Dahlia Grove

What Dahlia Grove does

Dahlia Grove is a private nonprofit organization headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, that operates a long-term residential rehabilitation program for adult women survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual exploitation. The organization was founded by Gayle Smith and operates as a sister entity to Thistle Farms in Nashville within the National Network of Sister organizations, a collective providing over 600 beds nationwide. Dahlia Grove delivers a codified four-phase rehabilitation methodology — Preparing the Soil, Planting the Seed, Blossom and Bloom, and Sisters for Life — offering up to two years of rent-free restorative care that addresses physical health, mental health, life skills, and employment skills through trauma-informed practices. Beneficiaries often arrive with minimal identification, limited education, and no family support, and the program partners with unnamed community health and mental health providers to deliver clinical services.

The organization's revenue model is donation-driven rather than commercial. Funding comes from community donations supplemented by a recurring events calendar that includes the Light the Night Gala, the It's All About Love Concert, and an annual Golf Tournament, with online giving processed through Givebutter and Kindful. To create employment pathways for survivors, Dahlia Grove operates three justice enterprises: Community Cafe (a donation-based catering service rotating across Sharon Presbyterian Church, First United Methodist Church of Belmont, and St. Stephen United Methodist Church), Handmade Giftware (sold at farmers markets such as Cotswold), and Event Planning Services. These enterprises serve a dual purpose of generating unrestricted revenue and providing job training at living wages within a controlled environment. The organization employs approximately 13 staff including an Executive Director, Residential Program Director, Residential Manager, Operations Coordinator, and Founder/CEO.

The residential home location is intentionally undisclosed for safety reasons, with the mailing address listed at 338 S. Sharon Amity #523, Charlotte, NC. The actual program operates across two homes following a recent expansion, and referrals originate from support agencies, law enforcement, and safe houses that cannot provide long-term services. There are no disclosed AI, technology platform, or proprietary software components; operations are supported by standard web infrastructure (Squarespace) and consumer donation tools. Dahlia Grove does not publish revenue figures, donor totals, or programmatic outcome metrics, which limits external assessment of financial scale and impact.

Name

Dahlia Grove

Legal name

Dahlia Grove

Website

https://dahliagrove.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dahlia Grove is a Charlotte, NC-based nonprofit that provides up to two years of rent-free, trauma-informed residential rehabilitation for women survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual exploitation, funded by community donations and three survivor-staffed justice enterprises.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trauma-Informed Survivor Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Reentry, Rehabilitation & Reintegration Programs (Education, Vocational, Case Management) (BPAKANAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN), Workforce Support Services & Case Management (Coaching, Wraparound) (EDAAAOAK)

Keywords

• Trauma-informed rehabilitation
• Survivor recovery services
• Nonprofit housing program
• Social enterprise catering
• Anti-trafficking support

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte, NC

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: 100% of funding comes from donations from the community. The organization hosts regular fundraising events including galas, concerts, and golf tournaments.
2. Community Cafe: Community Cafe operates at local churches on a fully donation basis, with 100% of donations going back into the mission. Currently operates at Sharon Presbyterian Church, First United Methodist Church of Belmont, and St. Stephen United Methodist Church.
3. Justice Enterprises (Catering and Handmade Products): Premium-quality catering services, handmade giftware and event planning provide job training and employment at living wages for survivors. Products are sold at Farmers Markets and events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Dahlia Grove is a nonprofit justice enterprise that provides a two-year, rent-free residential rehabilitation program for women survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual exploitation. The four-phase program delivers trauma-informed care covering physical and mental health, life skills, and employment training. Operations are supported by three social enterprises — Community Cafe catering, handmade giftware, and event planning — which generate revenue and provide job training at a living wage for survivors.

