Business Leaders: Nonprofit founder Amina Hassan is Lewiston's leading light
Photo / Jim Neuger
Amina Hassan, founder and executive director of Her Safety Net
Amina Hassan, born to Somali refugees in Kenya, founded Lewiston-based nonprofit Her Safety Net in 2021 to provide advocacy and well-being services to women and youth, many of whom are immigrants and victims of domestic and sexual violence.
Hassan, a graduate of Lewiston High School and the University of Southern Maine, also tutors high school students. This year, the 29-year-old aims to focus on fundraising, add to the six-person team she leads from a cramped office and move to a bigger space, and return to school this fall to pursue her master’s degree.
Mainebiz: What was your childhood like?
Amina Hassan: I was born in Kenya, but I’m Somalian in my nationality. As the oldest of six siblings, I’m more like the second mom. Growing up, I remember women didn’t go to work and didn’t have a lot going on for them. I knew from a young age that once I get to America, I’m going to be changing things around because I don’t want to live that way.
MB: When you first arrived in Maine, how long was it until it felt like home?
AH: Immediately. It felt like home because it was similar to where I came from — not a big city like Houston, but a little community where you can walk to the grocery store. It felt like home right away, and I’ve been here ever since.
MB: At USM, what prompted you to major in social and behavioral sciences?
AH: When I was back home, in the refugee camp, I always wanted to be an OB-GYN doctor — the reason being that a lot of young women in childbirth were dying in the hands of inexperienced doctors. When I came here, the more I realized that people, especially immigrants, are experiencing a lot of mental health issues, and the need also changed in the community.
MB: Later as a caseworker at Gateway Community Services, what did your job entail?
AH: You help people navigate day-to-day basic things like the health care system and immigration and connect them to resources. It’s a kind of advocate, and at the same time helping them through that process. It opened my eyes to different communities, and I learned to be a better leader.
MB: Once you decided to start a nonprofit, what was the first step?
AH: You begin by figuring out your purpose. My purpose was to help and support and advocate for and educate women and youth. Then you file the paperwork.
MB: What can you say about the people you help – Are they all immigrants or refugees?
AH: That’s what I was thinking at first, but actually everyone comes here for help – including the homeless, the elderly. Last year, we provided social support to rural Oxford County.
MB: And the immigrants you work with and support?
AH: Mostly they are women who are experiencing domestic violence or have experienced some kind of mental health [issue]. They are having a hard time adjusting to this new life, and we provide a safe space. They come here for help, advice, someone to help them through this, and to settle down in Maine. We also have a monthly support group, and we help victims get out of a bad situation. Sometimes they never actually tell us what happened, so we might not take legal action against whoever is abusing them, but we help them get out – and what’s what matters.
MB: Is helping women achieve financial independence part of that?
AH: That’s where I come in! I actually helped 150 people, if not more, last year, to get a job, and most of them were women. I’ve gotten to know a lot of employers in the area.
MB: Is there no other place for these women to go?
AH: There are not a lot of resources. I only know of one other agency that does the work I do, but the community is much more than that.
MB: What do you find most rewarding about the work that you do?
AH: Helping people and seeing them succeed.
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