Funding from six grant awards will expand Harbor Baltimore’s outreach, harm-reduction, and drop-in services throughout Baltimore
Baltimore, MD (July 13, 2026) — Safe Exit Initiative’s (SEI) Harbor Baltimore program has received more than $347,000 in funding during 2026, ensuring the continuation of critical survivor-centered services for individuals impacted by the sex trade, trafficking, and exploitation. Through direct street outreach, a low-barrier drop-in center, overdose response, and strategic community partnerships, Harbor Baltimore meets participants where they are by providing harm reduction supplies, meals, hygiene essentials, clothing, case management, and connections to housing, healthcare, recovery, and other supportive services. The program’s trauma-informed, relationship-based approach helps individuals access resources while creating pathways toward safe, sustainable exits.
The 2026 funding was made possible through the generous support of the Aegon Transamerica Foundation, the Baltimore Bar Foundation, the Maryland Office of Overdose Response, and the Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention and Policy (GOCPP), Youth, and Victim Services through both the Maryland Victims of Crime program and the Performance Incentive Grant Fund. Collectively, these investments recognize the importance of survivor-led outreach, harm reduction, and coordinated community response in improving public health and safety. Sustained funding allows Harbor Baltimore to continue delivering life-saving services, operate its drop-in center in the Mount Clare neighborhood, provide overdose response resources as a designated Maryland Department of Health provider, and strengthen collaborations with community partners serving Baltimore’s most vulnerable residents.
“When women and families have access to consistent, low-barrier support, entire communities become safer and healthier,” said Courtney Ross Escobar, Esq., Co-CEO & Chief Operations Officer of Safe Exit Initiative. “SEI’s work in Baltimore is about meeting people where they are, responding to immediate needs, and building pathways to stability that strengthen not only the individuals we serve, but the broader community around them.”
Safe Exit Initiative Baltimore, MD
Harbor Baltimore’s impact continues to demonstrate the value of consistent, relationship-based engagement. In May 2026 alone, the program served more than 300 individuals through nearly 500 encounters, defined as individual interactions between participants and Harbor Baltimore staff during street outreach, drop-in services, case management, or resource navigation. During those encounters, individuals received referrals for housing, behavioral health and recovery services, legal services, and employment assistance. Over the organization’s most recent reporting period, Harbor Baltimore engaged 1,566 participants and completed 6,672 outreach encounters, including 1,065 drop-in participants and 4,005 drop-in encounters, demonstrating the program’s sustained presence and trusted relationships throughout Baltimore.
Safe Exit Initiative also recognizes the many organizations that have invested in Harbor Baltimore’s growth since the program’s launch. Previous supporters include the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Safety & Engagement (MONSE), The Abell Foundation, the Bank of America Helen Pumphrey Denit Charitable Trust, the Maryland Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services, the John J. Leidy Foundation, the Venable Foundation, and Costco Wholesale Charitable Contributions. These partnerships have helped establish Harbor Baltimore’s street outreach and drop-in services, strengthen security at the Harbor drop-in center, and expand survivor-centered programming that continues to create safer pathways for individuals impacted by trafficking, exploitation, and the sex trade.
To learn more about Safe Exit Initiative, make a donation, or get involved, visit www.safeexitinitiative.org. For more information about Harbor Baltimore, watch How Safe Exit Initiative is Changing Baltimore.
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ABOUT Safe Exit Initiative (SEI):
SEI’s mission is to create safe, sustainable exits from the sex trade and exploitation through quality services, strategic partnerships, and legislative advocacy. Headquartered in Worcester, SEI services include emergency day shelter (8 am–8 pm/7 days weekly), immediate basic needs (food, clothing, hygiene products, laundry, and safe space to sleep), transportation assistance, medical care and referrals, and mental/behavioral health services including residential recovery, case management, care coordination, and referrals to detox, treatment, and recovery services. SEI also supports youth and adults referred from across Massachusetts at Worcester-based programs.
SEI is survivor-founded and led. SEI’s Co-CEO & Chief Programs Officer and VP of Programs have over 30 years of lived and professional experience relevant to participants. Direct care services have operated for over a decade, supervised by survivors of the sex trade/trafficking.
To donate or get involved, please visit our website at www.SafeExitInitiative.org or contact us at Hello@safeexits.org.
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