New program to help local victims of sexual assault

Northwest Assistance Ministries effort starts in March

Northwest Harris County has lacked a cost-free programto help victims of sexual assault, with the closest nonprofit help for victims in Humble or Montgomery County.

Northwest Assistance Ministries is working to change that by using a state grant to implement such a program, said Sheryl Johnson, director of NAM’s Family Violence Center.

The center will run the program when it launches March 1. NAM already receives calls from victims of sexual assault, but restrictions on another grant that funds the center had previously limited that aid to matters related to domestic violence. Otherwise, NAM must refer victims to one of the eight nonprofit centers in the region that help sexual assault victims.

“The problem with services for victims of sexual assault is that they’re extremely limited,” Johnson said. “There’s only eight in the region — between The Woodlands and Galveston, Waller and Humble. For a city the size of Houston, that’s an extremely limited number of shelters and bed sand services. Wewant to help fill that gap.”

For some residents, traveling so far outside the area is difficult.

“That is a huge geographic distance for someone who has limited transportation or no transportation,” Johnson said. “Not only for the initial level of intervention, but many are in need of support services such as a weekly counseling sessions.”

There is for-profit help for victims in northwest Harris County, but not any free option, John son said.

“There are private practitioners, private therapists and of course law enforcement and medical facilities here, but in terms

of those support services available without cost to the average citizen, there isn’t any out here.”

With the state grant, which is just under $50,000, NAM will begin the program by hiring one staffmember.

The nonprofit will offer a graduated level of services as the program takes off, starting initially with community education and awareness and a hot line for victims.

“The ultimate goal is to do hospital accompaniments— a certified individual who will be able to stay with them and assist them with that process,” Johnson said. “And hopefully, accompany them to court as well, assist them with the entire process.”

The program is much needed in the region, said Rebecca Landes, vice president of program services at NAM.

“What we’ve realized is there’s not a component in northwest Harris County that has services for victims of sexual assault,” Landes said. “It’s a very specialized service and important to support those individual needs. It’s best to have a staff member who can meet someone at hospital when going in for medical care and support them and guide them.”

NAM’s service area, by ZIP code, is about the same size as the city of Austin.

“If you think of the size of Austin not being able to provide sexual assault services, that is pretty amazing,” Johnson said. “How many individuals have become victimized in this way and because of how far flung the services are maybe aren’t seeking services at all? Or report it and then find out there’s no place to go?”

And many victims, if not helped, become victimized again, she said.

“We have lots of clients who have been victimized on more than one occasion,” Johnson said. “If there isn’t some amount of physical healing and emotional healing that leaves them open to possibly more abuse. We feel very strongly that both victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault deserve to have help so they can start to heal.”