Did you know that our community has a 24-hour sexual assault response system? In fact, every county in PA has one ! It’s a basic right and need that survivors of sexual assault, abuse, harassment, and trafficking have access to support, information, resources, counseling, and accompaniment after they’ve been violated. Pennsylvania’s 47 rape crisis centers provide lifesaving services to all 67 counties, including counseling, medical advocacy, legal accompaniment, prevention education, and 24/7 crisis response. Adult and child survivors need this safety net , but our state and federal legislators keep cutting holes in it.
Current resources don’t meet the level of need for advocacy response services across Pennsylvania. PA State legislators have cut buying power for SA services by 25%. Federal funding for SA services has dropped by nearly 50% since 2021. At the same time, the demand for services has increased. To put it bluntly, rape cases continue to rise, while support for victims fall. It’s child and adult victims in our communities who are paying the price.
So, what does a sexual assault victim advocate do? Our center has (4) of them on-staff full-time, and a corps of 14 hotline advocates who take after-hours calls and respond to the hospitals in our communities. Unfortunately, we have had to cut 7 full-time positions since 2021 due to the challenges regarding funding.
Here is a snapshot based on a real day in the life of our heroic helpers.
- 12 am to 4:30 am- Hospital accompaniment call
- 5:30 am – Sleep on couch at office
- 8 am – Report to local elementary school for We Care programs
- Noon – Cover hotlines, while making copies and returning calls to parents, Childline referrals from morning programs
- 1 pm – Counseling appointment
- 2:30 – PFA hearing at courthouse
- 4:15 pm – Call your kids to make sure they got off the bus because you won’t see them tonight
- 5 pm – Attend rotary club meeting to talk about services and how to access them
Can you imagine the feeling of having days like this, day-in and day-out, 365 days a year? Then, at the same time, know that you must live twice as many of these days, because funding cuts have left your center with half its staff? Last year, SARCC provided support services to over 1,100 sexual assault and abuse survivors locally.
Sexual assault victim service advocates are not a social program—they are public safety infrastructure[AP3] . They help law enforcement solve crimes, protect constitutional rights, reduce costs, and keep dangerous offenders off of our streets. They provide trauma-informed, holistic support for child and adult survivors of an all-too-common form of violence. Timely access to counseling, advocacy, and crisis support helps survivors recover, reduces repeat victimization, and allows individuals and families to remain safe, employed, and housed.
Supporting advocates is a pro-law-enforcement, pro-victim, pro-taxpayer position. Balancing the budget on the backs of survivors and repeatedly asking sexual assault advocates to do more with less drains our community of safety, support, and needed resources. Advocates across the state are calling on our legislators to help restore services in PA. Join the Open Letter from PCAR, call your state elected officials, or text Governor Shapiro today to help us make that case. Survivors need victim advocates, and victim advocates need you!