SAVING INNOCENCE INC

Saving Innocence's vision is to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children and restore the cultural values of innocence and human worth. Our mission is to rescue and restore child victims of sex trafficking through strategic partnerships with local law enforcement, social service providers, and schools, while mobilizing communities to prevent abuse and increase neighborhood safety. Our hope is that no child who has been a victim of commercial sexual exploitation is left alone to navigate recovery.

-Provide 24-hr emergency crisis response to survivors in Los Angeles County, alongside law enforcement and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS)
-Provide long-term intensive case management and advocacy for survivors of sex trafficking ages 11-21
-One-on-one visitation and life-enrichment workshops for high-risk youth in juvenile halls
-Lead groups – human trafficking prevention-intervention curriculum for high-risk youth living throughout Los Angeles
-Human trafficking awareness presentations in schools and high-risk communities
-Advocate for survivors involved in the court system – both juvenile court and during testimony against their traffickers
-Provide emergency support and resources for families of survivors
-Train and equip all front-line professionals on how to identify and assist victims: law enforcement, social workers, therapists, schoolteachers, judges, district attorneys, etc.
-Advocate for the change of local and nationwide policy.

Our founder and CEO, Kim Biddle, MSW, has launched and developed programs to advocate for at-risk youth and survivors of human trafficking in multiple countries throughout Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States. Most recently, she assisted the launch of outreach programs for street children in Kenya and an aftercare facility for child survivors in Haiti, in partnership with national organizations. For the past two years she was also contracted out by the University of Southern California to conduct research relating to effective intervention strategies for homeless youth in Los Angeles County.

Our Executive Director Alan Smyth, has worked in non profit management for 25 years. He was an Area Director for Young Life in the San Francisco Bay Area for 11 years. Most recently, he served for 14 years as the Regional Director for Young Life in the Greater Los Angeles Region.

We have worked with over 1273 youth through case management since 2010. We have had 749 youth successfully complete the prevention workshops in juvenile hall since January 2016.  In 2021, our advocates spent 20,056 hours in 1-on-1 meetings with clients, supporting their goals and helping the youth process their trauma. When youth run away from care, over 60% of the youth reach out to their advocate via phone, text or social media, and we are then able to assist youth return to care if they choose.