ELKHART — It's no secret. Prostitution is a growing problem in Elkhart. WSBT News took an exclusive look at how police are hoping to turn that around and how the problem impacts an entire community.

It's a reality on the streets near downtown Elkhart. Police say prostitution has grown over the past five years. And neighbors are noticing too.

"They're constantly hanging out on the corner on the pay phone. They'll walk up and down the streets," said neighbor Rachel Smith.

This year, Elkhart Police formed the Street Crimes Unit to battle issues like drugs and prostitution through undercover stings.

Female officers pose as prostitutes. Male officers pose as johns. And this is the result: Police have arrested 32 people so far this year for either prostitution or soliciting a prostitute.

Police say prostitution is often fueled by drugs, specifically crack cocaine.

"A lot of the local prostitutes here are addicted to drugs and they're only doing this for one reason. So if they're in your neighborhood soliciting guys, they're probably buying dope on the next block over," explained Elkhart Police Department Lt. Ed Windbigler.

Police say these stings are not going to cure the drug or the prostitution problem. But they hope they'll make people think twice.

"That's the way we want it to be. We want them to be nervous and move out of the area," said an officer with the Elkhart Police Department.

To some, prostitution is often seen as a victimless crime. But Mayor Dick Moore says that's far from the truth.

"We are all victims," said Mayor Moore.

Elkhart police say the majority of the prostitution happens in the West Central neighborhood and on South Main Street. These are two areas that are primary entrances into the city.

"You want people, their first impression of your community, to be a good impression. And that certainly does not give people a good impression of what's going on in your community. So it has an impact," said Mayor Moore.

The impact of prostitution doesn't end there. Officials say as the problem grows, so does the health risk.

"When you have sex with many different partners you are at a much higher risk of contracting an STD and of spreading it," said Elkhart County Health Department Communicable Disease Specialist Beth Hewitt-Hunton.

Prostitutes aren't the only ones at risk. In some cases, people who pick up prostitutes are also in relationships.

"The person who has utilized a prostitute will go back and have sex with someone else and spread whatever disease they may have picked up. So if that person has sex with someone else, it's just a snowball effect," said Hewitt-Hunton.

Prostitution is also impacting businesses and the overall health of our communities. Police and community leaders are cracking down on the problem. But for many people, the problem really never goes away.

One woman, who asked not to be identified, sits in shame.

"I hate it. I don't feel like they deserve someone like me," said 'Irene,' whose name has been changed to protect her identity, about her three children.

'Irene' was arrested earlier this month for prostitution. It was her third offense.

"And my past kind of haunts me, too," 'Irene' said.

A past she says has been filled with guilt and depression. She started prostituting seven years ago.

"I left a domestic violence situation I was in for 10 years and went home to my mom and my kids. I ran into a friend of mine and we started doing drugs," she said.

Her constant use of crack cocaine soon turned into an addiction. And prostituting was a quick way to get a quick fix.

"$20, $30 for a couple of minutes, that's good money, really. You can't make that in any workplace," she said.

It's a life another woman knows all too well. We'll call her 'Kirsten.'

"I would make calls and I would prostitute," said 'Kristen.'

Prostituting is something 'Kristen' never imagined she would fall into.

"I was a cheerleader, in volleyball, track, band," she said.

But after her best friend died in a car accident, she too turned to crack cocaine to numb her pain.

“You know when you ran out of drugs, ran out of money, you would do what you had to do to survive, to feed your habit," she explained.

For a year and a half she prostituted on the streets of Gary, Ind. She slept with men of all ages and stature.

"Truck drivers, drug dealers, county workers," said 'Kristen.'

“Were they married?” WSBT asked.

“Some were," she replied.

But life on the streets would soon take its toll.

“I looked at myself in the mirror and I didn't know who I was anymore. I actually threw my pipe, my crack out the window and I said I was done. And that was it. And I haven't done it since," 'Kristin' said.

'Kristen' still struggles with her addiction and will always be in recovery. But she considers herself a different person today and that's what makes her happy.

"Today I'm going to get married. I'm in a good relationship. I am sober. I own a house. Everything is going great," she said.

Two women who share a very similar past, but today live two very different lives. And for 'Irene,' happiness is something she also hopes for.

"Maintain steady employment without any hang-ups. You know, just to have somebody there to help me even when I do mess up. Instead of looking at me like I’m some bad person ... because I’m not," 'Irene' said.

Those arrested for prostitution or solicitation in Elkhart and St. Joseph County don't automatically get tested for STDs. But a judge can issue a court order to have someone tested.