Safe House for Child Survivors of Sex Trafficking in Maryland

TITLE- Safe House for Child Survivors of Sex Trafficking in Maryland 

TurnAround, Inc. plans to operationalize Maryland’s first Safe House for Child Survivors of Human Trafficking. TurnAround Inc. and the YWCA of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County identified the need for establishing a safe house/residence and programming for minors affected by commercial sexual exploitation/trafficking. This project will fill a crucial gap in support to survivors of exploitation in Maryland by funding clinical and non-clinical services for child survivors of human trafficking. This project will expand the range of support available to the rapidly increasing number of survivors throughout the state. As such, the facility is located in Anne Arundel County as part of a partnership between the YWCA of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County and TurnAround. The residence will serve children from every part of the state including accessibility to all Eastern Shore Departments of Social Services. The residential services program will provide high-quality, intensive services to the children, youth and their families, throughout the duration of residency as well as their transition/ integration back into the community settings with the support of the regional navigator program. It is anticipated that the program will be ready to begin accepting referrals prior to but no later than July 1, 2024. Based on licensing requirements, TurnAround’s will serve females and those that identify as female victims. Per licensing requirements, TurnAround’s program will serve the targeted age range of 13-17 to minimize concerns of recruitment and disparate needs across the age spectrum. This age range allows for programming and activities to be more congruent; however, TurnAround is prepared to serve children and youth across the spectrum from ages 13 to 17 and staff will be extensively trained to serve children and youth with varying needs. The service delivery model will be a child-centered resiliency-based intensive program designed to promote healing, mental/behavioral stability, reunification and independence and accessible to all local Departments of Social Services. Fulfilling this funding request will improve safety conditions for Maryland’s children and facilitate recovery for child survivors throughout the state. Getting children into trauma-informed services early is key to mitigating the negative individual and community level outcomes associated with this kind of trauma, ultimately benefiting taxpayers by creating healthier children and safer communities.