APA Raises More Than $20,000 for Victim Assistance Project

As part of APA’s annual APA Gives Back program, APA President Anita Everett, M.D., presented a donation of $20,000 to this year’s recipient, Safe Horizon: The Streetwork Project, at the Opening Session of APA’s 2018 Annual Meeting. Lisa O’Connor, the chief program officer of Safe Horizon, accepted the check on behalf of the organization.

By the end of the Annual Meeting, attendees had donated $11,600, and APA matched that amount, bringing the grand total that Safe Horizon received to $23,200.

Now in its ninth year, the APA Gives Back program provides an opportunity for APA, its members, and Annual Meeting attendees to support a community mental health organization in the city hosting the Annual Meeting. APA matches donations dollar for dollar.

Safe Horizon has been helping victims of violence and abuse in New York City since 1978. It provides assistance, advocacy, and support to victims who have experienced such crimes as domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking as well as youth homelessness. Programs include a victim’s hotline, legal services, counseling, crime-assistance program, and domestic violence shelters.

Safe Horizon’s Streetwork Project serves homeless youth and young adults up to age 25, helping them find stability. The Streetwork Project’s drop-in centers offer youth a safe, nonjudgmental place where they can get help with daily necessities, medical and mental health care, legal help, and more. The program also has street outreach teams that go into the community and offer information about options and services. The teams make more than 13,000 contacts with homeless young people each year.

“We are pleased to be able to show our support for the important work of The Streetwork Project, which helps thousands of vulnerable young people in need,” Everett said. ■