Nonprofit combating human trafficking in Detroit seeks out victims during weekly outreach

(FOX 2) - Lynne had spent several days in a hotel room at knife-point. A man had held her captive and refused to let her leave. She knew if she was going to escape, it would be on her own accord.

"(I had to) trick him into letting me use the restroom and I ran the other way," she said.

Lynne is a victim of sex trafficking and a case that's all-too common among those that fall prey to the seedy underbelly of crime and prostitution. Her escape wasn't the only harrowing story she tells.

"I was held at gunpoint. I had spent a few days in a man's house who every time I tried to leave would throw punches at me. I was basically his," she said.

Lynne requested FOX 2 only use her first name for the story. Before losing control, Lynne lived in Pleasant Ridge. But after addiction took hold of her, she left home for the freedom on the streets of Detroit.

Not soon after, she realized she was no longer in control other life. While her story doesn't feature a kidnapping from a public place or being forced into a life of sex and drugs, Lynne's tale is a cautionary one because of how common it is among those caught in human trafficking.

That's according to Deb Ellinger, who says hundreds of sex trafficking cases start the way Lynne's did.

"We really want to bring awareness to what is going on in the streets of Detroit. I really want people to know that when we use the word ‘prostitution’ and ‘human trafficking’, they're the same. I don't view them as different," she said. "They're an exploitation of a woman."

Ellinger is a local mother of four who has taken on the monumental task of seeking out women and children ensnared in the cycle of abuse that can cut off people from society. 

MORE: Highland Park's Mama Shu up for ‘Hero of the Year’ award

When she hears Lynne's experience, Ellinger recognizes a common theme in it. 

"I think everyone's story is different, but one thing that remains the same is there is a vulnerability," she said.

Sometimes that looks like someone who moves to the suburbs, where, as Lynne describes, they are ripe for someone to come and rescue them "only to find out they're being controlled."

"Any kind of vulnerability and a vulnerability can be an argument with a parent or spouse that day, right?" Ellinger said. "We talk to women from all different walks of life. We talk to women who come from the suburbs. We talk to women that come from foster care or the city."

Ellinger runs Elli's House, a nonprofit that services homeless and runaway women who are caught in the web of trafficking in and around Detroit. Formed in 2017, Ellinger saw a need for a shelter that services teen girls who were consistently running away from home. 

As the need grew, she embraced the mission and opened a two-year residential shelter program and a middle school mentoring program. They also provide food, hygiene, and clothing to survivors during weekly street outreach missions.

More Amy's Angels stories can be found here

That includes Lynne, who was able to escape the cycle of addition and abuse that had followed her - turning her life around and now assisting Ellinger with her work. 

"These people in the streets, myself included, don't always feel loved or lovable so the fact that Elle's House makes it a point to be consistent and be present and be in so many people's lives that have nobody else is just an incredible thing," said Lynne.

Find more information about the nonprofit at ellishouse313.com

If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, you can always contact The National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP to BEFREE (233733).

This is Part One of a two-part Amy's Angels series on Elli's House and their work combating human trafficking. Part Two will feature a ride-along with the nonprofit's employees during one of their outreach sessions.