Sexual assault survivors are entitled to specific rights designed to support them through one of the most traumatic experiences in their lives. These rights include the choice to speak to law enforcement and to seek help at a hospital. The New York State Sexual Assault Victims Bill of Rights was created to help support survivors as they decide which steps to take next on their path to healing. Learn more about New York State’s Sexual Assault Victims Bill of Rights below. What rights are covered under the Sexual Assault Bill of Rights? You have the right to be treated fairly and without bias ..read more

Financial abuse is often left out of the conversation around domestic violence, yet it has a tremendous impact on survivors. Financial abuse is a leading reason why survivors stay with or go back to their abuser. Because financial abuse isn’t openly discussed, we created this blog to help domestic violence survivors know the signs of financial abuse and how they can get help. What is Financial Abuse? Financial abuse includes any action taken to control or restrict a survivor’s access to money or financial resources. In a financially abusive situation, the abuser often uses threats of violence ..read more

CBS News February 29, 2024 CBS New York recently highlighted how our team is going above and beyond to support young new arrivals experiencing homelessness​, speaking with Streetwork Project AVP Sebastien Vante, and one of our new clients. Watch the video here. The post Safe Horizon Streetwork Project Extending Helping Hand to Asylum Seekers in Harlem appeared first on Safe Horizon ..read more

Join Team Horizon to guarantee your entry to the 2024 NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon and receive race day benefits! Team Horizon runners receive guaranteed entry to the 2024 NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon while raising critical funds to support Safe Horizon programs. Safe Horizon is the nation’s leading victim assistance organization. Our mission is to provide support, prevent violence, and promote justice for victims of crime and abuse, their families, and communities. In just 13.1 miles you can help the 250,000 fellow New Yorkers who Safe Horizon’s services touch each year. One individual ca ..read more

CBS News By Jessi Mitchell February 29, 2024 A Harlem drop-in center for homeless youth has become home to a new crowd of clients — asylum seekers from West Africa. Nonprofit Safe Horizon is helping them feel welcome in a new world. Young people in crisis find food, friendship, clothing and calm at the organization’s Streetwork drop-in center on 125th Street. Over the past three months, staff has seen a surge in demand for their services. “We went from seeing about 60 young people a day and now we’re seeing hundreds of young people accessing our drop-in, and so that means more food, that mean ..read more

This Op-Ed appears in City & State. To read the full article click here. Homeless youth in New York City are the most overlooked and ignored, especially the population of teenagers and young adults. Our failure to see these young people results in a lack of funding for services and options designed for them. For the many immigrant youth arriving in the city, there are even fewer resources and the social service agencies designated to help them are at a dire crossroads. How can we aptly serve this population when the city’s ever-changing policies do not offer viable, long-term solutions to ..read more

By Sebastien Vante November 30, 2023 At the heart of Streetwork Project, Safe Horizon’s program for youth experiencing homelessness, is an inclusive community that values relationships between survivors and staff. For many of the young individuals who seek our assistance, working with a dedicated Streetwork counselor marks their first experience of a healthy, trusting relationship with an adult – one that is consistent and attentive to their unique needs. These connections create an environment where our clients feel safe and truly seen. Recently, a growing number of migrant youth have been c ..read more

Safe Horizon Press Conference, October 2023 The Adult Survivors Act (ASA) is a New York State law that created a one-time, one-year lookback window for adult sexual assault survivors who were outside the statute of limitations. The one year look back window ended in November 2023. Many legal cases were brought under this law including several against prominent individuals. Safe Horizon ran public awareness campaigns to tell survivors in New York about their rights under the ASA. Our experts shed light on this topic in several media articles.   Media Coverage Liz Roberts, CEO of Safe Hor ..read more

Gun violence has become more prevalent in New York City and across the country. In 2020, there were 45,222 firearm-related deaths in the United States – that’s about 124 people dying from a firearm-related injury each day (CDC 2022). On Thursday, December 14, at 11:00 AM ET on Zoom, Safe Horizon experts, Kimmi Herring, Associate Vice President of Community Programs, and Jimmy Meagher, Policy Director, Government Affairs, will lead an engaging conversation on the growing issue of gun violence. They’ll discuss the scope and impact of gun violence in America, the need for legislative measures and ..read more

November 8, 2023 By Jimmy Meagher Earlier this week, I joined our CEO Liz Roberts and our Vice President of Government Affairs Michael Polenberg in Albany to advocate for Safe Horizon’s 2024 budget priorities. Although we are hearing that next year’s budget may be tight, our message to Governor Kathy Hochul’s administration is that victims and survivors will have no place to turn if programs aren’t fully funded. Our community of victim services providers simply cannot sustain continued flat funding or, even worse, budget cuts to our programs. Budgets are values statements. They demonstrate th ..read more