Se habla español.
Interpreters available for other languages.
The ROAR Center is a recognized Center at the University of Maryland, Baltimore
410-706-2781
Se habla español.
Interpreters available for other languages.
The Rebuild, Overcome, and Rise (ROAR) Center is a community-based, trauma-informed, survivor-centered program helping victims of violent crime in Baltimore City recover, exercise their rights, and rebuild their lives.
On a larger scale, ROAR is active in community and movement partnerships to rework traditional responses to violent crime, improve how victims of crime are treated by the criminal justice system, and help prevent further violence.
ROAR was launched in 2019 by the University of Maryland Baltimore in response to the intolerably high frequency of violent crimes in Baltimore City, the overwhelming barriers to resources for survivors of these crimes, and the frequent mistreatment of survivors by the Baltimore City criminal justice system.
At the same time, research continues to show violence intervention programs really work to reduce re-hospitalization, recidivism and costs associated with survivor health care and incarceration.
Our specialists truly understand how trauma impacts recovery. We help victims of crime understand that for themselves, too, as they decide what’s right for them. Survivors don’t have to travel to different locations and tell their story multiple times, possibly becoming re-traumatized in the process.
Unlike the Baltimore City Police and other institutions, we do not require survivors to cooperate with police or prosecute their case in order to receive our services.
Treating survivors with dignity — regardless of their criminal record or involvement in the crime — enables powerful transformation for individuals, families, and communities. Our program provides vivid examples of success that strengthen movements toward community-based violence intervention (CVI) programs.
Our center will soon be housed in the restored offices of Juanita Jackson Mitchell in the Upton Hill neighborhood. Ms. Mitchell was a passionate civil rights leader and the first African American woman lawyer to practice law in Maryland.
Together with the University of Maryland Medical Center, Shock Trauma, Violence Intervention Programs (VIP), we work at the victim’s bedside to protect their legal rights while they’re being treated for injuries in the hospital.
Our nurse care managers provide objective advice and coordination support to survivors of violent crime. We discuss options, connect them with the right healthcare providers and help them manage their care to meet their immediate and ongoing healthcare needs.
The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (HAVI) builds and connects violence intervention programs and promotes equity for victims of violence globally.
ROAR stayed with me throughout the entire ordeal. I think I worked with everybody there. This one helped me with housing, this one with my medical issues, and this one with my veterans’ benefits. Then there was my lawyer. She took care of a whole lot. I so appreciate each and every one of those “angels.”
Ernesto H., Former ROAR Client