Cindy Malott, Director of U.S. Safe Programs at Crisis Aid
Our featured community partner this month is Cindy Malott, director of U.S. Safe programs at Crisis Aid. Incorporated in 2002 by St. Louis-based founders Pat and Sue Bradley, Crisis Aid originally focused on meeting needs in East Africa, ensuring access to food, clean water, healthcare and safe housing for millions of people. A decade later, Crisis Aid expanded the reach of its services, opening a safe house in St. Louis for victims of sex trafficking. Ms. Malott joined Crisis Aid in 2018, and since that time, she has worked closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement officials to provide advocacy services to trafficking victims.
Ms. Malott explains that the U.S. Safe programs through Crisis Aid address the issue of sex trafficking through their four pillars: prevention, identification, intervention, and response. Crisis Aid’s local prevention activities include educational groups focused on safe online behavior for youth at schools and juvenile detention centers. Identification efforts consist of educating victim-serving professionals to identify and interface with people who have experienced sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation (CSE). Crisis Aid’s intervention programming includes mentoring for children identified as at-risk for sex trafficking and CSE. The response pillar encompasses the agency’s safe home, which houses up to eight adolescents and adults impacted by trafficking, and general advocacy services.
One interesting facet of Crisis Aid’s advocacy services is that much of it occurs on site at police departments. Crisis Aid is co-located with two offices in St. Louis County Police Headquarters serving St. Louis City and County, St. Charles, Jefferson County, and St. Ann. They also have a satellite office located within the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri in downtown St. Louis City. “You have to go where the victims are,” explains Ms. Malott. Crisis Aid’s designated rooms at the police stations are anything but cold or intimidating, per Ms. Malott. She reports that they have taken care to make their spaces warm and cozy, with soothing textures and comfortable chairs. The calming spaces, combined with the advocates’ strong focus on engagement, help victims feel comfortable and accept help. (A note on nomenclature: Ms. Malott uses the word “victim” rather than “survivor” intentionally. In her years of working of working with women and children who have been assaulted and/or trafficked, Ms. Malott has found that most prefer the word “victim,” at least at this juncture in their journey. “They don’t feel like survivors yet.” However, she always respects any client’s preference.)
With its focus on identifying, advocating for, and serving individuals impacted by sex trafficking and CSE, Crisis Aid is a perfect fit for collaboration with Project CONTACT. Ms. Malott enthusiastically touts the benefits of referring Crisis Aid clients to CONTACT. “This is an amazing opportunity for [our clients.] They are getting access to quality services from experienced staff.” She reports being especially pleased that CONTACT facilitates near-immediate entry into therapy services for eligible clients (i.e., those who have experienced a recent traumatic event). Ms. Malott notes, “Our clients are in crisis and they need immediate support, but there are long waitlists everywhere. It’s hard to see clients wait and wait for service when they’re struggling.”
Want to learn more about Crisis Aid’s services for those who have experienced or are at-risk of sex trafficking? Contact Cindy Malott at cmalott@crisisaid.org or call 314-714-8229.