Safe Horizon, formerly the Victim Services Agency, is the largest victim services

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

in the United States,MyCentralNewJersey.com, a subsidiary of The Courier News, interview with Amanda Stylianou
/ref> providing

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

for victims of

abuse Abuse is the act of improper usage or treatment of a person or thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, ...

and

violent crime A violent crime, violent felony, crime of violence or crime of a violent nature is a crime in which an offender or perpetrator uses or threatens to use harmful Force (law), force upon a victim. This entails both crimes in which the violence, vio ...

. Operating at 57 locations throughout the five boroughs of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Safe Horizon provides social services to over 250,000 victims of violent crime and abuse and their families per year. It has over 800 employees,Guide Star's assessment of Safe Horizon
/ref> and has programs for victims of

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...

, and

human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...

, as well as

homeless youth Youth homelessness is the problem of homelessness or housing insecurity amongst young people around the globe, extending beyond the absence of physical housing in most definitions and capturing familial instability, poor housing conditions, or ...

and the families of homicide victims.New York City government listing of Safe Horizon
/ref> Safe Horizon's website has been accessible for the Spanish-speaking population since 2012."'Safe Horizon launches new Spanish-language website to aid victims of violence and crime,' the New York Daily News
/ref> Safe Horizon has an annual budget of over $63 million.

History

In 1975, a pilot program began in New York City's court system that addressed the need to assist criminal court witnesses who had been intimidated or who felt too threatened to testify in court.
/ref> Three years later, that pilot program became the Victim Services Agency, officially incorporated May 26, 1978, and offering a broader array of services that helped more victims of crime and abuse. Lucy N. Friedman was Safe Horizon's founding executive director.New York Times City Room interview
/ref> By 1981, the Victim Services Agency provided programs for victims of domestic violence, offering them shelter, counseling, and concrete support. Over the next three decades, the Victim Services Agency began various other programs to assist victims and their families during times of crisis. In 2000, the Victim Services Agency became Safe Horizon. Today, Safe Horizon is the largest organization helping victims of crime and abuse in the United States,The Bridgespan Group's February 2007 Assessment
/ref> helping more than 250,000 children, adults, and families each year. Since 2008, Safe Horizon has been under the leadership of

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

Ariel Zwang.Fast Company profile of Safe Horizon's CEO Ariel Zwang
/ref>

Stephanie March Stephanie Caroline March is an American actress and activist. She is known for playing Alexandra Cabot in the NBC crime drama series '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' (2000–2018) and its spinoff media. She is also recognized for her act ...

has served as a member of Safe Horizon's Board.

Mission

Safe Horizon's stated mission is to provide support, prevent violence and promote justice for victims of crime and abuse, their families, and communitiesSafe Horizon's About Us Page
/ref>

Hotlines

Safe Horizon operates four hotlines: a 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline;NOW NYC's Domestic Violence Get Help Page
/ref> a Crime Victims Hotline; a Rape, Sexual Assault, and Incest Hotline; and a Centralized Helpline. These hotlines are multilingual, with over 150 languages available.New York City government resource list for crime victims
/ref>

Domestic violence services

Safe Horizon helps tens of thousands of domestic violence survivors every year, through hotlines, court programs, community offices, and shelters. Safe Horizon is the U.S.'s largest operator of

domestic violence shelter A women's shelter, also known as a women's refuge and battered women's shelter, is a place of shelter (building), temporary protection and support for women escaping domestic violence and intimate partner violence of all forms. The term is also ...

s, with nine shelters located throughout the five boroughs of New York City. A domestic violence shelter was named in honor of Safe Horizon Board Member Steven C. Parrish in 2008.

