The Elijah Rising Van Tour is a moving documentary that shines the bright light of awareness to expose the darkness of trafficking. Our goal is to give a comprehensive overview of the landscape of human trafficking in Houston and compel the informed to respond. Participants will take a ride through the Houston area to witness locations with a high probability of trafficking. During the tour, a video shares information from experts, survivors, law enforcement officers and more, explaining the harsh realities behind this often hidden evil.
Since 2011, Elijah Rising has taken over 11,000 individuals on the Awareness Van Tour, which has resulted in an unprecedented and wide-spread impact. Many churches, organizations, and groups, including law enforcement agencies, have been trained to identify the signs of trafficking through the tour. Numerous partner organizations, non-profits, coalitions, and intervention teams have been launched as a result of people experiencing the tour.
Elijah Rising offers Van Tours for groups of 8-13 people. If you already have a group ready to schedule a tour, choose a location below.
This is our original Van Tour that leaves from the Elijah Rising offices in the Heights at 402 Teetshorn Dr, 77009.
This is our Spring/Woodlands area Van Tour that leaves from the Woodlands Church at 1 Fellowship Drive.
Public Van Tours open to individuals are listed below. If you are not able to find an open spot, you can check back at a later time. We add dates to the list periodically.
Is there a cost for the van tour?
Nope! We offer the tours free of charge.
What is the recommended age?
While there is no explicit content in the videos on the tour, due to the nature of the subject matter, we do not allow anyone under age 12 to attend. Anyone under the age of 18 needs to be accompanied by an adult.
How long is the tour?
The tour itself lasts about an hour. We will also leave time afterward for questions.
Where does the tour begin?
Participants will meet at the Elijah Rising office at 402 Teetshorn. The van will load up and begin the tour from there.
How many people can go on a tour?
Our current van limits us to 13 participants, but we are able to make special accommodations for large groups on occasion. This is a photo of the layout of the van. For groups larger than 13, you can email our Awareness Director.
Will we get out of the van during the tour?
No. The van will drive by locations with a high probability of trafficking, but everyone will remain inside the vehicle at all times.
If you know where women are being exploited, why can’t these places be shut down?
Unfortunately, there are strong links between organized crime, money laundering, and trafficking. The people who run illicit businesses are very good at making it difficult to successfully prosecute them. In the case that enough evidence is available to shut a place down, more often than not it just pops right back up under a new name. We have a whole podcast episode about this topic that you can listen to here.
How do you choose the places you include on the van tour?
Some of the locations we have visited in person as part of our outreach efforts. We have been inside and spoken to women being exploited. We are not always allowed inside illicit businesses, in which case we use a combination of online reviews and advertisements to find places where commercial sexual exploitation occurs.
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