When it's not 100 degrees, they like to do their 101s outside.

Walking back inside, Tina tells us how COVID-19 has impacted their services, including how they do meal times. We're open right now since because of the pandemic, two days a week here to San Thursday, two out of six. So we say they like to call the dinner, but it's like lunch and really dinner whenever people come towards the end.

So it was really two meals a day. But nothing so here, you're not allowed to use cans to process foods. So actually, everything is cooked from scratch, even the chicken nuggets. Everything comes from scratch. Just so they can learn what fresh food is, and I mean, that kids y'all,

I still got a four-some-two-e-vestibles, so we just find new ways to drop in the center of doing that, so they'll be able to eat things and introduce. But Thursday, I have food from another organization at Barbecue for the kids. So that was like a treat to put the right donate. So we get a lot of food donation.

I'm good at free. Tina has set up the lowest level as a hangout area for the kids. This is the basement area. OK, so there's two bathrooms. One upstairs, one's down here with the shower, so people do take showers. We have all the stuff.

They love being down here. And then more artwork and items for the survivors as well. Gains, you have like I said, game competitions. Wash and drying. So people are allowed to wash clothes. I have a ton of things. So they're also able to get all the toiletries things. We have clothing donations as well and that's another better form. Tina says working with so many kids can be challenging. They have to clean every two hours here. I mean, I work with kids that do not believe them to get fascinated.

Out of 72, we have four youth. That's why we couldn't really come in because people were working in COVID-19 and they stayed in the house. I mean, that wasn't the story at all. So I have to do the thing that we're all fascinated, but the kids aren't. So we still take them down the street.

There is a test site. So we take them once a month. I mean, I work with Kyrgyzburg. You can't take them there for 14 days and they're gonna have them. And we go with them, you know, to get tested. And it's the quick one so that they'll know. Oh, and movies, we have a screen.

So we usually put something up. And it's usually movies and shows, like we've been watching Ronuish too, because I love some of their topics, you know, so and then it's a discussion about it over food. And I make popcorn for scratch because I'm on the microwave. While walking us around the second floor offices, Tina takes us through the prize system that's meant to encourage participation in counseling sessions. that's meant to encourage participation in counseling sessions.

Remember we're talking about the 101 survivors, so every here you say survivors. And I actually don't like when people say survivors and victims like nobody wants to be a victim. So you were a survivor when you were out in the street and that makes them want to tell you and not say that they were a victim because then you don't want to talk about you going to be stronger than that. So survivors. So they have a gringo. So the gringo when you get your whole chart kind of feel can be like getting your hair done, braided, boys, love getting their haircuts. So one of them one you get one whole plant on your car, complaining more than your car weekly, one of one, we're on your special treats. So then you get to pick from graphics that we have of items, there's a whole bunch of stuff.

And you'll see a lot of fun things we get on edge because those go quickly. Complete three consecutive weeks of one of ones, and you win a swag bag, then you have like another bag with things they probably would like in one that they can win that. Complete four conservative weeks of one on one and your own what your grand goal is. We have big eye don't take it items for the winner like real ugly big ones for going to all your items. We have a lot of like boy boots and things and clothes for them as well and some

Some slash for both boys and girls That they'll be able to get some good prizes To earn these prizes she has each person pick various goals to work towards And each child is different so goals could be things like this. Sleeping without a night light because of their nightmares and how to work on that. It could be learning how to say no to people like it, and they're calling us up out. So those are some of the beacon new goals. These are not goals like school and get straight A's.

If I can get them to go to school I'd be happy. So that's a goal. Shit, you went three days a week. Like, amen. So yes. Courtney's house is a crucial institution in the Congress Heights neighborhood. And the work they do extends from the DMV area

through the rest of the country. Every day, Tina and her crew are fighting diligently to help traffic teens and eradicate racial disparities in the missing children's system. The work is tough. Funding can be hard to come by and the staff is often shorthanded. As such, we thought we'd end this episode

by having Tina tell you how you can support Courtney's house and all about the incredible work they do to support their community. We'd end this episode by having Tina tell you how you can support Courtney's house and all about the incredible work they do to support their community. You know, I think the great thing about Courtney's house is that you can support from anywhere. www.courtney's house for official IGs on Instagram. We are official Courtney's house. That's why y'all, we gotta take talk. We don't show the kids faces, are official Courtney's house. That's why y'all, we gotta take talk. We don't show the kids faces, but official Courtney's house.

Father was on TikTok. We have TikTok wars every day with the youth. That's how they all swim on prizes. So there are a few things. You can sense some prizes. We have an Amazon list. Do you wanna know how 60 youth eat food quickly? We go through snacks, boxes daily.

So we have a full food program. You can donate and help with that. And that is a true need. We really do run out of food. We take field trips with our youth. We have a much lift because we do a lot of art projects. And I'm telling you, our kids are artists. So there are some things that people

offer online. We actually had a cartoon artist offer some free cartoon design online with kids and they loved it. So think about what you're good at. Think about what you can do out there and think about what you can do here because you don't have to do direct services. There are so many things you can do and help and fill an impact at Courtney's house. Fruey Phanum is a production of I Heart Radio, Tenderfoot TV, and Black Bar Mitzvah. Our host is Celeste Hiddley. This episode was written and produced by Noemi Griffin. The show is written by Trevor Young, Jamie Arbright, and Celeste Hiddley. Executive producers on behalf of I Heart Radio include Matt Fredrick and Alex Williams

with supervising producer Trevor Young. Executive producers on behalf of Tinderfoot TV include Donald Arbright and Payne Lindsay with producers Jamie Arbright and Tracy Kaplan. Executive producers on behalf of Black Bar Mitzvah include myself Jay Ellis and Aaron Bergman with producer Sidney Fuz. Lee Researcher is Jamie Albright,

artwork by Mr. Soul 216, original music by Makeup and Vanity Set, special thanks to a team at UTA, Beck Media and Marketing and the Nord Group. Tinder for TV and I Heart Media, as well as Black Bar Mitzvah, have increased the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for their freeway phantom murders.

The previous reward of up to $150,000 offered by the Metropolitan Police Department has been matched. A new total reward of up to $300,000 is now being offered. If you have any information relating to these unsolved crimes, contact the Metropolitan Police Department at area code 202-727-9099. For more information, please visit freeway-phantom.com. For more podcasts from our radio and Tinder for TV, visit the IHR radio app, Apple Podcast, or ever you listen to your favorite shows. Thanks for listening. The True Crime Podcast sacred scandal returns for a second season to investigate alleged

sexual abuse at Mexico's La Luz del Mundo Mega Church. Journalist Robert Garza explores survivor stories of pure evil experiences at the hands of a self-proclaimed apostle who is now behind bars. I remember as a little girl being groomed to be his concubine, that's how I was raised. It is not wrong if you take your clothes off for the impossible. Listen to Sacred Scandal on the IHAR radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. 911, what's your emergency?

It's a nightmare we could never have imagined. An Achiller? We're still on the loose. In the 1980s, we were in high school losing friends, teachers, and community members. We weren't safe anywhere. Would we be next? It was getting harder and harder to live in Mompine.

Listen to the Murder Years on the iHeart Radio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.