Safe Harbor Shelter and Housing

The Safe Harbor Shelter and Housing program provides funding for specialized programs for youth age 24 and under who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and/or trafficking. Programs include emergency shelter, supportive housing, and outreach.

These programs are part of the statewide Safe Harbor Network that also includes Regional Navigators and Support Service providers funded through our partners at the Minnesota Department of Health. Entities eligible to receive Safe Harbor Shelter and Housing grant funds include nonprofit organizations, Tribal Nations, and local units of government.

In 2011, Minnesota passed the Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Youth Law, changing how Minnesota responds to sexually exploited youth by treating young people as victims/survivors rather than “juvenile delinquents.” For minors, the Safe Harbor law decriminalized engaging in commercial sexual acts and made specialized services available for youth age 24 and under who have experienced sexual exploitation or trafficking. The Safe Harbor Protocol Guidelines describe this approach grounded in victim-centered, trauma-informed, youth-centered and strengths-based methods.

According to the 2022 Minnesota Student Survey data, at least 4,800 of high-school aged youth in Minnesota have traded sex. Survey data also indicates that youth who have traded sex are more likely to experience housing instability.

Find Safe Harbor Regional Navigators, as well as Safe Harbor Housing and Supportive Services providers, on the Minnesota Department of Health’s Safe Harbor webpage.

If you are a provider interested in applying for this funding source, please sign up to receive information about requests for proposals through the Minnesota Department of Human Services at  https://mn.gov/dhs/partners-and-providers/grants-rfps/open-rfps/.