Child advocacy centers

In 1996, Safe Horizon opened the United States's first fully co-located Child Advocacy Center.Joyful Heart Foundation's Spotlight
/ref> Safe Horizon is the U.S.'s largest operator of child advocacy centers in an urban setting,Safe Horizon's page on Child Advocacy Centers
/ref> with five fully accredited Child Advocacy Centers, located in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

and the

Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. Safe Horizon has helped victimized children overcome the trauma of abuse, partnering with the

Yale Child Study Center The Yale Child Study Center is a department at the Yale University School of Medicine. The center conducts research and provides clinical services and medical training related to children and families. Topics of investigation include autism and r ...

on a new treatment, the Child and Family Traumatic Stress Intervention (CFTSI).Yale Child Study Center Report
/ref> CFTSI, a short-term therapy treatment that involves the participation of the non-offending caregiver, has been found to remarkably reduce the trauma symptoms of abused children.New York Times Blog Post 'A Brief Therapy Heals Trauma in Children'
/ref>

Anti-trafficking program

Safe Horizon's Anti-Trafficking Program (ATP) meets practical needs for victims of

, such as food, clothing, and shelter, as well as legal assistance. ATP was established in 2001 and has helped clients and provided intelligence to authorities allowing law enforcement to locate traffickers since its very beginnings. Florrie R. Burke helped to found ATP. ATP has represented the victims in several high-profile cases in recent years, including María Ríos FunNew York Times article 'Housekeeper in New Jersey Accuses Peruvian Diplomat of Human Trafficking'
/ref> and Sangeeta Richard
/ref>
/ref>
/ref> ATP is supported by the federal Office of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime.
/ref> Safe Horizon is a member of Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women.Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women members list
/ref>

Streetwork Project

Safe Horizon's Streetwork Project provides

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

youth with food, clothing, shower and laundry facilities, HIV testing, counseling, emergency shelter and more. Staff work with clients towards long-term housing solutions and treatment for medical and mental health problems.

Ali Forney The killing of Ali Forney occurred on December 5, 1997. Forney was an African-American gay and gender non-conforming transgender youth who also used the name Luscious. Forney was raised by their single mother in Brooklyn. They started working ...

was a client of Safe Horizon's Streetwork Project.

Community programs

Safe Horizon operates four Community Program offices, in Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Manhattan (which also serves the Bronx).Safe Horizon's Community Programs address page
/ref>

Counseling center

Safe Horizon's Counseling Center is an out-patient mental health clinic focused specifically on treating survivors of trauma. It is the only New York State-licensed mental health clinic specializing exclusively in treating traumatized victims of crime and abuse.

Law projects

In addition to ATP's legal work for victims of human trafficking, Safe Horizon's Domestic Violence Law Project (DVLP) and Immigration Law Project (ILP) provide low-cost and free legal aid for victims of domestic violence
/ref> and immigrant victims of abuse or torture. Since its inception, DVLP has provided legal advocacy and representation to thousands of low-income victims of domestic violence in family justice proceedings such for orders of protection, custody, support, and divorce proceedings. DVLP also advocates for clients within the criminal justice system.LawHelpNY.org listing
/ref>

Project Safe

Safe Horizon's Project Safe provides free lock changes to victims of crime who have reason to believe the perpetrators may have access to their homes. In most cases, lock changes are available within 24 to 48 hours.New York City government resources list
/ref>

9/11 disaster relief

From

September 11, 2001 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, through June 2008, Safe Horizon provided disaster relief to the victims of 9/11 and their families through the Family Assistance Center.New York Times article 'Charity Overwhelmed in Bid to Meet Attack Victims Bills'
/ref>
/ref> As one of the largest charities assisting victims,
/ref> Safe Horizon provided counseling to hundreds of thousands of those affected, and hundreds of millions in relief dollars.
/ref>

References

{{authority control Non-profit organizations based in New York City Organizations established in 1978 Domestic violence-related organizations in the United States Child abuse-related organizations Organizations that combat human trafficking Homeless shelters in the United States Women's shelters in the United States Charities based in New York City Violence against women in New York (state) Human trafficking in the United States 1978 establishments in New York City Women in New York City