🔦 ADVOCATE SPOTLIGHT
Meet Jessica! Jessica serves as our Housing Advocate at The SAFE Project and will soon be transitioning into a Shelter Advocate position, bringing her powerful lived experience, deep empathy, and unwavering dedication to supporting survivors across our community.
⁉️ What brought you into advocacy work, and what keeps you dedicated to it every day?
"I am a survivor of adolescent and adult sexual assault, domestic violence, and neglect. Growing up in Los Angeles, I felt the system majorly failed me as a child and a young adult, and I have survived losing everything and having to start all over again more times than I can count. As someone new to The SAFE Project, what inspired me to do this type of work is being a survivor myself. I truly have the drive to help others and show that there is hope. What keeps me dedicated is seeing the success stories and small accomplishments. It truly is an honor to work alongside my dedicated coworkers."
⁉️ What is one thing you wish the general community understood about supporting survivors of domestic violence?
"One of the biggest things is that people generally judge people who are experiencing domestic violence. One of the most common things I hear is 'why didn’t they just leave?' There is not a one-size-fits-all answer to this. My best suggestion to people would be to look into statistics, facts, and educate themselves on domestic violence, volunteer at your local domestic violence center, ask questions, and get involved."
⁉️ If you could share one message with someone experiencing domestic abuse, what would it be?
"There is hope. This situation isn’t forever. Reach out to family, friends, and the community. Establish a safety plan, and remember there is always a way out. You are not alone."
⁉️ What gives you hope in the work that you do?
"Seeing laws change definitely gives me hope for a better tomorrow, community partners getting involved with local domestic violence agencies, seeing clients make small steps towards their personal goals, and having such a strong support system within our organization." 🫶🏻
📜 A note from leadership:
"Jessica brings profound lived experience, incredible resilience, and a deep, authentic compassion to her role as Housing Advocate and her upcoming transition into our shelter team. Her dedication to showing survivors that there is hope makes her an extraordinary addition to our agency." 💜
Thank you, Jessica, for your heart, your strength, and your commitment to supporting survivors in our community!
#DVAM2026 #AdvocateSpotlight