The SAFE Center’s Housing Program plays a critical role in helping survivors of human trafficking to work toward safety, stability, and long-term independence.
“Housing is foundational to healing and recovery; without safe and stable housing, survivors cannot effectively address other challenges related to mental health care, employment, and long-term financial stability. Ensuring survivors have secure housing is not just about providing shelter—it’s about restoring dignity, safety, and the ability to rebuild their lives,” Kinicki Hughes, the SAFE Center’s dedicated, full-time Senior Housing Services Specialist, states.
However, securing and maintaining housing is not easy – survivors often face complex barriers such as financial hardship resulting from exploitation, limited employment, and lack of credit or rental history, which all make securing leases more difficult. Hughes leads the SAFE Center’s program to provide comprehensive housing support for survivors which has included rental and utility assistance, moving assistance, and access to essential household items. She brings with her over 10 years of experience working in residential programs with survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence and has a background in public health and survivor advocacy.
Our collaboration with an apartment complex in Maryland has created access to affordable, trauma-informed housing, where survivors receive application support and are prioritized for reserved units. Additional partnerships with a moving company and housing experts with have allowed us to respond quickly and flexibly to urgent needs.
The SAFE Center continues to provide housing search and application support, food assistance, and referrals to community-based resources as we introduce a community liaison model of services. Our housing program is evolving to this model to include a focus on empowering survivors to:
- Navigate federal housing systems
- Understand their tenant rights
- Maintain stable, long-term housing
By continuing to build strategic partnerships and taking a survivor-centered approach, the SAFE Center works to remove local barriers to safe housing and to create pathways toward healing, independence, and renewed opportunity.
