Franciscan Peacemakers

Franciscan Peacemakers provides a pathway to sustainable, healthy, safe, and productive lives for women engaging in prostitution due to trauma, human sex trafficking or drug addiction.

STREET MINISTRY

Hospitality and outreach to women engaging in street prostitution to begin building relationships of trust. Franciscan Peacemakers Outreach van visits highly prostituted streets in Milwaukee five mornings a week, bringing bag lunches, hygiene products, warm clothes and empathetic presence to women on the street. The Franciscan Peacemaker Hospitality Center provides respite and peer support for women on Lisbon Avenue for 3 hours each weekday morning.

HOUSING AND HEALING

Clare Community is a two year program that provides housing for women who are on their journey of recovery from sexual exploitation and substance addiction. The three women who live in Clare Community are laying a solid foundation for life-long recovery, which they begin through an out-patient treatment program (usually 6 months). The residents have time in these two years to gain employment experience as well as to engage in healing various aspects of their lives: trauma care, physical, emotional and mental health, legal, relational healing. While in Clare Community they rebuild their network of support.

EMPLOYMENT

Survivors are provided living wage jobs in our Social Enterprise which manufactures and sells all natural bath and body products, sold at various outlets including our retail store, located right on Lisbon Avenue in Milwaukee. Employees living in Clare Community save half of their income so upon completion of the program, they have money saved up for moving into independent housing.

EDUCATION

Franciscan Peacemakers staff and board provide education to Catholic parishes, school, and community groups to raise awareness about human trafficking. The sale of our bath and body products also provides an avenue for raising awareness within the larger Milwaukee community. Our team is also a part of the Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force at the County level and interfaces with several Anti-Trafficking Advocacy groups in Southeastern Wisconsin.