Heal. Recover. Blossom!
We believe that every survivor of sexual violence deserves a new beginning and comprehensive community support.
We walk beside survivors of all gender identities at all points in their healing journeys.
We create welcoming spaces and offer innovative healing opportunities designed for each survivor’s personal goals.
We keep the flame of hope shining for the next person to find their way to freedom from violence, trauma, & addiction.
Find out more detail about our programs and services here:
Magdalene Omaha provides equal opportunities to all employees, volunteers, program participants, and applicants without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions, medical condition, disability, results of genetic testing, age, service in the military, or any other characteristic protected by law.
#YouMatterHere
Meet Our Team
Board of Directors
President Bryan Peterson Vice President Lindsay Banks-Cunningham
Treasurer Grace Newton Secretary Maureen O’Connor Beth Beninato
Staff
Audrey Durand, Assistant Manager, Survivor Success Operations
Barb Corey, Senior Manager, Survivor Success Operations
Dorris Walker-Taylor, Senior Ambassador
Michelle Martinez-Bates, Thistle Lights Coordinator
Noelle Ptomey, Community Activities Coordinator
Teresa Houser, Founder & Executive Director
Tesa Miller, Director, Survivor Success Operations
Omaha’s Sex Trafficking Problem
As noted in “Nebraska’s Commercial Sex Market,” published by the Women’s Fund of Omaha in 2017:
On average each month, 900 unique individuals are sold for sex in the state of Nebraska.
On average each month, 675 of those individuals are sold in the Omaha metropolitan area.
Each of those individuals may be sold multiple times a day.
In the majority of these transactions, force, fraud, or coercion is involved (meeting the legal definition of trafficking).
Survivors we serve estimate that the numbers now are at least three times this.
Our Roots:
Thistle Farms
Our residential program model has nearly 30 years of success behind it.
Magdalene Omaha initially modeled our programs after Thistle Farms in Nashville, the original Magdalene residential community and survivor-led small business founded by Becca Stevens in 1997.
Today, Thistle Farms is the largest survivor-run social enterprise in the United States, and their model has spread to over 50 communities around the world.
Our History
In April, Magdalene Omaha, Inc. officially founded & community engagement activities began - always geared to amplifying the survivor’s voice.
Residence purchased, renovated, & furnished - ahead of schedule and under budget! In December, we welcomed our first resident home (nearly a year ahead of our original plans thanks to wonderful community support).
Thistle Lights, our survivor-led job training program, officially opened on Small Business Saturday in November.
2019
2020
Launched our New Beginnings Campus to open our high-quality programming to all survivors community-wide, including all gender identities.
Began offering a weekly community dinner for survivors.
2021
Expanded services at our New Beginnings Campus, including creation of Tamar’s Pantry, our personal items pantry that supports individual survivors & other nonprofits assisting survivors.
2022
Undertook an intensive evaluation, analysis, and restructuring of our programs called “Becoming Who We Are,” which allowed us to both streamline and expand the services and support we offer survivors.
Opened the Magdalene Omaha Community Center, located at 930 S. 48th Street. We also began offering free transportation services for survivors to our programs and services.
Started the Magdalene Omaha Walking Club to raise community awareness and our personal step counts! We have walked in the Cinco de Mayo, Florence Days, and Saint Patrick’s Day parades. All are welcome to join us as we “Walk for Freedom from Sex Trafficking” every Friday morning!
Introduced our Housing Independence Pathway (HIP) pilot program. Through this, we provide additional support to graduates of our residential program during their first year of successful independent living in their own apartment.
2023
2024
2025
The vision for Magdalene Omaha began in 2014. We spent a year learning about Omaha’s growing sex trafficking problem and the services already being provided. In 2015, we studied Thistle Farms’ Magdalene residential recovery model in depth and consulted with survivors and other community leaders in Omaha to determine whether this would be a good fit here. After receiving overwhelming enthusiasm to move forward, in 2016 we officially founded Magdalene Omaha. Since then, thanks to the generous support of this community, we continue to evaluate, adapt, and grow our programming to best meet the evolving needs of local survivors.