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DO NOT SUBMIT THIS PAGE 1/23/2018 3:25:53 PM Page 11 of 22 i) Why is funding this program a good investment for the community? Our mission is to stop sexual violence and its impact through support, education, and advocacy – a crucial piece of public health and safety. We have successfully provided our services for more than four decades to thousands in our community and beyond. One client who completed a support group in December 2017 reported, “Participating in this group has changed my life. This group has really helped me grow in my recovery.” And the recent addition of our Bilingual Therapy program is a unique and highly valued service to our community which, like many others, is experiencing a significant lack of accessible mental healthcare resources. Not only are we providing exceptional care for survivors in our community, but the OCRCC’s expertise is highly regarded by agencies across the state. We lead the field in client services, with our staff providing consultations to other victim services providers, presenting at state and national conferences, and collaborating with other community partners to provide professional and adult training. We continue to expand and enhance our efforts through constant evaluation according to best practices and emerging research. j) Describe what would happen if requested funding is not awarded. With consistently higher client numbers, increased need for high-level support (legal advocacy, case management, etc.), and more clients accessing multiple programs, our services are stretched to capacity. With the addition of the Bilingual Therapy Program, we expect to see an increase in clients not only to that program, but also to our existing programs. The heavy workload for client services staff leaves little time for program development, staff development, or building relationships across the system of care. We hope that additional funding will allow us to increase the Support Group Coordinator from 0.75 to 1 FTE, which would ease the workload of other staff members. We also hope to ensure funding for our two Crisis Response Assistants, part-time employees who provide occasional on-call support in order to provide some reprieve for full-time staff. Without funding from local governments, we would not be able to maintain the comprehensive, unique services that we currently offer. Altogether, local government grants comprise only about 10% of our budget. k) What percentage of your target population is low-moderate income? Due to the confidential and anonymous nature of our services, we are unable to collect income data from clients. However, we estimate that the percentage of our client base that is low-to-moderate income approximates that of the county. Understanding that many access barriers exist for low- income survivors, we tailor our services and outreach efforts to account for those. Examples of such efforts include strategic partnerships with organizations serving primarily low-income populations, targeted outreach efforts to low-income communities, provision of childcare during agency programs such as support groups, system advocacy for survivors, and provision of pro bono therapy services. l) What efforts do you make to seek feedback about your program from your target population? Though we offer surveys to all clients, it is difficult to collect evaluation data from the 24-Hour Help Line, which is by its nature anonymous and confidential. We have more comprehensive data from our Support Group and Therapy programs. Support group participants complete pre- and post-group evaluations to measure change in feelings of support, isolation, guilt, and shame. In the 2016-2017 fiscal year, 92% of participants in OCRCC support groups and workshops reported decreased feelings of isolation. Therapy clients also complete pre- and post-counseling evaluations. m) Include any other pertinent information. Increased national attention to issues of SV have impacted our work in complex ways. The emphasis on story-sharing, survivor support, and accountability brought forth by the #MeToo movement has led to an increase in community demand for education, awareness, and action. When SV is in the news, we see an increase in client calls from survivors who are inspired to speak up and begin their healing journey. Increased conversation, however, also has its drawbacks, as many survivors experience the negative impact of the constant exposure to SV as well as perceived pressure to be public about their experiences. The OCRCC has worked diligently to ensure that survivors know they have agency about how they choose to talk about their experiences and that we are always available regardless of how long it’s been since they experienced trauma.