Eastern WA nonprofit buys $1M office to focus on mission to end sex trafficking
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mirror Ministries bought a Kennewick building to centralize its operations.
- Donor support and discounted services helped fund the $1M acquisition.
- The expanded facility enhances privacy, safety and support for trafficked survivors.
Mirror Ministries, the Christian nonprofit focused on ending the sex trafficking of minors in the Tri-Cities, has a new home.
Tricia MacFarlan, executive director, confirmed the ministry acquired a building in Kennewick this spring.
She asked to keep the address private to deter abusers and curiosity seekers from visiting. The Tri-City Herald is honoring the request to protect the privacy and safety of workers and clients who use the building as an administrative complex and gathering place.
Mirror Ministries also operates Esther’s House, a residence for survivors in Franklin County.
Its new building in Kennewick is three times bigger than the space Mirror Ministries leased previously.
“Our staff members were sitting on top of each other,” she said.
Support groups, educational outreach and other activities were held in remote spots loaned by area churches and businesses.
It was generous, but required staff to cart gear to the off-site gathering spots for every event. The new building consolidates its activities in a single, central spot. That promotes a sense of safety and trust, MacFarlan said.
It began planning a move several years ago. Its former landlord was “amazing,” but MacFarlan said Mirror Ministries knew its rent would keep going up. It searched for a new place to rent, but quickly concluded it would be more expensive than anticipated.
That led it to consider owning its own building, and it began saving up to buy one.
At its 2024 fundraiser, Mirror Ministries staffers put out the call, putting on a skit that highlighted how crowded they were. It resonated with donors.
MacFarlan said it raised enough for a hefty down payment on the nearly $1 million cost.
Gesa Credit Union put together the financing. Realtors, appraisers and other professionals discounted their fees.
Volunteers and sympathetic contractors stepped up to renovate the building, carving out comfortable offices and meeting spaces from in the nondescript commercial building.
Mirror Ministries serves children and youth, victims, sex workers and women, as well as girls and at-risk youth.
It focuses on preventing trafficking by educating law enforcement, hospitality workers and others to recognize the signs that an individual is being trafficked.
It supports victims through extensive after care and embraces the concept of reflecting tenacious grace no matter what the challenge.
The nonprofit has an annual budget of about $800,000, according to its most recent IRS filing.
Go to mirror-ministries.org
