BOULDER CITY (KTNV) — The St. Jude's Ranch for Children held a grand opening for its new, $25 million Healing Center in Boulder City Wednesday.
The 10-acre residential campus is the first in the Southern Nevada community to care for child victims of sex trafficking.
There are six residential homes for children and teens on the campus, as well as a healing garden, and the first trauma-informed school in Southern Nevada.
The school, opened in partnership with the Clark County School District, is specifically designed to meet students where they are with teachers and staff who are trauma-informed trained.
"This is a place where we really want them to learn to read, we want them to learn math and science, so that they can graduate high school, but go on to live a life where they're thriving," said St. Jude's Ranch CEO Christina Vela.
Vela said they hope to have their first residents on campus in the next 30 to 45 days and will begin by opening one house at a time. At full capacity, they'll be able to house and support up to 62 residents.
Every child will receive an individualized treatment program, which they anticipate will be about a year long.
"We'll be really focusing on the stages of change and really helping young people understand their victimization," Vela said. "We hope that through their time here we want them to have had an experience that they met people that cared about them and they learned things about themselves and their resiliency and the superpowers that they have to live the life of their dreams."
You can find more information about the Healing Center and the St. Jude's Ranch for Children here.
