Safe Harbor Children's Center

Safe Harbor, a private non-profit agency founded in 1991 by susan and bob hamer, a passionate couple dedicated to creating a warm and nurturing environment for children who had been abused, abandoned or neglected; who are homeless or have run away from home; or who are otherwise at risk or feel threatened. Since 1991, Safe Harbor has grown from a single house in downtown brunswick, ga, into seven programs that serve five counties in the brunswick judicial circuit. For 31 years, Safe Harbor has provided an array of life-changing services to include residential facilities, drop-in centers, outreach programs, Children's advocacy, family preservation, and parenting education. These programs deeply impact our community, reaching more than 2,800 children, youth, and family in just the past year. The mission of Safe Harbor Center is to provide services that promote security and stability for at risk families, children, and individuals. That mission is powered by seven programs. Zach's place, a runaway and homeless youth program provides short term emergency shelter, therapeutic services, and family reunification efforts to runaway and homeless youth. The program maintains Safe place sites, which offer access to immediate help and safety. Safe Harbor Children's Center serves children who have been removed from dangerous situations and, as a long-term residential shelter, provides nurturing care, medical and dental services, academic support, and therapeutic counseling. Street beat is a street outreach program that canvasses neighborhoods reaching out to homeless teens. The street beat staff works hard to build trusting relationships, provide nutrition, hygiene kits, sexual exploitation literature, and support for youth who want to come off the streets. Young people receive help completing their education, planning for careers, and acquiring housing. Family preservation provides intervention, therapeutic counseling, education, advocacy, referral and support services to families in the community that are referred by the Georgia division of family and children services. Safe Harbor Children's advocacy Center is the only advocacy agency in the brunswick judicial circuit serving victims of child abuse. Safe Harbor provides rehabilitative care to more than 305 child victims of sexual and/or severe physical abuse every year. Connie smith rape crisis Center is the only organization in the brunswick judicial circuit serving victims of sexual assault. Services provided include forensic interviews, forensic medical examinations, follow up medical services, 24-hour crisis line, crisis intervention, legal advocacy, crisis and therapeutic counseling by licensed professional counselors, and a multi-disciplinary approach to sexual assault. Strive, Safe Harbor's transitional living program, provides transitional housing for 16 to 22-year-old women. At strive, young, homeless women develop skills leading to self-sufficiency and independence such as working or studying at a local college, while living in a supervised, Safe environment. Each of the seven programs is vital to achieving Safe Harbor's vision everyone deserves a Safe place. In alignment with our mission and vision Safe Harbor delivers a Safe and stable living environment - improving the well-being, permanency, and self-sufficiency of children.