Part 4: Recovery

Like Salvador, Miguel and Jorge found freedom as well. Miguel met a man at the grocery store who understood his situation, and one night after Miguel snuck out in the dark, the man picked him up and drove him to his home. Jorge found refuge in a church.

All three men had endured so much, and yet, all three wanted to stay in America to continue supporting their families back home. However, there was still much they would need to begin to stand on their own. Fortunately, they were referred to Catholic Charities Community Services-Southside (CCCS-Southside).

"The first time I came here, I didn't know the magnitude of help I would receive." Salvador said. "It is amazing."

"Our help was fairly encompassing," said Courtney Prentis, Director of CCCS-Southside. "We helped ensure that the men were moved into safe and secure housing from the places where they found refuge after escaping the company. We checked on their living conditions and their access to utilities."

"We helped them however we could. This included interpretation/translation services, assistance securing social security cards and driver's licenses, medical referrals, the list goes on. An important step was connecting them with legal services and assisting them through the process. Also, many of the men were diagnosed with some degree of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and we were able to provide therapy for them since we have bilingual counselors."

This therapy would prove to be an important step towards recovery for the men.

"They helped me understand my trauma," Salvador said. "I didn't want to talk about it with my friends, but here I found a way to vent and to express myself. I learned to feel at ease, and now I feel much better. I can't forget what happened, but now I feel stronger."

Jorge, who is also in Alcoholics Anonymous, still has trouble dealing with the memories.

"Sometimes, I dream I'm in a place by myself, in the dark, and I'm locked in a room with two or three other people," Jorge said. "I can't see their faces and it's very frightening."

"It's difficult because every once in a while I will remember things like working in the rain or the heat, and they wouldn't let us stop working. I wish it could be erased like a pencil, but it can't. But in my AA group and speaking here, I am learning how to deal with it."

"I am grateful despite it all. With the help of the people here, I am satisfied. I can still help my family economically. Everyone here has been so nice like Mary [Alva Ferrer, Case Manager] and Silvia [Martinez, Receptionist]. They've done everything. Anytime I have a question, they do everything they can."

Miguel shares these mixed feelings about his experience.

"I am sad when I think about it-frustrated," he said. "But I know there's nothing I can do to change it. I can only think about the future and taking care of my children."

With family as a fundamental part of their lives, Jorge and Salvador hope to acquire visas to bring their children to the U.S. At CCCS-Southside every little success along the way is a cause for celebration.

"It is terrible what they've been through," Prentis said. "And we feel fortunate to be in a place where we can help them. Two of them recently received their T1-Visas [Visas designated for victims of forced labor, human trafficking, and sex trade] and it was very exciting for us at the center. Helping these men get back on their feet and reuniting them with their families, it's an amazing experience."

The stories of Miguel, Jorge, and Salvador, along with Catholic Charites Community Services-Southside, connect with the core mission of Catholic Charites. Committed to serving the poor and most vulnerable members of our society, the opportunity to assist these men in their struggle is a great achievement for Catholic Charities.

"It is our goal to assist victims in regaining their physical and psychosocial well-being, so they can be productive members of the community," Prentis said. "We are also trying to raise public awareness of this issue. We've already had multiple cases, all in St. Louis City/County and St. Charles County."

Answering this growing need, Catholic Charities maintains a collaborative partnership with the International Institute and cooperates with governmental and other non-profit services. Thanks to this community-wide, unified approach, many lives have been saved.

Ultimately, the meaning in this story is simple: For Miguel, for Jorge, for Salvador, the cages are finally gone.

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Although the story ends well for Miguel, Jorge, and Salvador, there are many more cases out there currently in motion and yet to be discovered. Catholic Charities strives to be available whenever the call for help comes again.

*Names have been changed and images have been simulated to protect the identities of our clients.