275: Amanda Householder | Filming Let Us Prey, Shutting Down Circle of Hope, and Discussing the SICCA Act
Preacher Boys Podcast
Eric Skwarczynski
4.5 • 737 Ratings
🗓️ 7 January 2024
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
I initially interviewed Amanda Householder on June 10, 2020. During our conversation, she revealed that a staggering number of "troubled teen homes" existed across the United States.
Despite purporting to assist at-risk youth, these facilities often functioned as unregulated prisons, particularly those with a faith-based orientation, enjoying even less oversight due to religious exemptions.
Amanda detailed various forms of physical, sexual, and mental abuse, encompassing forced starvation, force feedings, rape, molestation, beatings, and months of isolation.
For Amanda, the fight against the troubled teen industry hits close to home, as she grew up in the Bible Belt, where her parents served as staff at the Agape Boarding School in Stockton, Missouri, before departing to establish their own unlicensed children's home called Circle of Hope. Much has transpired since our initial conversation.
Less than a year later, Amanda's parents, Boyd and Stephanie Householder, were arrested, facing 100 charges of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse allegedly occurring at their faith-based boarding school in Missouri. Consequently, Circle of Hope closed its doors.
In January 2023, Agape Boarding School shut down following an extensive investigation and scrutiny. Additionally, in November 2023, Amanda's story was featured in the four-part documentary series "Let Us Prey," premiering on Investigation Discovery and currently available for streaming on Max.
In this conversation, we delve into Amanda's participation in the production of "Let Us Prey," the current state of the Troubled Teen industry, and what the future holds for Amanda's activism.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I initially interviewed Amanda Householder on June 10th, 2020. |
| 0:05.8 | During our conversation, she revealed that a staggering number of troubled teen homes existed across the United States. |
| 0:13.2 | Despite purporting to assist at-risk youth, these facilities often functioned as unregulated prisons, |
| 0:20.0 | particularly those with a faith-based orientation, |
| 0:23.2 | enjoying even less oversight due to religious exemptions. Amanda detailed various forms of physical, |
| 0:29.9 | sexual, and mental abuse encompassing forced starvation, force feedings, rape, molestation, |
| 0:36.3 | beatings, and months of isolation. For Amanda, the fight |
| 0:40.3 | against the troubled teen industry hits close to home as she grew up in the Bible Belt where |
| 0:44.9 | her parents served as staff at the Agape boarding school in Stockton, Missouri, before departing |
| 0:50.9 | to establish their own unlicensed children's home called Circle of Hope. |
| 0:55.0 | Less than a year from our initial conversation, Amanda's parents, Boyd and Stephanie Householder, were arrested. |
| 1:02.0 | With 16 victims so far, we believe this to be one of the most widespread cases of sexual, physical, and mental abuse patterns against young girls and women |
| 1:12.3 | in Missouri history. |
| 1:15.9 | Consequently, Circle of Hope closed its doors. |
| 1:19.6 | In January of 2023, Agape Boarding School shut down as well, following an extensive |
| 1:24.7 | investigation and tons of media scrutiny. |
| 1:27.7 | Additionally, in November of 2023, Amanda's story was featured in the four-part documentary |
| 1:33.4 | series, Let Us Pray, which premiered on investigation discovery and is currently available to stream |
| 1:38.8 | on Max. In today's conversation, we delve into Amanda's participation in the production of Let Us Pray, |
| 1:45.4 | the current state of the troubled teen industry, and what the future holds for Amanda in her life and activism. |
| 1:51.6 | Here's my conversation with Amanda Householder. |
| 1:58.5 | Trigger warning. This podcast contains descriptions of various abusive situations. Listener discretion is advised. You are listening to the Preacher Boys podcast, a podcast shedding light on decades of mental, physical, and sexual abuse within the independent fundamental Baptist movement. The testimonies shared on this |
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