WE ARE HERE FOR YOU. 

Victim of Crime Advocacy Services 

Portage County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART)

Townhall II team members lead a coalition of agencies that serve sexual assault survivors through a variety of multidisciplinary services. Team members can include, but are not limited to, victim advocates, law enforcement officers, forensic medical examiners and prosecutors. The SART works together to ensure that the county has guidelines and protocols in place that prioritize victims’ needs, hold offenders accountable and promote safety and support. The Portage County SART is committed to educating the county on all available services including intervention and prevention of sexual violence and coordinating  services. 

Safety Plans 

We use safety plans when we feel that a client wants to know how they can be safe in a violent situation. They are used primarily for domestic violence/intimate partner violence clients, but can be used for other victimizations like stalking. Each safety plan is unique, so that it can best adapt to the situation and the people in it. No matter how many safety precautions you take, you can never completely eliminate risk. However, taking steps to reduce risk helps provide emotional comfort for clients. The safety plan can address issues of concern for the client and advocate. It’s important for safety planning to be collaborative since the advocate brings the knowledge of actual safety planning and area resources, while the client brings the experience of their own situation, unique needs, safety risks and life circumstances. However, it is not mandatory for it to be completed together. Safety planning can be done when the client is choosing to stay in an abusive relationship, when the client is deciding to leave an abusive relationship, or when a client has left, but still faces safety concerns from an abusive ex-partner. Safety plans can be long or short term, complex or brief and written or unwritten.