Product overview

Dahlia Grove operates as a nonprofit justice enterprise with a single unified offering: a two-year residential rehabilitation program for women survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual exploitation. The program is supported by three integrated social enterprises — Community Cafe (a donation-based catering service), Handmade Giftware (handcrafted products sold at farmers markets), and Event Planning Services — all of which serve dual purposes: generating revenue to fund operations while providing survivors with job training and employment skills in a controlled environment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Two-Year Residential Program A four-phase, rent-free restorative care home program lasting up to two years for women survivors of human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual exploitation. Phase 1 (Preparing the Soil) focuses on identity, health assessment, and basic needs; Phase 2 (Planting the Seed) develops routine, life skills, and work ethic through the catering business; Phase 3 (Blossom and Bloom) offers formal education and tangible work skills; Phase 4 (Sisters for Life) provides ongoing alumni support.
• Community Cafe A donation-based catering and cafe service operating at three partner churches — Sharon Presbyterian Church (Wednesdays), First United Methodist Church of Belmont (Thursdays), and St. Stephen United Methodist Church (Fridays), 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Survivors prepare and serve meals, with 100% of donations supporting the mission; the cafe provides job training and employment at a living wage.
• Handmade Giftware Handcrafted giftware products manufactured by survivors and sold at farmers markets (including Cotswold Farmers Market on Saturday mornings) and other events. The product line provides job training and employment skills for survivors while generating revenue for the mission.
• Event Planning Services Event planning services delivered through Dahlia Grove's justice enterprise to clients in the Charlotte, NC region. The offering provides job training and a living wage for survivors while delivering premium-quality event planning as part of the nonprofit's mission-driven revenue model.

Quantifiable outcome

• Two-year rent-free living and comprehensive rehabilitation program with proven methodology

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Thistle Farms (Nashville, TN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister organization to Thistle Farms in Nashville, TN. Part of the National Network of Sister organizations providing over 600 beds across the nation. Follows Thistle Farms' proven long-term rehabilitation methodology.
• Sharon Presbyterian ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Cafe location partner. Hosts Community Cafe every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
• First United Methodist Church of BelmontcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Cafe location partner. Hosts Community Cafe every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
• St. Stephen United Methodist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity Cafe location partner. Hosts Community Cafe every Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.
• Unnamed Community Health and Mental Health PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDahlia Grove partners with community organizations for personal health, mental health, physical rehabilitation and life skill services. For safety reasons, they do not publish the names of these partners but they provide indispensable services to clients.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Safe Horizon: Large NYC-based nonprofit providing domestic violence, trafficking, and victim services including shelters, counseling, and legal advocacy; overlaps Dahlia Grove's survivor population but operates a much broader portfolio of crisis and ongoing services.
• A21: Global anti-human-trafficking organization operating across prevention, protection, and prosecution pillars; broader portfolio (walk-in centers, aftercare, legal advocacy) than Dahlia Grove but serves an overlapping survivor population.
• Polaris Project: National anti-trafficking organization operating the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline and policy/advocacy work; overlapping target population with Dahlia Grove but operates at national advocacy and referral scale rather than direct residential care.
• Shared Hope International: National organization focused on sex trafficking prevention, policy, and survivor advocacy; comparable mission around trafficking survivors but operates primarily through training, awareness, and shelter network partnerships rather than direct residential rehab.

Direct peers

• Courtney's House: Washington, D.C.-area nonprofit providing direct services, housing, and recovery support for youth and young women survivors of domestic sex trafficking; comparable small-scale residential rehabilitation model.
• Wellspring Living: Atlanta-based nonprofit providing residential rehabilitation and survivor care programs for women and girls affected by domestic sex trafficking; comparable long-term housing model with case management and education/employment support similar to Dahlia Grove.
• Magdalene House: Residential program of Thistle Farms in Nashville offering two-year rent-free recovery housing for women survivors of trafficking, prostitution, and addiction; operates the same sister-network philosophy and case-management framework as Dahlia Grove.
• Unbound Ministries: Faith-based nonprofit providing long-term safe housing and recovery programs for women survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation; mirrors Dahlia Grove's faith-rooted, multi-year residential model.
• Thistle Farms: Dahlia Grove's parent sister organization in Nashville, TN, operating the same two-year rent-free residential model, justice enterprises (catering, bath and body products), and four-phase rehabilitation methodology for women survivors. The most direct comparable as the originator of the network Dahlia Grove replicates.

Regional players

• Street Grace: Atlanta-area faith-based organization combating domestic minor sex trafficking through awareness, demand reduction, and survivor advocacy; overlapping Southeast US geography and survivor population focus with Dahlia Grove.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dahlia-grove

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dahlia Grove