By Macy Meinhardt, V&V Staff Writer, CA Local News Fellow
In a powerful step to combat child sex trafficking, nonprofit Olive Crest unveiled a new drop-in center in downtown San Diego, offering immediate safety and resources to minors in need of support. The center, located in a high-trafficking area in Downtown, is part of a Southern California-wide initiative backed by law enforcement, county agencies, and community partners.
“Every two minutes, a child is trafficked in America,” said Olive Crest CEO Donald Verleur during the May 14 press conference. “Here in Southern California, we’re seeing victims as young as 13 being sold for sex. This center gives them a way out.”
San Diego’s robust tourism offerings and proximity to the border make the region a hotspot for trafficking. The underground sex economy here is estimated to bring in $810 million annually. Minors are, unfortunately, at the center of such transactions.
Lily, whose last name is concealed, is a survivor who was trafficked through social media at the age of 13.
“I was exhausted—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I didn’t know if I had a future,” she said, crediting Olive Crest’s housing and mentorship for her healing. Now, a 21-year-old woman and business owner, Lily urged: “Don’t lose hope. Your pain can become purpose.”
At the drop-in center, trafficked youth can access medical care, counseling, art therapy, and laundry facilities in what organizers describe as a “judgment-free zone.” While overnight services are not provided, children who come to the center will be referred to a trusted host family for a safe space to sleep and will be put on a continuum of care track.
“These kids have been lied to. They do not trust adults. They do not trust institutions. Our goal with this drop-in center is to build trust and relationships so that they feel safe, to make a request for us to find a safe place for them,” said Verleur.
Systemic inequalities are also woven into trafficking patterns. FBI reports show that the majority of domestic sex trafficking victims in Southern California are Black girls, often between the ages of 12-14, with a background of poverty and family instability.
Deputy District Attorney Tracy Prior spoke on how recruitment for trafficking in 2025 comes in a slew of different “shapes and sizes”.
For young girls, it can look like a direct message through social media from someone posing to be a modeling talent scout. Other common methods traffickers use include lurking near local schools, trolley stations, and other public places, often grooming teenagers with false promises of belonging, fast money, or romance.
Meanwhile, the facility is part of Olive Crest’s broader PROMISE Initiative, which has opened similar centers in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. With a $10 million state grant, the organization plans to open a total of seven locations across Southern California by the end of the year.
For survivors like Lily, the center represents more than services – it offers what she calls “the most powerful gift”: hope.
