To seek assistance from the SAFE Center, call our main line (301-314-7233) or fill out the contact us form.
Our Services
Helping Survivors Get the Services They Need
The SAFE Center provides bilingual (Spanish/English) case management, legal immigration, mental health, and economic empowerment services to survivors of sex and labor trafficking.
Informed by our work with survivors, the SAFE Center actively engages in policy advocacy at the local, state, and federal level to promote laws that protect and empower survivors of human trafficking.
Our Services
Since our founding in 2016, we have served over 450 human trafficking survivors and their families in the Washington D.C./Baltimore metropolitan region.
The SAFE Center provides a wide range of legal assistance, either directly or by connecting clients with other trusted lawyers. Our legal team works closely with each client, listening to their personal goals and making sure they feel supported.
SAFE Center attorneys help non-citizen survivors seek immigration benefits and report the crime of trafficking they have suffered to law enforcement to ensure survivors receive the protection they deserve:
- T Nonimmigrant Status (T Visa)
- U Nonimmigrant Status (U Visa)
- Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)
- VAWA Self-Petition
The SAFE Center assists clients’ additional legal needs through a network of dedicated pro bono and low bono attorneys. These partners provide comprehensive legal support in areas including:
- Family Law – divorce, child custody, civil protection order
- Employment Law – wage theft, discrimination, wrongful termination
- Housing – landlord/tenant law, access to public housing
- Consumer Protection and Bankruptcy – debt collection, scams, foreclosure
- Personal Injury – car accidents, workplace accidents
Our case managers speak English and Spanish, and we are able to provide services in additional languages free of charge through in-person and telephonic interpreters. Depending on the client’s self-identified needs and goals, our case managers may provide assistance in the following ways:
- Creating a safety plan if the survivor is in an unsafe situation
- Connecting to medical and dental providers
- Providing accompaniment to court appearances
- Supporting eligible clients throughout the application process for public benefits or financial assistance programs
- Enrolling in educational institutions or vocational programs
- Preparing for interviews and reviewing resumes and applications during a job search
We offer bilingual mental health counseling in a safe and supportive environment. Our clinical social workers use various clinical approaches including cognitive behavioral therapy and solution-focused therapy to help clients develop healthy coping skills, understand the effects of trauma, and process traumatic events. All of the SAFE Center’s staff counselors are licensed by the state of Maryland or operate under the direct supervision of licensed staff.
Recognizing that economic empowerment is a key element in restoring trafficking survivors’ independence and self-determination, our economic empowerment portfolio of programs and services are designed to create a path toward a self-sustaining life for clients and a prepared, ready-to-contribute, engaged workforce for employers. We offer preparation and support for gaining English Language Skills, earning the GED, career guidance on certificate programs, and pursuing a college degree. In addition, we offer job search assistance, resume development, interview preparation, and coaching. We are currently developing partnerships with employers to begin establishing a pipeline of jobs for our clients.
Our staff members regularly deliver trainings and panel presentations on sex trafficking, labor trafficking, trauma, and mental health therapy techniques to raise awareness about trafficking among social workers, lawyers, foreign consulate officials, worker rights groups, corporate partners, students, and other community members.
