Safe Nights, Safe Futures on the Blade

Community safety

Central LA East LA South LA South Bay Long Beach City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit) LAUSD (select only if you have a district-wide partnership) County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) Gateway Cities

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Human trafficking remains a pervasive crisis, especially in areas like “The Blade” in Compton, where sexual exploitation is visible and persistent. Victims—mainly women and girls—often face homelessness, trauma, violence, and lack access to safe resources. Many remain trapped in exploitation, with few escape options, particularly at night when services are scarce and danger increases. RDS understands that safety is a necessity, not a privilege. Traditional shelters are often unsafe or judgmental, deterring survivors from seeking help. Our trauma-informed Drop-in Center offers a safe, supportive space with access to essentials, protection tools, counseling, legal aid, and job training. With this grant, we will expand evening hours and add security staff to meet survivors where they are—offering real pathways to healing, freedom, and lasting stability.

This grant will support the expansion of evening hours at Restoration Diversion Services’ (RDS) trauma-informed Drop-in Center, located on “The Blade” in Compton—a known hub for human trafficking. The initiative will provide a safe, secure, and judgment-free space during high-risk nighttime hours, when most services are unavailable and survivors are most vulnerable. With the addition of on-site security personnel and extended hours, RDS will offer consistent access to emergency essentials (food, hygiene, and protective tools like pepper spray), along with case management, trauma-informed counseling, legal advocacy, job readiness training, and housing referrals. The expanded program will ensure survivors have a reliable place to turn when escaping exploitation—day or night—reducing harm and increasing pathways to long-term recovery and independence. This project builds on strong community partnerships and RDS’s proven record of helping survivors safely exit “the life” and rebuild with dignity and hope.

If our work is successful, Los Angeles County will become a safer, more compassionate place for survivors of human trafficking—especially in high-risk areas like “The Blade.” Survivors will have increased access to nighttime support, reducing the likelihood of re-exploitation and emergency room visits, and improving long-term stability through housing, employment, and mental health support. Law enforcement and service providers will be better equipped to intervene with trauma-informed care, and communities will begin to shift from cycles of silence and stigma to proactive support and prevention. By creating a model of safety, empowerment, and coordinated response, RDS will help build a county where survivors are not only protected but also given the tools and trust they need to thrive.