Each year, Safe Horizon’s Streetwork Project reaches thousands of street-involved young people, connecting them to safety, resources, and an affirming community in which to heal. We offer a continuum of supports to meet young people where and when they need it: Outreach advocates conduct 14,000 contacts with street-involved young people across the five boroughs, offering transportation, safer sex supplies, and connections to shelter; 1,000 young people visit Safe Horizon Drop-In Centers for concrete needs, linkage to benefits, and ongoing trauma supports; and 260 young people stay in our Crisis Shelter, a safe alternative to the streets.
Beyond these formal structures, Streetwork offers a place of safety, a place of community, and a place where young people’s capacity and possibilities are truly seen. Each day, youth might join us by sharing their story in a poetry project, planning a next startup venture at the computer lab, having real talk with other LGBTQ young people “in the life,” making a photo essay of life on the street, sharing tips and resources for fellow parenting youth, making real-world plans for economic independence, or creating amazing outfits for Streetwork’s annual fashion show and ball. In addition to this community impact forged every day, Streetwork celebrates young people through holiday gatherings, special workshops, LGBTQ Pride events, and more.
Safe Horizon is the largest nonprofit provider of victim services in the United States. With more than 100 program locations across New York City’s five boroughs, Safe Horizon offers a comprehensive array of programs, touching the lives of more than 250,000 New Yorkers each year.
This unmatched range of programs includes, among others: One of the largest networks of domestic violence shelters in the United States; the East Coast’s largest Anti-Trafficking Program; New York City’s 24-hour Domestic Violence, Crime Victims, and Rape and Sexual Assault Hotlines; a mental health clinic specializing in the treatment of trauma resulting from crime and victimization; and five fully-accredited Child Advocacy Centers to support justice and healing for children who have experienced sexual and severe physical abuse. Streetwork is at the core of these efforts, a cornerstone of Safe Horizon’s impact in NYC.
Since 2010, the John A. Reisenbach Foundation has specifically supported Streetwork’s team of youth advocates. Streetwork’s youth advocates are staff who make and maintain direct connections with clients from the moment they walk through the door until they no longer need services. Youth advocates are best equipped to approach homeless young people and to engage them in services that include case management, counseling, medical care, and public benefits and housing advocacy. Many have shared life experiences that form a valuable connection with youth experiencing homelessness. A client’s relationship with a youth advocate may be their first experience of a caring, supportive interaction with an adult. This essential relationship enables our clients to build safe and liberated lives, away from the streets.
To learn more about Safe Horizon’s Streetwork Project and how, with JAR’s support, they’re making a better and safer New York City, check out their website https://www.safehorizon.org/streetwork/.
Please click here to support Safe Horizon and our other grantee partners working in service of a Safer and Better NYC!
