About
Oasis House offers hope and support to women survivors of trauma, sexual exploitation, and substance abuse. We do this by promoting healing, restoration, and empowerment through Christ's unconditional love, teaching practical life skills, and mentoring through a transformational process.
The vision of Oasis House is that of women growing individually and collectively, while living in community. We seek to empower women by providing safe housing and supporting their sobriety, vocational opportunities, and spiritual growth.
Oasis House Beginnings
Since 2003, Oasis House has worked with survivors of sexual exploitation (human trafficking) and trauma. We began in an area of Dayton called the "Dixie Strip". The Strip was known for exotic dance clubs where the women were being sexually exploited; they were expected to dance and strip to survive. They were treated as mere business commodities, with little worth or value outside of the money they earned for the business owner. Many of the women were on drugs or abused alcohol. In their own words, it was how they coped and gave them the courage to get on the stage and dance topless, or even in the nude.
As the story goes, one day a woman stopped by a local church and sat in the parking lot. The pastor at the time, Sharon Amos, eventually coaxed the woman into the sanctuary and learned her story. Over time, the congregants prayed for answers on how to address the issue that was impacting their community in such a negative way. Ultimately, their prayers led them inside the clubs. Lack of experience and fear of dark seedy places did not stop these women from doing what they believed they were called to do. They took hot meals and shared stories of their families. They prayed. Over time, hundreds of the dancers became members of Oasis House. Lives were saved and changed because of this determined, but very humble, ministry.
Today, most of the dance clubs on the Dixie Strip have been shut down. The Oasis House office has moved to the Jobs Center on Edwin C. Moses Blvd. The staff continue to work with survivors of the sex industry. It is done by direct service to those in need of advocacy, safe housing, counseling, educational programing, and spiritual guidance. Oasis House continues to contact women in Dayton and the surrounding areas who are still working in the sex industry. By doing so, we are planting seeds that there is hope and support for a healthier lifestyle, free of abuse.
Oasis House News
- Women in Scripture series, covering many of the great Women of the Bible and much more.
- Women in Wellness: Music Therapy: a health-oriented process where music experiences and client-therapist relationships are used to support individual and group improvements in health and wellness. Provided by the undergraduate music therapy students of the University of Dayton.
- Chicken Soup for the Mind, Body & Spirit: a 5-step guide to managing emotions and breaking the cycle of anger. It is geared toward women and helps dispel some of the old norms that have contributed to the stifling of emotions in an unhealthy way.
- The Ultimate Source: a personal development system that teaches practical application of essential life skills, developed by Kathrine Lee, Co-Founder, Pure Hope Foundation.
- Boundaries: this study helps teach healthy personal boundaries, when to say yes, and how to say no, to have better control in various situations.
Testimonials
"The dental and medical treatment you get makes you feel brand new; a reward of recovery!"
"I always look forward to the day Oasis House is coming to teach Chicken Soup & Boundaries"
"Oasis House is a ray of sunshine in my day!"
"Thank you for all the things you are doing to help so many women!"
"I remember an Oasis House lady chasing me down on the street and giving me a pink backpack that had everything I needed that day. They prayed with me. I felt so much better!"
"I had an ad up on a sex site. This lady from Oasis House found me and messaged my phone. She asked if I would be willing to talk. I called her, we talked. I told her to keep calling me and helping me. My addiction had me blind or I would have accepted help then. I pray I am accpeted now. I need to feel love and you guys offer so much."
"Oasis House has made it possible for me to go to school and focus on my future career."
"The staff were awesome: considerate, passionate and sensitive. The best!"
"The vibe and connection in music therapy is majestic!"
"Not being in an intimate relationship has allowed me to work on myself, instead of having the distraction that would take me off my path. How could I be good for a relationship right now? I'm focused on my needs and the goals I have set for myself so that when I am ready it will be a positive, healthy relationship. Oasis House makes this possible. I am getting help from so many women."
"The text messages I received from Oasis House offering resources for women in the sex industry changed my life! Thank you!"
"I can finally sleep knowing I have a safe place to live!"
"My childhood started off really rough, I was physically and sexually abused by my father from a very young age. My mother was incarcerated during my childhood and was absent. I was in and out of foster homes and at 15 the state finally removed my siblings and I permanently. Both of my parents were drug addicts; I got addicted to heroin in my early teenage years and I spiraled out of control very quickly. I ended up on the streets, working for a pimp and got caught up in a vicious cycle. I struggled with my addiction until I was 23. I found Oasis House and they helped me to escape the lifestyle I was in. I was able to get clean and my trafficker ended up going to prison. Through the unconditional love shown to me at Oasis House, I came to know Christ and His healing. They showed me what true love looked like and accepted me for who I was. I have been with Oasis House for over 6 year and the journey has been beautiful. I am still working on my healing, but I wake up each and every day with a joy that I never had. I am so thankful for Oasis House, they are the family that I never had."
"At first I didn't understand how a ministry as a social agency really worked. These women are doing such a great job at helping other women by the word of God, but not pushing it so that it scares them away. I didn't realize how much I needed God in my life until I found Oasis House. The support system that Oasis House has set up and the way they've set it up is wonderful. I want to thank each one of the ladies from Oasis House for giving me such great opportunities."
Trafficking
Sex trafficking is a form of modern slavery that exists throughout the United States and globally.
Sex traffickers use violence, threats, lies, debt bondage, and other forms of coercion to compel adults and children to engage in commercial sex acts against their will. Under U.S. federal law, any minor under the age of 18 years induced into commercial sex is a victim of sex trafficking—regardless of whether or not the trafficker used force, fraud, or coercion.
The situations that sex trafficking victims face vary dramatically. Many victims become romantically involved with someone who then forces or manipulates them into prostitution. Others are lured in with false promises of a job, such as modeling or dancing. Some are forced to sell sex by their parents or other family members. They may be involved in a trafficking situation for a few days or weeks, or may remain in the same trafficking situation for years.
Victims of sex trafficking can be U.S. citizens, foreign nationals, women, men, children, and LGBTQ individuals. Vulnerable populations are frequently targeted by traffickers, including runaway and homeless youth, as well as victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, war, or social discrimination.
Sex trafficking occurs in a range of venues including fake massage businesses, via online ads or escort services, in residential brothels, on the street or at truck stops, or at hotels and motels.
Looking for more resources? Check out these videos from our Facebook Page:
Frequently Asked Questions
If you would like to talk it over with a staff member, please give us a call at 937-898-7811.
Board of Directors
| Name | Position | Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| Glenda Hoagland | Chair | Retired Sr. Community Director, March of Dimes |
| Cindy LeBrun | Vice Chair | President, LeBrun Management Solutions |
| Matt Scarr | Treasurer | CPA, LLC |
| Grace Neeley | Secretary | Owner/Operator, Chick-fil-A |
| Rene' Chase | Director | Owner, Chase Electric |
| Molly Drake | Director | Senior Probation Officer, Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, General Division |
| Brian Faust | Director | CFO, JobsOhio |
| Fred Hatton | Director | Attorney at Taft, Stettinius & Hollister |
| Christine Imwalle | Director | Community Advocate |
| Dave Ramey | Director | President, Strategic Leadership Associates, Inc. |
| Don Schweitzer Jr. | Director | Business Development Officer, DayAir Credit Union |
| Greg Singer | Director | Retired Judge, Montgomery County Common Pleas Court, General Division |
| Joseph Smith | Director | Manager of Community Marketing, CareSource |
Dona Pierce - Executive Director
