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    She Has A Name Cleaning Services Cultivates Career Mindsets for Former Victims of Human Trafficking

    Prior to launching CleanTurn Enterprises in Columbus, Ohio, John Rush worked with organizations that helped those impacted by domestic violence and human trafficking in Chicago, Illinois.

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    “During that time, the terminology that was most frequently used was ‘prostitution,’” said John Rush, president and CEO, CleanTurn Enterprises. “Over time, I’ve witnessed how simply changing this to ‘victims of human trafficking’ has helped people look at very complex social issues through a different lens. I believe this has been helpful in concentrating efforts to provide the support and resources these individuals need.”

    Rush then launched CleanTurn Enterprises in 2012 in Columbus, simultaneously incubating six different business lines to determine what the market demand was and could sustain long term. After just three years, CleanTurn was positioned to turn one of those business lines into its separate brand. That brand became She Has A Name Cleaning Services (SHAN Cleaning), which provides both commercial and residential cleaning services and employs individuals who are recovering from domestic violence and human trafficking. The name and the brand of this social enterprise brings these issues to the forefront of the community, while providing a service — and employment and job-training opportunities to former victims.SHAN-logoCT

    “We knew that we had reached a level of sustainability when the revenues for this business line reached $200,000 annually,” Rush said. “In 2015, we hired our managing director, created a dedicated team of employees to focus solely on providing services for SHAN Cleaning, and began the process of improving the efficiency and scale of SHAN Cleaning’s operations. Additional CleanTurn employees were reallocated to help advance the other five business lines, based on the demand and level of resources needed for each.”

    When social impact gets traction

    Since becoming its own stand-alone brand, SHAN Cleaning has employed approximately 120 individuals. Nearly 40 percent of these individuals are either still SHAN Cleaning employees, or have used their experience as a stepping stone to advance their careers. SHAN Cleaning currently employs 53 individuals full time, and in 2016 alone, the social enterprise served 280 survivors, worked with 28 partner organizations, logged 1,288 volunteer hours and engaged 189 volunteers.

    “In addition to providing a service and generating awareness about human trafficking and domestic violence issues, SHAN Cleaning’s business model incorporates providing these former victims with employment opportunities that come with coaching and mentoring to cultivate a career mindset,” Rush said. “Our ultimate goal is positive attrition—seeing our employees advance in their training, education and their careers.”

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    What you can do to help She Has A Name continue to grow

    • On March 8, join SHAN Cleaning at a fundraiser to benefit Gracehaven, a nonprofit dedicated to ending human trafficking. The fundraiser will take place at Kafe Kerouac, and 30 Støries Up will be performing live. It is a “pay-what-you-want” event and all proceeds will go to Gracehaven.
    • Visit SHAN Cleaning’s profile page on SocialVentures’ Marketplace. Here you can sign up for a special offer to receive 15 percent off one residential cleaning service.

    If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call the National Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

    For more information, visit shancleaning.com


    About SocialVentures
    Founded in 2014, SocialVentures advances remarkably good businesses—businesses that intentionally integrate social impact as a non-negotiable component of their business model. To learn more about organizations like She Has A Name Cleaning Services, please visit SocialVentures’ online Marketplace. The Marketplace features profiles of more than 100 local social enterprises. You can use the ‘Cause’ drop-down filter to learn more about how you can support the four local social enterprises, whose impact area is dedicated to eradicating human trafficking.

    For more information about SocialVentures or our Marketplace, please feel free to send an email to [email protected].

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