Earlier this month, the University of Maryland SAFE Center was awarded a grant for $843,337 from the Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, based on funding from the Victims of Crime Assistance Program.
This funding will help the SAFE Center continue to provide current services, as well as help expand their efforts. The Center will work on expanding to meet the growing need for clinical mental health services and emergency crisis intervention services in Montgomery County.
The SAFE Center provides “survivor-centered and trauma-informed services that empower trafficking survivors to heal and reclaim their lives.” The funds from this grant will help the Center move closer to fulfilling their mission to provide services throughout Maryland. Now the Center will work to expand to Washington County in partnership with the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown and Meritus Medical Center.
“Our work at the SAFE Center would not be possible without the strong support we have received from the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention,” said Ambassador Susan Esserman, SAFE Center founder and director. “This grant equips the Center with the resources necessary to expand our critical services for human trafficking survivors in Maryland, particularly in Prince George’s, Montgomery and now Washington counties. We look forward to partnering with the University System of Maryland at Hagerstown and Meritus Medical Center in Washington County.”