SAN DIEGO. Calif — Thousands of individuals from all backgrounds are sexually trafficked in every part of San Diego County. From National City to La Jolla, to middle school, high school, and college students who walk the same streets and share the same classes. Victims of sex trafficking come from all walks of life and local law enforcement officials have encountered survivors who are minors, as well.
Since 2013, Children of the Immaculate Heart built its existence on refusing to look away from a reality that remains in front of our society. Known as “CIH,” the organization was created to help those made vulnerable by sex trafficking, reaching out and opening its doors to women and children tangled inside this criminally oppressive industry.
Through a singular holistic approach to healing, Children of the Immaculate Heart brings hope, healing, and the love of Jesus Christ, to the life of those who suffer at the hands of exploitation. In San Diego County, the stakes are huge, Human Trafficking is not someone else’s problem, but a reality that lives within every community. In the vision CIH holds out to the region, a San Diego is possible where traffickers have nowhere to hide and every survivor has the opportunity to heal, rebuild, and thrive.
The Founding Vision
Before the organization, there was a volunteer: Grace Williams Lionello, a graduate from Trinity Western University in 2006 with a B.A. in Applied Linguistics. Grace gave her time to ministries by serving survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, including a Union Gospel Mission, Mary’s Guest House, and the Missionaries of Charity’s Homeless Women’s Shelter. Her expertise was later deepened from training through Treasures International, the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition, and Loren Fardulis of Kairos Youth and Family Services.
In 2013, Grace turned her experience into her own vision by creating Children of the Immaculate Heart. As Founder, President, and Executive Director she also co-chaired the San Diego Board of Supervisors’ Human Trafficking Advisory Council Victim Service Committee shaping how the country responded to survivors.
Walking Through Every Stage
If one were to ask the team at CIH what makes them unique, they will most likely begin by answering with what they will not do, which is treating survivors as though their experiences are universally the same. While commonalities exist amongst sex trafficking survivors, CIH is not a “one size fits all” agency.”
Its doors are open to victims and survivors of human trafficking, both in sex trafficking, by recognizing the complexities and circumstances each client carries. Healing from trafficking is a long, multifaceted process, and CIH is built to meet each client at whatever stage they’re at to then walk with them through every step that follows.
Their vision of healing is rooted in a holistic service that addresses the architecture of life where case management, counseling, housing navigation assistance, job training, education, and much more are provided. The goal is not to merely provide a single intervention, but to walk the path of life with their client through a sustained accompaniment at a steady pace that lets a survivor move from crisis to stability.
At Children of the Immaculate Heart, service is also purposely focused to provide for adult women with children where the work extends beyond the survivor and transfers to the children to strengthen families and promote healing across generations, putting an end to vulnerability.
“You Guys Give Me Hope”
If there was one perfect way to measure success it’s probably from the voices of the women themselves.
“I don’t know where I would be without CIH, I’d be stuck. You guys give me hope” a client shared. This is no casual reflection, it’s a testimony of a life changing experience.
Another reflects on something that survivors are often denied:
genuine human connection.
“You’re actually able to communicate with them without feeling so empty, alone or useless,” she says. A third puts it in terms that need no explanation:
“Children of the Immaculate Heart has given me every reason to not give up.”
Behind each voice is the daily, unglamorous, relentless labor of restoration. The kind of work that never makes a headline but that discretely provides survivors with all the tools to change their life.
Charity, Truth, and the Dignity of the Person
Children of the Immaculate Heart is very transparent about the source of its mission. As a Catholic Christian organization, it draws inspiration from Saint Pope John Paul II and the Council Fathers of Vatican II and their articulation of the dignity of the human person and the beauty of true masculinity and femininity. In the organization’s view, what it calls the culture of death has made industries out of using human persons for passing pleasure, evils that assault human dignity and destroy the natural and supernatural happiness of those caught in them.
Three core values guide their mission, each rooted in scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Charity, understood as the love of God and neighbor and described by the organization as the central call of disciples of Jesus Christ and the foundational virtue animating all others. This compels the team to respond with compassion for each person, creating a symbiosis in healing for survivors and staff. Truth allows for the transparency and vulnerability that genuine relationships require ensuring honesty, accountability, and moral clarity. Chastity, drawing on the Catechism’s language of the successful integration of sexuality within the person, guides the program’s support for survivors as they heal sexual wounds, restore their dignity, and cultivate healthy, life-giving relationships.
Guided by what it describes as the inspiration and accompaniment of Mother Mary, CIH hopes and works for the restoration of everyone it touches, clients, staff, and supporters alike, in Jesus Christ.
Its hope for clients reaches beyond physical freedom, that they will encounter the love of Jesus Christ and discover what the organization calls the true freedom of being daughters of God, who, in CIH’s words, “heals us” through His own sacred wounds. The team frames its broader ambition as contributing to a civilization of love, helping survivors heal and reach the stability they need to live healthy and flourishing lives in society. The message it returns to is simple: in Christ, hope and restoration are possible.
Education When Some People and Organizations Look Away
CIH is a firm believer that education is one of the most powerful tools in the fight against human trafficking. Many residents of San Diego remain unaware of the scope and impact of trafficking in their own communities, the organization commits itself to educating neighbors, families, community members, and coworkers, and welcomes anyone interested in learning about its work and the realities of exploitation close to home. Unfortunately, it has been revealed through various public education forums that some people and organizations are not willing to accept the reality that vulnerable populations are being exploited in our backyard.
The message is simple and meaningful: when we know better, we can do better. Every conversation, every training, and every person who learns to recognize the signs brings their communities one step closer to protecting the vulnerable and preventing exploitation before it begins.
Why Their Story Matters Now
Demand for CIH’s services is not slowing down, with an exponential increase in the number of clients who are survivors of exploitation, the organization is anticipating a continued expansion in the years to come. As it moves forward, the team has explained they will continue to seek God’s guidance, pray for wisdom, and trust Him to lead the next step of the ministry. The CIH team members describe themselves as servants of God, filled with compassion, humility, and love; convinced that every individual has inherent dignity and that the smallest acts can have a lasting impact.
Resources
Website and additional informations:
Main Site: https://www.childrenoftheimmaculateheart.org
Our Services page: https://www.childrenoftheimmaculateheart.org/services.html
In the News: https://www.childrenoftheimmaculateheart.org/in-the-news.html
2025 CIH Review: https://www.childrenoftheimmaculateheart.org/2025inreview.html
Donation page: https://www.childrenoftheimmaculateheart.org/donate.html
Volunteer page: https://www.childrenoftheimmaculateheart.org/volunteer.html
Public phone number:
(619) 431-5537
Learn more about Human Trafficking in San Diego:
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