Many of our clients are women who have "fallen through the cracks" of the system.
While there are many social service agencies in RI, none offer financial support
for victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault who are in crisis.
We are the only agency that offers immediate financial support so that a woman
can leave an abusive relationship (hotel nights, first month's rent for a new apartment, utilities)
or help to pay for counseling or medical expenses for a victim of sexual assault.
We work closely with local and state police departments, social service agencies and the FBI to support
women + children in immediate crisis. Many of our clients reach out to us directly and we help get them
to a safe space. Founded on the belief that all victims of violence deserve immediate support
to start their journey forward, we address the issue of immediate safety first.
When a woman has a safe space for herself and her children,
THEN she can begin to put the pieces of a new life together.
Our work focuses on getting her to that safe space.
We are completely funded by individual donations and fundraisers,
and none of our volunteer staff are paid. All donations go directly to our clients.
Wonder what we do? We recently received this thank you note from a client
we helped out, by paying for her first month's rent.
"I just wanted to send this note to thank you so much for your help getting me in to my own apartment. My girls and I are settling in nicely and are excited to have a safe place to call home, that is all ours and ours alone. To know that there are people out there who cared enough to reach out and help us when we were so frantic and frightened...I can't tell you how much your generosity has meant to us.
I can finally sleep with both eyes closed now, and my youngest has even said
she doesn't need a nightlight on anymore. Both my girls are sleeping soundly through the night...something they haven't done for a long time.
With your help I'm working with a counselor to help me through this transition and I'm learning skills that will help keep my family and me safe and happy. I'm on my own and I'm doing okay. When I get back on my feet again, I hope to help other women who are in abusive relationships. I want to give back to the community
that has so kindly helped me move forward into a better life.
Thank you again for being so kind and helpful when I didn't know what to do
or where to go. I see a whole new life for me and my girls now, and you've been
a big reason why we're all excited for our future. Bless you."
Sincerely, A
we helped out, by paying for her first month's rent.
"I just wanted to send this note to thank you so much for your help getting me in to my own apartment. My girls and I are settling in nicely and are excited to have a safe place to call home, that is all ours and ours alone. To know that there are people out there who cared enough to reach out and help us when we were so frantic and frightened...I can't tell you how much your generosity has meant to us.
I can finally sleep with both eyes closed now, and my youngest has even said
she doesn't need a nightlight on anymore. Both my girls are sleeping soundly through the night...something they haven't done for a long time.
With your help I'm working with a counselor to help me through this transition and I'm learning skills that will help keep my family and me safe and happy. I'm on my own and I'm doing okay. When I get back on my feet again, I hope to help other women who are in abusive relationships. I want to give back to the community
that has so kindly helped me move forward into a better life.
Thank you again for being so kind and helpful when I didn't know what to do
or where to go. I see a whole new life for me and my girls now, and you've been
a big reason why we're all excited for our future. Bless you."
Sincerely, A
Did you know...
In 2021, the RI Crisis Assistance Center has:
- provided free peer counseling to 61 survivors of domestic violence + 37 survivors of sexual assault in Rhode Island
- provided first month's rent for 3 RI women (and their 7 children) to help them escape violent homes
- been guest speaker at 2 local events to address violence against women in Rhode Island
- donated gift cards worth $1700 to 13 individuals to help them offset costs for medical/counseling services
- connected five survivors of sexual assault to free legal counsel
- worked with local FBI agents to provide safe accommodations for women leaving prostitution
- assisted a survivor of FGM (female genital mutilation) by finding the resources to provide free translation services + free legal representation to seek asylum in the US (her case was won)
- dispersed over 1200 pamphlets to local businesses/libraries with resource info for survivors of violence