AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Bastrop County nonprofit meant to help young victims of sex trafficking announced it will voluntarily suspend its license to operate — blaming security risks and other problems as it tried to open its doors.
The Refuge for DMST (Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking) first shut down its residential treatment facility in March 2022, following allegations employees exploited girls in their care. The claims sparked several investigations and, ultimately, intense scrutiny by a federal court and a special legislative committee.
However, a Texas Department of Public Safety report determined it could not identify any evidence in the case, and by September 2022, a Bastrop County grand jury did not find sufficient evidence to support an indictment on any criminal offense.
In the days following the initial allegations, The Refuge leaders admitted they were investigating two separate incidents but have maintained that their organization properly notified state regulators and fired staffers involved.
In February 2023, The Refuge announced its license would be restored and it planned to reopen, but according to a memo posted to its website on Wednesday, those plans have been put on hold.
In the memo, The Refuge blamed a “pattern of hostility” from state regulators, as well as threats and “security risks” at their Bastrop location in the wake of last year’s controversy.
A newsletter sent to supporters of the nonprofit Wednesday afternoon revealed more details, including that its previously protected address was revealed during the course of the investigations. The newsletter stated the location became subject to “stalking and harassing activity from dangerous people, including criminal networks, who had trafficked the girls before they reached our community of care.”
The Refuge said it then hired armed, licensed security to try and protect its residents and staff but was ordered by state regulators to remove it.
Brooke Crowder, founder and CEO of The Refuge, said in part, “They have made it impossible to continue serving the girls who urgently need our care. Our hope is that while we suspend our license, we can have meaningful conversations with DFPS to find a logical solution to the severe security risks we face.”
KXAN reached out to the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) for comment about this and other allegations made by The Refuge in the online statement and the emailed newsletter.
A spokesperson for DFPS noted that residential treatment operations are licensed and regulated by another state agency, the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). DFPS is tasked with protecting children in state custody. When pressed to respond to other claims made by The Refuge, the DFPS spokesperson said they had “nothing to add.”
KXAN reached out to HHSC, as well, and will update this article with any statement or additional details as this story develops.
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