Safe Exit Initiative launches sex trafficking outreach program in Baltimore
Photo I Courtesy of Safe Exit Initiative
Safe Exit Initiative's Harbor is located at 534 Cambridge St. in Worcester.
Safe Exit Initiative, a Worcester nonprofit supporting those involved in the sex trade, has expanded its reach into the Mid-Atlantic, launching a harm reduction and outreach program in Baltimore.
Launched on Feb. 14, Harbor Baltimore is an extension of SEI’s Harbor program in Worcester, a community-based resource center and day shelter established in 2014. Leveraging $70,000 in grant funding, Harbor Baltimore provides direct street outreach, offering harm reduction and personal hygiene products three times a week to Maryland’s Wilkens, Park Heights, and Morrell Park neighborhoods, according to a Tuesday press release from SEI.
“Launching Harbor Baltimore’s street outreach has pushed us to innovate,” Courtney Ross Escobar, SEI co-executive director and chief operating officer, said in the release. “With prostitution tracks spread throughout the city, we’ve had to rethink how to provide meaningful, trauma-informed care in brief encounters. Given the city’s size, we are developing new approaches to deliver comprehensive support and case management services in a street outreach setting. We’re meeting people where they are – building trust, offering immediate support, and opening pathways to long-term services.”
Harbor Baltimore is led by Program Director Pamala Cary, who is in the process of assembling a team of community support specialists to provide outreach services.
“Community partnerships are vital to the success of street outreach and harm reduction efforts because they provide broader reach, trusted connections, and comprehensive support,” Cary said in the release. “Collaboration with community-based providers, churches, and volunteers expands SEI’s impact and raises awareness within different segments of the community.”
Harbor Baltimore is working in collaboration with a number of Baltimore-based organizations and agencies to maximize its services and reach.
The program was created in collaboration with U Empower of Maryland, a nonprofit working to address service gaps in the community. SEI is working in partnership with U Empower’s principal Food Project program, which provides meals and emergency resources, according to the organization’s website.
SEI is partnering with the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement to deliver services throughout Baltimore and Maryland's Office of Overdose Response, which is providing SEI with naloxone, also known as Narcan, a drug typically administered through the nose to reverse opioid overdoses.
The nonprofit specifically selected Baltimore to open its second location due to the metropolis’ rank as one of top cities in the nation for human trafficking, said the release.
Since 2007, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has received approximately 6,000 calls and reports from Maryland with the organization identifying 1,533 human trafficking cases involving about 3,000 victims, according to an article published by The Baltimore Sun.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
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