Tharros Place, a new nonprofit that will provide residential services for survivors of human trafficking, announced recently that it has hired Makala Owens, MSW to serve as the organization’s Human Services Professional. In that role, Owens will ensure that the educational, medical, emotional and social needs of the residents — girls ages 12 to 17 — are met through individualized care plans to help them meet their goals.

“We are thrilled to have Makala join Team Tharros,” said Julie Wade, Executive Director of Tharros Place. “She is a highly qualified and motivated social worker with a comprehensive knowledge of social justice issues and a passion for supporting communities in need. It is critical to have someone of her stature working directly with our residents as they begin their healing process.”

Owens previously worked as a social worker at Hospice of South Georgia, Inc. in Jesup, Ga., and at Whispering Pines Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Fayetteville, N.C., where she assessed clients’ social service needs and formulated treatment plan strategies to provide comprehensive and continuous care. Her skill set includes crisis intervention, individual and group counseling, risk assessment, treatment planning, case documentation, and client advocacy, among others. 

Owens, a resident of Hinesville, earned a bachelor’s degree in social work from Troy University and a master’s degree in social work from Capella University. She is certified as a Mindset Training Instructor, a training curriculum that creates a culture of prevention through increased awareness, skill development, and appropriate parameters.