About the Crisis Center for Women

Crisis Center

Abuse

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About Crisis Center For Women
The Crisis Center for Women (CCW), a United Way Participating Agency, provides services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The CCW is responsible for providing services to Sebastian, Crawford, Franklin, Scott, Polk, and Logan Counties in Arkansas and Sequoyah and Leflore Counties in Oklahoma. Yet we aid any victims who seek out help. In 2005 the agency received 578 crisis line calls and provided 15,387 services to 5,163 persons. Within this number, 1,042 received direct services of shelter, childcare, advocacy, support groups, sexual assault services, mentoring, safety planning, crisis counseling, and case management. Through awareness and prevention services 4,121 individuals, including 2,714 classroom children were reached with the message of prevention, action, and hope.
The Agency is guided by a 15-member working Board of Directors. The staff consists of trained and dedicated individuals. The CCW's mission is to provide domestic violence and sexual assault services and education, empowering women and their children to live free of fear and harm within their families. The Agency does this through three types of services: Intervention Services, Transitional Services, Awareness and Prevention Services.

When the Agency, formerly known as the Young Women's Christian Association, originated in 1979 it operated solely out of the Reynolds House providing basic information and temporary shelter to victims. Today the agency's administrative offices are located at 500 Lexington, Suite A where victims receive crisis intervention, support groups, and educational information. A Safe House is located at a non-published location where clients can stay for up to thirty days.

While clients are living in the safe house, they receive food, clothing, crisis intervention, transportation, and assistance with transitional services. Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Support Group Meetings are offered to the clients as well as the public free of charge.

Transitional Services include:

Employment Assistance
Referrals to housing
Referrals to other agencies when necessary
Life skills and mentoring classes, free of charge
Childcare services
Continuous counseling and support
Assistance in plans of action

To learn more about these services simply give the Crisis Center for Women a call or come by to talk with someone.

When a rape is reported, the Agency's Rape Crisis Advocate and a trained volunteer meet with the victim of sexual assault. The Crisis Center for Women offers a private sexual assault exam facility with all of the modern equipment. This facility provides a quiet place for the client to talk to someone and receive an exam. The sexual assault exam facility allows more privacy than a general emergency room at the hospital or doctor's office. The advocate and volunteer are there to provide emotional support, explain the exam, and give the client comfortable clothing. The Advocate provides follow up care through support groups, attending court with victims, and making appropriate referrals. Along with the Crisis Center for Women, hospitals in Crawford and Sebastian Counties are currently utilizing the S.A.R.A. services, Incorporating the S.A.R.A. program into Franklin, Logan and Scott Counties is in the works. As already mentioned, there are weekly support group meetings at the Crisis Center for survivors of sexual assault, and they are completely confidential and free of charge. Women are invited to share their stories on a volunteer basis.

Through the Awareness and Prevention Program, the Crisis Center for Women offers a variety of services that help us work toward our mission of ending domestic violence and sexual assault. One example is a violence prevention curriculum developed by the agency and presented in over 32 schools in six Arkansas counties. In order for the Awareness and Prevention Program to be successful, a task force team is organized in each of the counties we serve. The team works together to increase the quality and quantity of services available to victims. Members of the task force leaders in the community, who directly or indirectly work with domestic violence and sexual assault victims, include representatives from city offices, police departments, hospitals, judges and prosecuting attorney's offices.

The Crisis Center for Women is always striving to assist clients in as many ways as humanly possible! Through current programs and future plans we are eagerly working toward ending domestic violence and sexual assault. Anyone needing the Agency's services can call the Crisis Center for Women's hotline at (479) 782-4956 or 1-800-359-0056.