“Access to financial resources can make a huge impact on the safety and longterm economic stability of domestic violence survivors.”
Natalia Otero has spent her career advocating for victims of domestic violence. As founder and executive director of DC SAFE, she has nurtured the organization from a small group focused on helping survivors navigate the court system to a robust crisis intervention program helping 10,000 people a year reach safety and stability.
In 2017, Natalia took further steps to increase DC SAFE’s impact, launching a $25M development plan for a new, 30-unit shelter, expanded space for SAFE’s headquarters and office space for related non-profits, furthering coordination and program effectiveness. The expansion will enable the organization to double the number of people served each year.
Otero began her career in Atlanta, first as an outreach worker for AID Atlanta and then as director of the children’s program at Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence. She moved to Washington, D.C. in 2004 and became Latino Outreach Coordinator at My Sister’s Place and worked as a bilingual advocate at the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She founded SAFE in 2006. She has a bachelor of arts in both business economics and Spanish literature from Agnes Scott College.
Organization:
DC SAFE
Area of Focus:
Financial literacy/opportunity
Fellowship Project:
Research the relationship between trauma and fiscal health, ultimately creating a tool that could be used to assess needs and identify relevant services.
Final Presentation:
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