In the past year, a new resale shop has opened up in town. Restoration61 Resale Boutique (R61) is a resale shop working towards “(changing) lives by disrupting the cycle of human trafficking,” according to their website.
R61’s organization is a non-profit based out of Naperville with offices located in downtown Chicago, outside Chicago, and the resale boutique in Harrisburg.
The main goal behind R61’s mission is to give back to the community and show support to trafficking survivors.
“All of the proceeds go back into our organization and helping victims of human trafficking,” store manager Sarah Beth Kiecana said.
While R61 raises money to benefit survivors of trafficking, it typically does not go straight to the survivors, instead going into supporting their recovery.
“When they (survivors) have finally had enough or come into contact with law enforcement, they need someone to be there for them, and that’s what we do,” Kiecana explained.
But R61 does more to benefit victims. In addition to financial support, the trained “advocates” work alongside victims in various aspects.
“If a (survivor) has been taken in by police, they need someone to be there with them. Some offices have a liaison to do that, but a lot of them don’t,” Kiecana said. “If (survivors have) graduated from their program and need a place to stay, we help them find housing, we help them find clothing, furniture, whatever they need.”
Alongside the other benefits, R61 also works to connect survivors with therapists to help work through the trauma that comes with human trafficking.
“If they need any kind of therapy we also have a therapist on staff that is free of charge,” Kiecana said.
According to professor Shelly Taylor Page in an interview with Swinford Media Group, trafficking is common in Southern Illinois despite what people may assume. Additionally, the National Human Trafficking Hotline responded to 243 trafficking cases within Illinois, serving 355 victims.
“You will see labor trafficking in Southern Illinois primarily because of wineries and agriculture,” Page said.
R61 also decided that Harrisburg was the right place for the store due to their roots set down in the area.
“The founders of R61 are originally from Saline County. We also already had an office here that served survivors,” Kiecana said. “They felt like opening a store here would be a great way to serve the community and spread awareness.”
In order to get started with the Harrisburg location, those involved had to go through a long learning process.
“We had to start with getting our building gutted and redone, then we had to figure out how we wanted the layout. Initially, we started with just taking donations and then we whittled down to decide what we will sell and what we won’t,” Kiecana said. “It’s been a learning process that I’ve gone through for the past year.”
Outside of their boutique and offices, R61 is preparing to open a location dedicated to giving survivors temporary housing.
“We bought San Damiano Retreat. Part of it will be for youth survivors of trafficking and working with DCFS to open that up,” Kiecana said. “We’ll also have an adult program where (survivors) will learn life skills so when they graduate our program they’ll graduate with something they can go into the workforce with.”
Kiecana additionally commented on the lack of resources within the state for youth survivors.
“I believe that there’s six beds designated for survivors under the age of 18 in Illinois and we just think that’s unacceptable,” Kiecanan said.
R61 takes most donations to sell within the store, but there are a selection of items that they will not accept.
“We accept donations during our hours of operation. We accept clothing, shoes, homegoods, toys, books and movies. We do not accept any undergarments, socks or furniture,” Kiecana said.
Kiecana hopes that R61 can serve Harrisburg and help the community.
“We wanted to be able to impact the community with a place to donate items, a place to bless people in need and be able to tell people what all is going on in the community and educate them about human trafficking,” Kiecana said.
