PROJECT
S.A.F.E.
(“Stop Abuse and Financial Exploitation”)
Working
to end and prevent various forms of elder abuse and financial
exploitation of the elderly through direct services, educational
workshops, and professional outreach.
Launched in September
1996 with the award of an Independence Foundation Public Interest
Fellowship, Project S.A.F.E. (“Stop Abuse and Financial
Exploitation”) concentrates on the areas of elder abuse,
domestic violence, and financial exploitation, providing the
following services for elderly victims:
-
Free legal
representation and counsel to end abusive situations
-
Community education
and outreach to help prevent abuse and exploitation
-
Professional
education and training to sensitize those working with elders
-
Advocacy to help
stem the crisis of elder abuse
Advocates for the
elderly estimate that from one to four million elders are
abused each year. In Philadelphia, the number of victims of
elder abuse, ranging from physical abuse to neglect of basic
needs, financial exploitation, and psychological injury, exceed
20,000 per year. The fact that elderly victims of abuse
have little access to assistance and counsel further exacerbates
their plight, often leaving them to choose between enduring
abusive relationships in their homes or becoming homeless.
The hundreds of elderly victims of abuse and financial
exploitation that we have assisted have often also been robbed of
their savings, possessions, even household necessities by their
abusers -- and left without adequate resources for food, clothing,
and shelter. SeniorLAW Center enables these needy seniors to gain
protection from abuse and put their lives back together, including
connecting them with emergency funds to address their immediate
needs, such as money for fuel, a winter coat, or groceries.
Through Project S.A.F.E.,
SeniorLAW Center is presently working on new initiatives with the
Philadelphia Corporation for Aging’s Protective Services
Minority Outreach Project, addressing elder abuse in the
diverse Asian communities of Philadelphia.
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