Stories of Resilience

Inspiring stories of program participants with real lived experiences.

Note: The following stories do not contain personally identifying information.

Names have been changed, and details have been edited to protect the identity of the survivor, allowing us to share these stories of success publicly.

Survivor testimonies

“After I got connected to services... and having people in my life like my Safety Compass advocates... I realized that there are people who care about me. It changed my life. I've been out of “the life” for years now, finished high school and my technical program at the community college, regularly attend Safety Compass community events, and have a career lined up and plans for a future for me and my son... I'm glad this happened.”

“I needed help with all the things the advocates are currently helping me accomplish, all I needed was some support and a listening ear. This program is truly life saving and I hope it continues to work for the girls in the life. It helped me and my sister. If you take it serious you can really succeed in the program and I would like it to see it continue to work! I'm really thankful. I wouldn't have done it if it wasn't for that night because that life can be really captivating and hard to get out of because you're stuck in a cycle. I would like to become an advocate one day and share my story in hopes it helps another woman such as myself.”

  • Erin's Story

    Erin was referred to Safety Compass by the juvenile department. She was brought in as a runaway and there were concerns that she was being trafficked. Safety Compass advocates did an intake with her and began to make referrals to a number of different places including a transitional housing program to help establish safety for her. Once in transitional housing, she was able to access new copies of her birth certificate, a new government issued ID card, and other documents which enabled her to begin applying for food stamps, health insurance benefits, and enroll in college classes. With the support of advocates and the rest of her team, she was empowered in finding new independence and confidence. Erin also regularly attends our survivor leadership community nights and even brought a friend with her who she knew needed support.

    Click the next arrow to read Eliza’s Story

  • Eliza's Story

    Eliza was referred to Safety Compass by a family member who knew that she was being trafficked and needed a safe place to go. Eliza had been living in another state and decided to leave her trafficker and fled the state to find safety. There was a multi-organization effort to assist her in finding resources to pay for her relocation and travel expenses. Once she arrived in Oregon, Safety Compass advocates were able to connect her to multiple programs that she is now still readily engaging in for things like counseling and parenting support. She was able to have her baby in a safe environment and has established a wide system of support to help her navigate her healing journey.

    Click the next arrow to read Josie’s Story.

  • Josie's Story

    Josie was referred to Safety Compass after being found by law enforcement at a human trafficking sting. She had been trafficked in Oregon from out of state. Safety Compass advocates worked with her on scene at the sting to establish a safety plan and connect her to resources. She ended up moving to Oregon and immediately called Safety Compass for support when she moved here. Safety Compass advocates helped her to connect to rental assistance, counseling, and DHS self-sufficiency to get food stamps and health insurance. She has a steady, full-time job that will allow her to independently pay rent once her rental assistance comes to an end.

    Click the next arrow to read Renee’s Story.

  • Renee's Story

    Renee was referred to Safety Compass by a domestic violence organization after they recognized that she was being trafficked. She had left her trafficker and was seeking a safe place to live for herself and her 3 month old baby. Safety Compass, along with other service providers, helped her to create a safety plan to keep herself safe from her trafficker who had been actively stalking her. She was able to independently carry out and follow through with every detail of this plan and felt empowered by the support she was receiving.

    Click the next arrow to read Amanda’s Story.

  • Amanda's Story

    Amanda was referred to Safety Compass for services following being admitted to the hospital and needing a sexual assault exam. She was running from her pimp and needed to find safe shelter for herself and her toddler. Due to the high lethality and extreme danger of her pimp, we were able to find her safe shelter out of state. She is now receiving mental health counseling, has a new job, and is thriving after being trafficked for 10 years.

    Click the next arrow to read Sarah’s Story.

  • Sarah's Story

    Sarah is a participant who has engaged with us for quite some time on a semi-regular basis. She walked into a police station one day asking for help to get off the streets and find a safe place for her and her daughter. We were able to get her into an emergency shelter, find her a new phone, get her connected to DHS for self-sufficiency dollars, find mental health counseling, and get her into a rental assistance program for long term housing. Lack of access to safe housing is the number one barrier to survivors leaving “the life.”

    Click the next arrow to read Erin’s Story.