Safe Center publishes impact report

The Safe Center, a Bethpage-based nonprofit victim services organization, has released its 2023 Impact Report. The report highlights the organization's work on behalf of victims and survivors of domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking, rape, sexual assault and other interpersonal violence.

In 2023, its 10th year serving Long Island, The Safe Center served 5,122 individual clients, providing 48,524 services, partnering with 447 medical and law enforcement personnel, serving 933 children through its Child Advocacy Center, and serving 154 victims of human trafficking.

“The Safe Center is a national leader in developing trauma-informed and client-focused programs,” Joshua Hanson, the center’s executive director, said in a news release about the report. “I look forward to our 10th year as the Safe Center with excitement about our bright future. We are grateful to our staff, board, funders and friends for their support as we create a vision for the next decade.”

The Safe Center aims to protect, support and empower victims of domestic violence and sexual assault while challenging and changing the social systems that tolerate and perpetuate abuse.

In 2023, the organization, as part of its crisis intervention work, provided 5,163 nights of accommodation in its safe house, spent 432 hours alongside survivors in local emergency services and provided 5,026 24-hour helpline and police project contacts, according to the report.

Through counseling sessions, 88 percent of children's mental health patients saw their trauma symptoms reduced. And 141 adult survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault participated in group counseling sessions. In addition, 366 of them received individual counseling, the report said.

For its advocacy and legal services, $911,462 was raised on behalf of clients through matrimonial actions, while 305 families were connected to child victim advocates and case managers, the report said.

In terms of housing and employment, 26 people obtained employment with the support of a professional specialist, 27 households benefited from a rapid rehousing programme and 12 people avoided homelessness thanks to the help of a one-off rental assistance fund, according to the report.

Through prevention and education, 838 training sessions were provided, attended by 28,365 students and community members, according to the report.

“The ‘why’ behind my unwavering commitment to Safe Center extends well beyond the agency’s platinum model for domestic and interpersonal violence services by offering and delivering a comprehensive and multifaceted range of programs,” Shannell Parrish-Brown, Safe Center board chair, said in the press release.

“I serve because of the agency’s unwavering dedication and refusal to rest on the accomplishments of its first decade, and instead, ambitiously raising the bar, creating significant changes in service levels while identifying new initiatives. Like expanding the agency’s mental health clinic to serve significantly more communities,” Parrish-Brown added.

“The Safe Center has a long history of managing change and evolving to meet the needs of the community we serve,” Debbie Lyons, Safe Center’s deputy executive director, said in the news release. “The past year has been no exception, with leadership transitions, program growth, and increased demand for specialized, trauma-informed services. The work continues this year by integrating survivor voices into systemic change processes and engaging the community in conversations about interpersonal violence.”