Becoming Carmen: Sex work took her name, then everything else. Now she helps women take life back.
INDIANAPOLIS — The first woman we see who pings Stefanie’s radar is hopping out of the cab of a truck in an otherwise empty parking lot along 10th Street. She’s in her mid-to-late 30s, in jeans and a jacket that’s a little too light for the cool, drizzly day.
“She could be working,” Stefanie says.
Jordan Fischer, RTV6
May 7, 2018
Dear John: When men buy sex, it's the women who pay for it
INDIANAPOLIS — “It was just something I took a dare on I guess,” Ron tells me.
It was four days before Christmas 2016. Ron was driving down 10thStreet when, in his telling, he spotted a woman who immediately caught his eye.
“I waved at her and I thought she would be somebody I’d like to meet,” Ron says.
Jordan Fischer, RTV6
May 8, 2018
Ray of Sunshine: Old house gives new dreams to women in prostitution
INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — When you see a house from the outside, it can be hard to tell what's going on inside. And if you're invited in, you may be very surprised with what you discover. The same can hold true for people. This Sunday on WTHR Weekend Sunrise, we're showing you how a woman and a house are offering “A Ray of Sunshine" to others.
"It looked hopeless. It looked dirty. It looked unwanted," said Stefanie Jeffers.
Alyssa Raymond, WTHR
October 7, 2018
Sex buyers made her feel she'd 'never be of value again.' She proved them wrong.
“It’s who you don’t expect it to be. It’s just your average, everyday male.” The men who buy sex aren’t who you might expect.
Stefanie Jeffers, post 30 and trapped in addiction, appeared to be beyond repair. But her path to health and hope was just beginning.
Tim Swarens, IndyStar
December 12, 2018
House gives women in prostitution a place to dream again
INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — A place to belong. We all want that, and now, women in Indianapolis finally have that place. It's a place for women that have been left feeling empty and worthless after getting paid for sex. But they're beginning to feel whole again thanks to one woman who knows the struggle firsthand.
"From the moment we opened our doors, it's just been on," said Stefanie Jeffers.
Laughter and light fills the Dream House.
Alyssa Raymond, WTHR
April 13, 2019
Returning to Hope
“When I first started dancing, it did feel empowering, because I felt so worthless, that it was nice to have a dollar amount attached to my worth.” As a single mom dancing in strip clubs for a living, Stefanie was far from her idyllic childhood. She remembers, “I grew up in a very Christian home. My dad was a preacher...”
Ed Heath, 700 Club, CBN
April 22, 2019