HAMMOND, La., (WGNO) — The New Orleans Mission, a faith based organization, has expanded their Lynhaven Retreat. The 18-acre sanctuary now has seven new duplexes, built for mothers, children and sex trafficking victims who are working to rebuild their life.

“We’ve been able to walk women through addiction, mental illness, human trafficking, and overcome those issues and now reunite them with their kids, so they can become the moms that God created them to become and that was the purpose of these cottages,” said David Bottner, CEO of New Orleans Mission.

New Orleans summer programs return with improved payment process

The free housing is made possible by donations from the community.

“All of our funding is through individual support, corporations and local foundations. We don’t take any government funding, because all of our facilities are faith based. So, it’s the community making it happen for their community,” Bottner said.

Bottner says the retreat is a way the women and children can get out of the distractions of the city of New Orleans and focus on their recovery.

The ribbon cutting was held May 8. Leaders of the mission

“As they begin to heal from that we see change externally. You could see pictures of women that came in 87 pounds and walking dead and now they’re full of life and full of energy. So, we see that over and over. I mean, we see over 100 women through our doors, so, we’re not talking about a small group,” Bottner said.

However, there’s still more work to be done.

“There’s always a need so we already have plans for another campus and we’ve been funded to build 8 more houses.”

Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.

Latest Posts:

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO.