Collins Center

The Center serves the community through the following programs: 1) our nationally-accredited child advocacy Center served more than 250 children and their non-offending caregivers during the fiscal year free of charge. Services included coordinated and collaborative response with allied community partners to disclosures of child abuse, forensic interviewing in child-centered, neutral, and safe environment, crisis response and accompaniment, support and trauma-informed counseling sessions, education regarding the dynamics of sexual harm, parenting resources, and appropriate community referrals. 2) our agency provided free sexual assault crisis and long-term response for all those affected by sexual harm. These services included support groups, 24/7 hotline crisis response, medical and legal accompaniment, and high-quality mental health services and support sessions with trained mental health professionals. More than 520 counseling appointments were provided to our community for adults and children, during the fiscal year and more than 220 hotline calls received.3) our prevention program worked to strengthen relationships, build empathy, and create awareness regarding the dynamics of sexual violence in order to stop sexual harm in our community before it happens. This program offered free education and assistance in implementing protective institutional policies to safeguard adults, teens, and vulnerable persons in our community. Youth and children received primary prevention through education in a wide range of settings and adults learned to recognize and appropriately respond to sexual violence while collectively changing long-held damaging narratives that allow sexual harm to occur. Prevention education was provided free of charge to more than 1,000 community members during this past year.