Celebrate Black History Month by exploring Seattle through the neighborhoods that Black entrepreneurs and makers help shape every day. We’ve put together a curated guide of Black-owned businesses in and around Columbia City, Rainier Valley, Hillman City, and the Central District, plus easy “day out” itineraries to make supporting local simple and fun. Read the full blog to discover the list, plan your route, and find new favorites!
January at REST was a quiet return to what matters most: routine, connection, and steady steps forward. With workshops restarting, community spaces reopening, and our team growing stronger, we’ve seen again how consistency helps survivors refocus, rebuild momentum, and move toward their goals. Read the full blog to see what’s been happening inside the ERC and how your support is making it possible.
Fifteen years ago, REST began with one bold belief: survivors deserve dignity, compassion, and real pathways forward. Since 2009, that belief has looked like calls answered when someone had nowhere else to turn, advocates showing up again and again, and a community refusing to look away. In our 15-year anniversary blog, we reflect on REST’s journey from our beginnings in 2009 through becoming an official 501(c)(3) in 2011, what this milestone truly represents, and why we’re more committed than ever to the work ahead. Read the full post to celebrate with us and see what’s next.
REST’s new Signature Tea Collection is here, and it’s steeped in purpose. These six bright and cozy blends on Adagio let you enjoy a cup you love while supporting survivors, with five percent of every purchase going back to REST. In the blog, meet each tea, discover our “tea mates” pairings, and learn how this simple ritual can help create safety, steady care, and new beginnings.
December at REST was filled with moments of connection, creativity, and hope. From a Winter Wonderland Open Mic Night where guests shared music and stories, to Holiday Spirit Week activities and a caroling visit that brought joy to seniors in memory care, this season reminded us how powerful community can be. We also celebrated making Christmas morning special for shelter guests and honored our team with quarterly Value Awards. Read the full recap and see what hope in action looked like all month.
For survivors of sex trafficking, the road to recovery can be extremely difficult. Many have experienced trauma, physical abuse, lack of basic needs, and loss of dignity. This leaves them feeling helpless, scared, and isolated. Some survivors find strength in turning their stories into tools to help other victims and survivors of sex trafficking.
The last two years have certainly been challenging—for the individuals we serve, for our staff, for us as an organization as a whole, and probably you, too. As we enjoy the Thanksgiving and holiday season, we invite you to join us in acknowledging that we are on the traditional land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish People, past and present. We honor with gratitude the land itself, and the Duwamish Tribe.
I joined REST on May 3rd as the Director of Philanthropy and Marketing.
I am grateful that my journey from Bangladesh has led me to REST. I look forward to partnering with you to spread love, safety, and hope. I can’t guarantee that the road will always be smooth, but I can guarantee that I will not stop walking alongside of victims and survivors of the sex trade and sex trafficking. I invite you to join me on this road.
Most of the photographs representing survivors on this website are stock photography and feature models used for illustrative purposes only. With a few carefully evaluated exceptions, we do not publish or share photos of survivors at REST.
