Sexual Assault Services for Holistic Healing and Awareness (SASHA) Center

The SASHA Center is a sexual assault service, prevention and educational agency that supports survivors of sexual assault. SASHA Center is open to all; however they focus on assisting African-American women who are survivors of sexual assault. The center provides culturally specific services to Sexual Assault survivors through peer educational support groups that are free, confidential and trauma-informed.

Located in Detroit

Sexual Assault Services for Holistic Healing and Awareness 1-888-865-7055 (not 24-hour)

Links:

Webpage

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

National Domestic Violence Hotline

The National Domestic Violence Hotline is a non-profit organization established in 1996 as a component of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

Crisis line options

  • Hotline: 1.800.799.7233
  • Textline: Text LOVEIS to 1.800.787.3224
  • Online Chat: Available from the home page

The organization also offers an interactive safety plan that develops a set of actions that can help lower your risk of being hurt by your partner or family member. It includes information specific to you and your life that will increase your safety at school, home, and other places that you go on a daily basis.

  • At the end of the process, you will have a printable version of your personalized safety plan that you can reference whenever you need it. You can read it online, print it immediately, or have a link sent to your email. The link will be active for 24 hours; after that, your information will be deleted from the website.

The organization provides information for those wanting to support victims on the Support Others page. This page provides information on how to start a conversation about concerns of someone being in an abusive relationship, how someone can help a victim, and why people stay.

More information and resources can be found on National Domestic Violence Hotline.

DomesticShelters.org

DomesticShelters.org provides the “largest online and mobile searchable directory of domestic violence programs and shelters in the U.S. and Canada, and a leading source of helpful tools and information for people experiencing and working to end domestic violence”. The map can be found on Find Help.

The organization provides a series of toolkits on Commonly Asked Questions covering topics of gaslighting, power and control, types of abuse, and more. Additionally there are a series of blog posts on a range of topics, that can be found on Articles. Under the Resources tab, information can be found about lists of common attributes of relationship issues or abuse, comprehensive guides, mobile apps for victim-survivors, recommended books or podcasts, and more.

It’s on Us

It’s On Us is a nationwide effort to reduce sexual assault by focusing on three key areas: bystander intervention, consent education, and survivor support. Educational resources can be found here.

For victim-survivors, the organization provides a number of different resources. They provide a “Self-care checklist” (also below).

SELF-CARE TO DO LIST

  1. Think about what you enjoy doing. This could be anything from a walk around the block during lunch to a weekend trip to the national park. Self care looks different for each of us.
  2. Schedule a time to do it each day, week, or however often you feel it is needed. Put time on your calendar for it to remind yourself to do it and to not schedule other things for those times.
  3. Think of ways to incorporate relaxing activities in your day to day schedule. This could be anything from closing your laptop while you eat your lunch to leaving your phone in your bag while you commute to work or school.
  4. Spend time with those that make you happy. Surround yourself with people that are fun and supportive.
  5. It’s okay to say no. If you feel like your body or mind will not benefit from doing something, take a break to rest or do something you do enjoy and that feels relaxing.
  6. Take care of your body. If you are feeling tired, try to get to bed just a few minutes earlier each day.
  7. Think about why you are doing the self care activity. Remind yourself why you are taking time out of your day to do something that is not for work or school — it is for you! Self care helps us recuperate from a stressful or busy schedule and to be more productive afterwards.

Disability Minus Abuse

Disability Minus Abuse, founded in July 2020, aims to address abuse of people with disabilities through public awareness, education and training, policy development, law enforcement, and professional consulting. The organization provides a listserv for individuals to receive an array of resources. You can sign up here.

The organization offers an online platform for topic groups such as the intersections of Deaf individuals and police, the Equal Rights Amendment and people with disabilities, etc. To request to join, please visit here.

Community United Against Violence (CUAV)

Community United Against Violence is an organization that works to build the power of LGBTQ communities to reduce violence and oppression. The organization aims to create safe communities for everyone to thrive.

The organization offers advocacy-based peer counseling. Through this service, individuals within the LGBTQ community can access short-term counseling for emotional support, safety planning, referrals, and limited case follow-up. To schedule an appointment, you can either call 415.333.HELP (4357) or email counseling@cuav.org. I offer counseling through phone or zoom.

Take Care Tuesdays is a support group offered through zoom on Tuesday evenings open to all LGBTQIA2-S survivors of violence. Sign up here.

Seasonal events

Yoga 4 Heart Resilience is a 4-week virtual series for LGBTQI2S Survivors of violence focusing on breathwork and movement. The program is offered in English and Spanish. Sign up here. (Takes place in Fall 2021)

Stalking Resource Panel Discussion

What if I’m being stalked? A recording is provided of the discussion between representatives from YWCA Kalamazoo, K’s Office of Gender Equity/Title IX department, and K’s Counseling Department. The panelists provide resources and information on processes and protections for victim-survivors of stalking. Discussion facilitated by Haley Mangette, Project Coordinator of the DOJ Office of Violence Against Women grant and Office of Sexual Violence Prevention and Advocacy.

Recording: https://web.microsoftstream.com/video/367bd1e4-5252-45ef-8e3e-922b545a4522?list=studio

Me Too Movement

The #MeToo Movement took social media by storm in October 2017, originally founded by Taran Burke in 2006, to share the impact and prevalence of sexual violence in communities. The organization that developed from this movement continues to work to provide assistance to a large spectrum of survivors.

Links:

Home– Organization’s main page

Resource Library– a library of resources filterable by experience, needs, and identity (gender, sexual orientation, disability, ethnicity and race)

Healing Room– a virtual room that provide guided meditations, healing playlists, journaling, and activities. Click around the “room” to find the different resources.

Support a Survivor– infosheet and toolkits for individuals in a survivor’s support network.

NIH- Coping with Traumatic Events

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIH) provides information on trauma and tips to cope with a traumatic event. Coping with Traumatic Events breaks down some warning signs of what can trauma can look like in a person.

Individuals who have experienced a traumatic event can respond with feelings of anxiousness, a depressed mood, or anger. They can have trouble concentrating, eating, or sleeping. It’s important to know that each individual is different. The warning signs listed in this article may not encompass everything that a person experiences.

The article provides additional resources on the responses and some ways to cope with these responses.

Taking Me Back- Supporting Survivors

Taking Me Back is an independent poster that supports sexual assault survivors through posts on a variety of information. The page discusses survivors like Vanessa Guillen, Toyin Salua, Daisy Coleman, and many other survivors, as well as current policies and the impact that they have for survivors. The page posts resources specific to different identities.

Instagram: @_taking.me.back_

Twitter: @_takingmeback_

Website: https://takingmeback18.wixsite.com/-tmb