Freehab closure leaving human trafficking survivors, substance users possibly nowhere to go

Freehab closure prompts push to open new facility

A shutdown of a San Fernando Valley rehab center is prompting a desperate push to open a new facility for survivors of human trafficking and/or substance abuse.

LOS ANGELES - Jasmine Richardson, a young mother, was in the middle of receiving substance abuse treatment at the Teen Project/Freehab in Sylmar last December — when the LA City Fire Department announced it would be shutting down the live-in facility for its lack of sprinklers.

The nonprofit had been a safe haven for human trafficking survivors and substance abuse users since 2013. Suddenly, all the women in the program had to leave.

Even though the Department of Healthcare Services tried to place the women in different programs, some were left with nowhere to go.

Many of the counselors and employees had a premonition that some of their clients would not survive. They were right.

Jasmine Richardson died of an overdose just eight days after Freehab's closure.

"The added layer of trauma of being kicked out of the only place that you knew was safe in such a long time and just being thrown out, adding onto all that detox and being alone and not knowing where to go. I mean it's just devastating," said Lauri Burns, the founder of the Teen Project.

She says the entire staff is mourning Jasmine's death, and they, along with city officials, are still in shock over the sudden closure of Freehab.

"I gotta tell you, the Supervisors office was dumbfounded and called me and said, 'How the heck did we just learn that your building closed on FOX News, nobody told us, this never would have happened if we had known, we would have paid for the sprinklers," said Burns.

Burns and her team began fundraising, and they're now in the process of opening this new facility in Van Nuys.

"We've got Lyndsey Horvath's office helping, we've got Mayor Bass's office helping, and we've got Imelda Padilla's office helping. They're all showing up at the permit meetings to try and push the permit through," Burns said.

They want to speed up the process to prevent other former clients from ending up like Jasmine Richardson.

"She had such a light and such a future ahead of her, and to have that just ripped away. I'm at a loss for words because she was such a special girl," said Program Director Melissa Coons.

The goal is to open the new Teen Project facility by January 20, 2023.