Advocacy Center Adapts to Cuts in Funding

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article contained incorrect information. According to Open Arms Advoacy Center, they have not been given any reason why their funding was cut.

SAN ANGELO — Reacting to cuts in federal and state programs, the Open Arms Advocacy Center announced they will have to halt outreach programs but will continue their support work.

Sexual violence affects hundreds of thousands of lives across the U.S. every year – many more than we’ll ever see in a report. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, as cited by RAINN, someone in the U.S. is assaulted every 74 seconds.

For decades, Open Arms Advocacy Center — the only rape crisis center for 11 rural counties — has served as a beacon in the dark for survivors.

A key source of state funding recently declined to renew multiple grants, leading to questions about how the agency might sustain operations.

Closure would have left survivors of sexual violence with one less lifeline in a region where support is already difficult to find.

Continuing the Mission

Thanks to one committed partner, Open Arms will be able to remain open, but things might look a bit different going forward. The agency must operate without its outreach and education programs – a loss that will be felt by the whole community.

For San Angelo and surrounding counties, closing the doors would have had a devastating impact. Open Arms offers services that are sometimes lifesaving – and always there when survivors need them.

 These services include:

• 24/7 hotline crisis response for emotional support or safety planning
• 24/7 accompaniment for sexual assault forensic exams
• Law enforcement interview and court accompaniment
• Round the clock advocacy including peer support, safety planning, resource referrals, and emotional support
• Counseling and peer support groups for survivors.

These services are crucial to the healing and wellbeing of those who sometimes feel like they have nowhere else to turn.

They are also available for loved ones of survivors.

Outreach Helped Build Wiser Communities

Outreach and education are important tools in prevention, awareness, and survivor recovery.

They help communities, and especially young people, better understand sexual violence, recognize healthy relationship behaviors, learn to set boundaries, and respond to stalking and other forms of harassment and sexual assault.

Outreach events aren’t just opportunities for publicity – they offer moments of connection, reflection, and education for those who need it most.

As someone who has worked at many of those outreach events, I can’t count how many people have approached the table and expressed gratitude for the agency – family members of survivors, recent victims, and people who are just now learning how to talk about surviving their assault. These events remind survivors that they are not alone.

Without funding for outreach and education, staff roles and hours may shift around, but the 24/7 support remains for anyone in need. Community members can still walk through the doors or call the hotline as needed. Someone will always be ready to listen.

Victim Advocacy began as a grassroots, survivor-led movement. Now, with federal and state funding cuts tearing across the country, many agencies are looking back and returning to those roots. Sometimes, that’s the only way to find a way forward.

We can get through this – but we may have to roll up our sleeves up a little higher, speak a bit higher, and stand closer. After all, community is at the heart of advocacy. And our community is strong.

What Can I Do to Help?

Stepping-up can take on a variety of forms:

Volunteers can sign up for hotline shifts – daytime or evening, depending on need and availability. Each completes a 40-hour training through the Office of the Attorney General, with the option to shadow seasoned advocates until they’re ready to respond to calls on their own.  

Volunteer Advocates are crucial to keeping victim services alive in the Concho Valley.

They do more than answer calls – they offer calm in a storm that can feel helpless. They empower survivors and advocate for them in countless ways.

They show up to the hospital and sit with survivors during what can sometimes be the hardest moment of their life.

They are the heartbeat of the rape crisis center, and now they’re needed more than ever to keep the movement alive.  

If we lean on the strength of the Advocates before us, we can find our way back to the light. But we must stand together.

To learn more about volunteering, contact Open Arms Advocacy Center at 325-655-2000.