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Human trafficking and sexual exploitation are realities that many people would rather not discuss. For the women and young people experiencing them, however, finding a safe and nonjudgmental place can be the beginning of an entirely different future.
In this episode, I sit down with Sawan Vaden, Executive Director of Community Against Sexual Harm, better known as CASH.
Sawan first came to CASH as a client in 2014. She later returned as a substance abuse counselor and anti-trafficking case manager before eventually becoming the organization’s executive director.
Her personal journey is extraordinary, but it also reflects what makes CASH so effective. Approximately 80 percent of its staff members bring lived experience or a direct connection to the organization’s services. That creates a level of trust, credibility, and hope that cannot be taught in a training manual.
Sawan explains how CASH grew from a small evening drop-in center into a comprehensive survivor-support organization offering hot meals, clothing, intensive case management, employment assistance, therapy, youth programming, peer mentorship, community education, medical care, and court diversion services.
We also discuss why the idea of “choice” is often misunderstood when talking about sexual exploitation. Many survivors are choosing between dangerous options while responding to abuse, poverty, homelessness, addiction, coercion, or the basic need to survive.
Demand for CASH’s services has grown dramatically. The organization now serves approximately 40 to 50 people each day and is preparing to move from a crowded 3,200-square-foot facility into a donated 8,550-square-foot permanent center.
The new building will allow CASH to expand its youth programming, medical clinic, kitchen, therapy rooms, showers, children’s space, and other trauma-informed services. Its capital campaign will help transform the building into a welcoming home for healing and possibility.
This episode discusses human trafficking, sexual exploitation, childhood abuse, addiction, and homelessness.
Learn more: Visit the Community Against Sexual Harm website and explore the organization’s building campaign. https://cashsacramento.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cash_sacramento/
CHAPTERS
00:00 — Sawan Vaden’s journey from survivor to leader
02:07 — Introducing Community Against Sexual Harm
04:19 — How CASH began in Sacramento
05:49 — Drop-in services and long-term survivor support
09:04 — Therapy, youth programs, and community education
10:04 — Case management and the power of lived experience
14:25 — Giving women visible proof that change is possible
16:23 — Community partnerships and collaborative funding
18:50 — Working with law enforcement to address demand
20:09 — Understanding choice, coercion, and survival
22:15 — Grants, individual giving, and CASH fundraising
28:10 — A vision for housing and generational stability
30:28 — The urgent need for a larger permanent center
36:00 — CASH’s capital campaign and community opportunities
38:43 — Measuring success beyond traditional outcomes
42:50 — Why demand for CASH has grown dramatically
45:00 — Beyond the Mission with Sawan Vaden
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