Support rape victims ages 4 to 71 years old

The Center for Safety & Change, Inc. (“the Center”) is a nonprofit agency whose mission is to provide critical services and support to women and all victims and survivors of gender-based violence and other crimes while working toward justice by creating social change. The Center is the sole provider of services to domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and all other crime victims in Rockland County, NY—there are no other resources for victims in the county. The Center is the sole domestic violence residential and non-residential services certified by NYS Office of Children and Family Services in Rockland County, NY (“Rockland”) and is Rockland’s only NYS Office on Victim Services designated Victim Assistance Program. In addition, all of the Center’s staff are certified and trained by the NYS Department of Health, all staff and volunteers are certified rape crisis counselors, and the Center serves as Rockland’s only Rape Crisis Program and operates Rockland’s Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner services. Finally, the Center is the largest non-profit provider of immigration legal services in the county, and the largest provider of family law services specifically for victims in the county.

The Center offers a comprehensive continuum of programs and services that are available in multiple languages to all victims, free of charge, regardless of age, citizenship, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, national origin, marital status, race, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status. These services include, but are not limited to:

• Information and Referrals: information about the criminal justice process, information about victims’ rights, referrals to other victim service programs, and referrals to other services, supports, and resources;
• Advocacy and Accompaniment: victim advocacy/accompaniment to emergency medical care, victim advocacy/accompaniment forensic exams, law enforcement interview advocacy/accompaniment, individual advocacy, performance of medical forensic exam or interview, or medical evidence collection, immigration assistance, intervention with employer, creditor, landlord, or academic institution, childcare, transportation assistance, and translation/interpretation services;
• Emotional Support and Safety Services: crisis intervention, hotline/crisis line counseling, on-scene crisis response, individual counseling, support groups, therapy, and emergency financial assistance;
• Shelter and Housing Services: emergency shelter, transitional housing service, and relocation assistance; and
• Criminal and Civil Justice System Assistance: notification of criminal justice events, civil legal assistance in obtaining protection or restraining order, civil legal assistance with family law issues, immigration attorney assistance, prosecution interview advocacy/accompaniment, criminal advocacy/accompaniment, and other legal advice and/or counsel.

This reporting period, the Center provided over 6,000 services to 244 sexual trauma victims. 

During this reporting period: 

- Staff provided services to a 17-year-old female who was sexually assaulted when she was 16 from a stranger she met online. The client currently attends a Girls Empowerment Support Group where she works on building self-esteem, safety planning, sexual health, identifying healthy vs. unhealthy relationship, online safety and supportive counseling. In the Girls Empowerment Support Group,staff engage teens 15-17 years old through creative arts and games, while providing supportive counseling and validation. This group is especially helpful for those that feel like they may have been the only ones to go through sexual trauma, simply being surrounded by other teens that have a similar experience is encouragement, support, and makes them feel like they are not alone.

- Staff provided services to 18-year-old female who was sexually assaulted by a male that went to her school. She has been attending weekly therapy with an art therapist, where she reports feeling many benefits from therapy. Recently, she has been struggling with triggers arising due to offender being released from jail and requesting her on social media. She has been trying to manage for two years since the assault and has been struggling with depression and anxiety symptoms related to the trauma she had endured. She has been struggling to find what positive coping skills work for her. The art therapist has introduced the idea of attending support groups to promote her healing and process of externalizing internalized feelings. She has been working on building a routine with her therapist that can hold her accountable. The therapist will continue to support her in ways she needs as well as implementing additional modalities such as CBT, DBT and somatic therapies.