Support rape victims ages 4 to 71 years old

When 13-year old Amy was sexually abused by her father yet again, she finally broke down and confided in her mother about what had been happening to her. Amy’s mother immediately called the Center for Safety & Change 24-hour hotline and got to speak to one of our advocates. Together, they assessed whether Amy, her two brothers and her mom would still be safe in their home and decided that was no longer the case. To ensure everyone’s safety, Amy, her brothers and their mother came into our emergency shelter.

With the help of our advocate, Amy’s mom began the legal proceedings to prosecute the father. Because of the trauma of the abuse to the whole family, our advocates made sure that none of them ever had to go to any of the police or court appointments on their own by offering them all accompaniment.

To help Amy and her brothers process the trauma they experienced as a result of the abuse and of being displaced from their home, we provided the siblings with extensive counseling, we helped them get support in their school. Through the children’s support group at the shelter, they all learned about their worthiness as human beings and that none of what they experienced was their fault.

As the children were engaged with various activities, Amy discovered her love for playing the saxophone. Amy’s advocate saw her passion and talent and was able to connect her with a local music school, which not only offered her music lessons, but even gifted her with her very own saxophone.

Three months after Amy and her family came to our shelter, they were ready to move into an apartment that our advocates helped Amy’s mom find. Now that the father has been sentenced, the family is feeling much safer and they are grateful for the support you helped them receive.

Since November 2014, we have worked with nearly 300 survivors of sexual assault and their families. We provided them with direct services, which included crisis intervention, supportive counseling and therapy. Sexual trauma advocates also provided survivors with information and referrals, advocated for survivors and provided them with accompaniment.

All of these services would not have been possible without the support from generous friends like you. Thank you!