Victim of Crime Advocacy

The Crime Victim Advocacy department at Townhall II also manages the Portage County Rape Crisis Center. We serve victims of any violent crime 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All services for victims of crime are free and confidential.

Our victim advocates are dedicated to supporting clients and have specialized training in supporting survivors of violent crime. They make sure that you are heard and believed. Advocates are available to provide education on your options and resources as a survivor, and also just to listen.

Please note that we do not provide legal or medical advice, but we can connect you with resources to obtain this type of advice.

24-Hour Crisis Helpline: 988 and 330-678-HELP (4357)

24/7/365 Crisis Helpline to provide support, education and resources to victims of crime.

24-Hour Advocacy

Advocates provide in-person support, education and resources in community hospitals and police stations.

Safety Exit

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. 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 to the individual, so it applies to specific situations 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 to provide emotional comfort for clients.

The safety plan can address issues of concern for both 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, their 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.

Useful Links

Please review these links for more information about victim resources, from the U.S. CDC and the State of Ohio.

Here is an explanation of protection orders: https://www.ohiolegalhelp.org/topic/protection-orders-ohio

More info on IPV: https://www.cdc.gov/intimate-partner-violence/about/index.html

Elder abuse: https://www.cdc.gov/elder-abuse/about/index.html

Child abuse: https://www.cdc.gov/child-abuse-neglect/about/index.html

Sexual violence: https://www.cdc.gov/sexual-violence/about/index.html

Community violence: https://www.cdc.gov/community-violence/about/index.html

Victim compensation: https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Individuals-and-Families/Victims/Apply-for-Victims-Compensation

VINE: https://vinelink.vineapps.com/state/OH

Victim advocates help provide victims with options to make their own decisions about their wellbeing. All of our work as victim advocates is led by what victims choose to do for themselves.

Advocates may help victims understand what their legal options are without providing legal advice and can accompany victims to police stations or courthouses to make reports, file for protection orders, attend hearings, or other interactions with the criminal or civil legal system.

Advocates may meet victims in the hospital to accompany them through the visit and provide them with resources. Medical visits may involve a sexual assault examination, treatment for wounds or infection, making a police report, or other interactions. Advocates are there to help victims feel more comfortable and to help them make decisions about what steps to take during and after the visit.

Victim of Crime Advocacy

Safety Exit

Safety Exit

Legal Support

Victim of Crime Counseling

Portage County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART)

Safety Plans

Police Packets

Useful Links

Emergency Services

Counseling and Clinical Services

Horizon House

Project Detour: Driver Intervention