Child Protection United States Project #49420

Fair Haven Rape Crisis Center General Support

by Fair Haven, Inc

Project Report | Oct 15, 2026
Be Part of the Difference

By Melissa Alcantar | Crisis Response Coordinator

At Fair Haven Rape Crisis Center, our mission is about more than providing services. It is about showing up for survivors, reminding them that they are not alone, and ensuring they have access to the support, resources, and compassion they deserve.

Over the past 30 days alone, Fair Haven has served 116 clients through individual sessions, six different support groups offered both here at the office and in the community, judicial advocacy, and medical advocacy. In that same period, our team has responded to 17 hospital call-outs, providing support to survivors during some of the most vulnerable and difficult moments of their lives.

Our work extends far beyond the walls of our center. We continually seek opportunities to reach survivors, educate our community, and strengthen relationships with the partners who share our commitment to safety, healing, and prevention. Over the past month, our team has participated in numerous outreach events, including the Out of the Darkness Walk, community safety days, fall community events, and activities centered around Suicide Awareness Month. We believe that being present in our community is essential to making sure survivors know where to turn when they need help.

This October, we are also wearing purple in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. While Fair Haven serves survivors of sexual assault and human trafficking, we recognize that these forms of violence go hand in hand with domestic violence. We remain committed to raising awareness, connecting people with resources, and advocating for safer communities. We will continue to fight the good fight because we know our services are needed. Our voices are needed. Awareness is needed. And every opportunity to reach even one more survivor matters.

Helping Survivors Through the Holidays

As the holidays approach, the need for community support becomes even higher.

For many survivors, this time of year can bring challenges that go far beyond what others may see. Some are struggling to manage the emotional toll of trauma while simply trying to make it through each day. Others have recently left an abusive partner and are now facing the financial pressure of creating a Christmas for their children while also rebuilding their lives. Some have entered a shelter with no more than the clothes on their backs and are trying to figure out how they will provide a Thanksgiving meal for their families. Survival does not pause for the holidays. Neither do the financial, emotional, and practical challenges that come with starting over.

At Fair Haven, we do what we can to help lighten that load. That means offering support through advocacy work. However, it can also mean helping a survivor meet a basic need that might otherwise feel impossible to manage. This can be a gas gift card, a grocery card, Uber, a holiday meal, canned goods, hygiene products or last minute Christmas gifts for children.

This is where your donations make a direct and meaningful difference.

These may seem like small things, but to someone who has lost their sense of security, left an unsafe home, or is trying to rebuild a life from the ground up, they can mean everything. A grocery gift card can mean food on the table. A gas card can mean being able to get somewhere safe. A holiday meal can bring a little comfort and normalcy to a family experiencing change.

We cannot do it without our incredible donors and community supporters. Every donation, no matter the size, helps us respond to needs that might otherwise go unmet. Your support allows us to give compassion beyond our direct services.

Thank you for believing in our mission, supporting our survivors, and helping us show up when it matters most.

Permalink

Jun 12, 2026
Mid-Year Check In

By Melissa Alcantar | Crisis Response Coordinator

As summer arrives, activity at Fair Haven Rape Crisis Center continues to BOOM. Our advocates are working hard to ensure that survivors of sexual violence receive the support, resources, and advocacy they need every day of the year. Whether it is a weekday, weekend, or holiday, our team remains committed to serving our community when they need us most.

Since the beginning of the year, Fair Haven advocates have responded to 79 hospital calls, providing crisis intervention, emotional support, and advocacy to survivors during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. This work requires around-the-clock availability, and our advocates continue to answer that call every day.

To strengthen our ability to serve survivors, we recently completed a Sexual Assault Advocate Team training to welcome and prepare new volunteers. These volunteers play a huge role in supporting our mission and helping us meet the growing demand for services. We are excited to bring additional volunteers on board and are already planning our next SAAT training this fall. As our case loads continue to grow, we can use all the help we can get.

The rising cost of living continues to impact many of the individuals and families we serve. Clients are coming to Fair Haven seeking assistance with basic necessities. Requests for items such as toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, and canned food have become more common as families struggle to make ends meet. Through the generosity of our supporters and community partners, we are working to help with these urgent needs while continuing to provide crisis services and advocacy.

We are also pleased to announce the addition of a new advocate to our Crisis Response Team. Tammy has joined our staff and is eager to begin serving survivors throughout our community.

While our Prevention and Education Department is currently on summer break from classroom presentations, their work has not slowed down. Staff are actively preparing summer programming, updating educational materials, and developing lessons for the upcoming school year.

As we move through the busy summer months, we remain grateful for the support of our donors, volunteers, and community partners. Your generosity makes it possible for Fair Haven Rape Crisis Center to respond to survivors in crisis, provide essential resources, educate our community, and continue building a future free from sexual violence.

Thank you for standing with survivors and supporting our mission.

Permalink

Feb 11, 2026
Word of the Year

By Melissa Alcantar | Crisis Response Coordinator

Hello again!

We made it to 2026. And if we’re being honest, that alone feels significant. For many of us, 2025 was a year that stretched us in ways we didn’t expect. It tested our patience, our resilience, our faith, and at times, our hope. But here we are. We are still standing, still serving, still believing in the work we’re called to do.

Each year at Fair Haven, we intentionally pause to choose a Word of the Year. It’s one of my favorite traditions. Every team member selects a word that reflects their personal journey. We take time to reflect on the year behind us and to consider what we want the new year to hold. Together, we also choose a word that represents our agency as a whole. And this year, we didn’t choose it lightly. We prayed over it. We sat with it. We asked for clarity and confirmation.

The word that kept rising to the surface was Fortitude.

Fortitude means staying steady and grounded when things are hard. It means finding strength of mind, body, and spirit when giving up would be easier. It’s quiet courage. It’s endurance. It’s choosing to keep going, not because it’s easy, but because it matters.

And the truth is, we see fortitude every single day.

Because of your continued support, 536 individuals were directly helped by our sexual assault and human trafficking services last year. Our advocates provided 5,352 advocacy services, including answering 447 crisis hotline calls and each one represented someone reaching out in a moment of fear, confusion, or anxiousness. Every call mattered and every person was met with compassion. Our crisis hotline runs 24/7 meaning holidays, weekends, middle-of-the-night calls; our advocates are ready and available.

And the need has not slowed down. In January alone, our advocates were dispatched 14 times to local hospitals to support survivors of sexual assault. Those late night and early morning calls are a powerful reminder of how essential it is to have trained, trauma-informed advocates ready to show up no matter the time. Alongside crisis response, we remained committed to prevention and education, empowering 34,160 students across 51 Northwest Indiana schools.

We also continued our community outreach efforts, reaching 2,657 people through training events. Our two annual fundraisers raised $80,000! This really does help ensure that all Fair Haven services remain free of charge for those who need them most. The need does not stop, and our survivors deserve all the help and resources we can pull together for them. Every dollar helps and donations made right here on GlobalGiving really make all the difference. You all help us fill gaps that we don’t even realize are there until we are in a crisis and need them at that exact moment.

None of this happens without you. Your generosity makes it possible for us to respond quickly, educate the community, and stand with survivors in their hardest moments. Thank you for believing in this work, for choosing advocacy, and for being part of a community built on strength, compassion, and FORTITUDE.

Permalink

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.