FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2025
Contact: Ali Perrotto, SARCC CEO, aperrotto@sarccheals.org
Healing at Home Project Launched, houses named in honor of Clarissa Geary and Micah Gursky
At a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce at Hope & Coffee in Tamaqua, SARCC board, staff, and community collaborators celebrated the official launch of the Healing at Home Project. This project launches two housing sites in Schuylkill County to serve survivors with low-barrier supported housing solutions. These homes were named today in honor of SARCC’s core values of Prevention and Advocacy, and in celebration of the work of two tireless community advocates, Micah Gursky and Clarissa Geary. Individuals wishing to donate in in support of this work, or in honor of these individuals may visit: https://www.paypal.com/donate?campaign_id=M5X4CY9UTURC8&source=qr.
SARCC Vice Chair, Mikaela Gavaletz, shared in a statement at the event: “Sexual violence impacts our entire community. The people who perpetrate it cause harm in every neighborhood, school district, and business in Schuylkill County. Most crimes of sexual violence take place in someone’s home. Homelessness is risk factor for more violence, and sexual violence increases risk for homelessness.
Both Schuylkill County and Lebanon County residents and survivors face housing barriers related to poverty, economic decline, lack of housing, lack of access to mental health, and barriers to social services.
The Healing at Home project offers permanent, supportive housing solutions through subsidized rental assistance and case management services for sexual violence & human trafficking survivors, as well as populations at high risk for violence. This includes victims of violent crime, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ populations, transition-age youth, and individuals in recovery.”
Using a graduated, income-based supported housing structure for community members at high risk for violence, we will establish the safe home base from which survivors can re-build their lives. During the time they are in housing through this Healing at Home project, we will offer case management support and access to victim advocacy services, and we will help to facilitate a referral for no-cost trauma therapy if desired.
Since launching our first housing site in 2024, SARCC has provided 1,128 nights of safe housing here in Schuylkill County. This work was made possible to the support and partnership of:
- Schuylkill County Human Trafficking Response Team,
- Schuylkill County Mental Health Office and Service Access Management,
- The Tamaqua Area Community Partnership,
- Waldman Law Group,
- Towne and Country Real Estate, and
- The Prysmian Group, who sponsored our events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, including today’s ribbon cutting ceremony.
Our first two properties, dedicated today, are named in honor of two of SARCC’s Core Values and individuals who espouse them.
Clarissa’s House – Prevention
SARCC dedicated its first home to our PREVENTION value, and named the home after our long-time Preventionist, Clarissa Geary. Every student in Schuylkill County schools has met Miss Clarissa, and knows that each child has a right to be safe from sexual abuse. Last year, our Clarissa provided programs to over 13,000 Schuylkill County residents. We dedicated our first house to prevention, because each person has a right to be safe from sexual abuse. We seek to prevent sexual violence before it is perpetrated for a safer community.
Micah’s House – Advocacy
Our second home was made possible through the dedication of our long-time board member & Director of the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership, Micah Gursky. SARCC dedicated our second house to our ADVOCACY value, recognizing that it takes great courage for survivors and communities to use their voices to seek justice and healing. 570 (incidentally, our area code) survivors of sexual violence trusted SARCC with their stories last year. 24-hours a day, someone is available to respond, hearing survivors’ stories, and advocating for their rights to safety and support.
By the end of this project, we will have five permanent supported housing options. Each will be named after a SARCC Core Value. We need your help! Can you help us find and secure properties, and suggest naming honors for our next three homes:
Compassion House: At SARCC, we care deeply for those who hurt and those who seek to understand the hurt. COMPASSION House will embody unending kindness and empathy in our community.
Safety House: SARCC’s SAFETY value guides us as we help people find safe space for healing, whether at SARCC or in their homes, schools. or communities.
Social Transformation House: People who perpetrate sexual violence do not discriminate. SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION House will us make our systems, neighborhoods, and communities safer for all people.
If you can donate, either money, property, or skills to make this vision a reality, SARCC needs your help. We continue to collect donations through our Healing at Home Appeal. Please, consider giving the gift of home to survivors in Schuylkill County. Help us to expand our mission and vision to prevent sexual violence and promote healing for those impacted.
