Cleveland Rape Crisis Center to Expand Services for Survivors of Rape and Sexual Abuse in Northeast Ohio

October 29, 2018

Three Portraits

Expanded services made possible by grant through Ohio Attorney General’s Office

Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is pleased to announce that it will expand its services for survivors of rape and sexual abuse, thanks to funding through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) program administered by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Crime Victim Services Division. The funding will allow the Center to maintain and enhance its services in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake Counties.

On October 11, the Ohio Attorney General’s Office awarded more than $4.6 million in funding to Cleveland Rape Crisis Center through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) program, and the State Victim Assistance Act (SVAA) program. These funds are awarded on an annual basis, and this year’s award increased over the prior year by $1.5 million.

“More survivors are now reaching out to Cleveland Rape Crisis Center than ever before, and we are responding to an unprecedented demand for services. These funds will allow the Center to maintain and enhance the specialized services we provide to survivors in Northeast Ohio,” said Sondra Miller, President & CEO, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. “Thanks to this funding from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, we will provide healing services to more survivors in more places than ever before.”

The funds will allow Cleveland Rape Crisis Center to maintain its victim assistance, counseling, and 24-hour services in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake Counties, and will allow the Center to expand in the following areas:

Open a new, standalone Eastside Office location, to provide enhanced services for survivors who live on the East side of the City of Cleveland. The office will provide counseling, case management, victim services, Project STAR (Sex Trafficking Advocacy and Recovery) services and community outreach.
Open a new, standalone Lake County Office, relocating the Center’s current office in Mentor, to meet the growing demand for services in that area. The office will provide counseling, case management, victim services, Project STAR (Sex Trafficking Advocacy and Recovery) services and community outreach, and will allow the Center to enhance the services it provides in the Lake County area. The Center has operated an office within the offices of Beacon Health in Mentor since 2012.
Enhancing its Project STAR (Sex Trafficking Advocacy and Recovery) program, which provides specialized services for survivors of sex trafficking, including victim assistance, counseling, and case management. The enhanced program will allow the Center to provide enhanced care and support and work to meet the growing demand for services for survivors of sex trafficking.
Creating a new Case Management program, which will allow the Center to make specialized referrals and connections for survivors, ensuring that they can access tools and resources in the community that can help them heal.

The Center will hire 15 new direct service positions, bringing its staff size to 80, to support the new office locations, programs, and enhanced services.

“Following a year of substantial increases in the number of survivors reaching out to access the Center’s services, we are pleased to be able to hire additional staff so that we can enhance our services and ensure that each survivor who reaches out to the Center can receive the highest level of care,” said Miller.

“I am pleased to provide this grant to Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, to maintain and expand its comprehensive services and support to survivors of sexual violence in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake Counties,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine. “Thanks to the hard work of Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, more survivors of sexual violence in Northeast Ohio will be able to access the services they need to move forward with their lives.”

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About Cleveland Rape Crisis Center

The mission of Cleveland Rape Crisis Center is to support survivors of rape and sexual abuse, promote healing and prevention, and advocate for social change. With 65 employees and 100 volunteers, the Center reaches more than 40,000 people each year through its counseling, advocacy, prevention and training services in Cuyahoga, Ashtabula, Geauga and Lake Counties. For more information, visit clevelandrapecrisis.org or call 216-619-6194. The Center’s 24-hour Crisis & Support Hotline is 216-619-6192 (call/text) or clevelandrapecrisis.org/chat.