The Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault (LaFASA) is Louisiana’s umbrella coalition made of 11 individual crisis centers and collectively, we provide services to victims of sexual assault in all 64 parishes in various capacities. We are always here for you, your family, your friends, your neighbors, your community. Federal grant funding is vital to sustaining your state coalition and 11 centers, as private donations and other financial resources fall much too short to provide adequate monetary support necessary to meet the needs of survivors in our state, and there is no state funding for sexual assault survivor services or prevention. This letter aims to highlight the essential role of your community coalition centers, the voids that they fill, and to foster your support for their continued operation.
Currently, LaFASA and the centers are among thousands of federally supported organizations that are in jeopardy of being defunded in an effort to ensure alignment with the current administration’s agenda. We understand the importance of fiscal responsibility. LaFASA and the 11 centers are held accountable by an auditor for every dollar spent. Funds are spent on counseling services, legal services, recovery services, hotline services, response services, service promotion, prevention and operating expenses.
Results are crucial. No one wants government-funded initiatives that fail to make an impact. What each center and LaFASA see every single day are success stories. It’s not one, it’s many.
Advocate l The Wellspring Counseling & Family Development Center
Requests for our medical advocacy accompaniment for forensic medical exams (FMEs, [sometimes called rape kits]) have seen a significant rise, increasing by 49% since 2022. In 2022, we provided accompaniment for 31 FMEs, while in 2024, this number grew to 61. This growth reflects the increasing trust and recognition we’ve built within the community, demonstrating not only a greater demand for our services but also our continued commitment to supporting survivors through a crucial part of their healing journey.
Advocate l The Wellspring Counseling & Family Development Center
A survivor in Ouachita parish was facing financial hardships and had to drop out of school due to the impacts of her sexual assault trauma, all while caring for a young child. Thanks to our free counseling services, she no longer had to choose between her mental health and paying for basic needs like rent and utilities. With her mental health now supported, she’s able to focus on her well-being, return to work, and begin rebuilding her life while providing for her child.
Detective | Criminal Investigations Division, Lafayette Police Department
Hearts of Hope, its Advocates, and its staff continue to be crucial partners with the Lafayette Police in our efforts to address the problem of sexual violence. As a violent crimes investigator, I have seen firsthand how the victim services Hearts of Hope provides aid in establishing trust and rapport between Detectives and survivors of sexual assault. Without this partnership, our agency would struggle to bridge the gap between law enforcement officers and survivors.
Advocate l New Orleans Family Justice Center
One of the most powerful aspects of our work is the immediate crisis intervention we provide. Our Advocates are available 24/7, often meeting survivors at hospitals in the early hours of the morning when no one else is there to support them. We’ve had survivors come to us feeling completely alone, but through our case management, legal assistance, counseling, and housing support, they find safety, stability, and hope.
A particularly impactful moment was working with a survivor who had been trapped in an abusive situation for years. With our help, she was able to secure emergency shelter, obtain legal protection, and eventually gain independence. Today, she is thriving, pursuing higher education, and giving back to the community by advocating for others in similar situations.
Beyond individual stories, we see systemic change happening as well. Through our community outreach and partnerships, law enforcement agencies and service providers are becoming more trauma-informed, and survivors are gaining access to more comprehensive support.
Helpline l LaFASA
Our statewide text and chat Helpline is one of the few statewide text and chat crisis lines in the country. We have seen it grow from its launch from a few visitors a month to multiple visitors each week, in fact since its launch in October 2021, we have seen an over 500 percent increase in the number of visitors each month. It fills a need as many people feel more comfortable texting or chatting instead of talking. One of our visitors expressed her gratitude by commenting, “not much hope on a day to day basis, but after chatting, I actually feel hopeful,” and another commented, “feeling determined.”
Advocate l LaFASA
I remember we had a young lady come to our office without notice or an appointment. Our doors are always opened for survivors, regardless of how they come to us. She was on the verge of being evicted because she finally stood up to a landlord taking advantage of her vulnerable situation. In her hand were written letters and emails from her landlord stating that if she didn’t sleep with him, he would evict her. She couldn’t afford an attorney, but found LaFASA and saw that we offered pro bono legal advocacy. It meant the world to her that she had an ally to help her in her fight.
Without advocacy organizations, our communities would suffer as a whole given that 1,875,340 Louisianans (41%) have experienced sexual harm (including non-contact harassment) in their lifetime. One in 20 men and 3 in 20 women have experienced forced sex specifically. Seven percent of children (0-12) and 18% of adolescents (13-17) have experienced sexual violence. (2023 LaVEX study https://newcomb.tulane.edu/LaVEX)* and most don’t disclose their experience.
The ability for survivors and family members to function well at work, or as a mother or father, as a daughter or son, as a friend, is often compromised after sexual trauma. They often face emotional, physical, and psychological challenges that may never disappear without the assistance of a professional. The role of sexual assault centers is critical in providing the necessary support and advocacy as survivors and their loved ones together, navigate healing and justice. While women are disproportionately assaulted, no one is immune. The coalition helps anyone, regardless of when the assault occurred, their economic level, their parish, their race or ethnicity, or sexual orientation. We do not discriminate because when someone is at the lowest point in their life, they need help. We hope that you will find it in your heart to understand the work that LaFASA and the 11 centers do and to give us your support. There are currently thousands of programs that are under the same scrutiny. Programs that assist with domestic violence, homelessness, runaway youths, addiction recovery, self sufficiency, dietary education, feeding the hungry, faith works, mental health, after school, elderly abuse and the list goes on and on. All play a role to prevent people from living in compromised situations and to ultimately nurture communities.
We will end our petition with one of thousands of stories from someone who might be a neighbor, a friend, a co-worker or a family member.
Hearts of Hope SARC Survivor Story
In January of 2016, I was sexually assaulted in Lafayette. I remember getting to the hospital. I could barely speak and had to give the front desk a written note that said I was raped. I wish I remembered the advocate’s name, but as I lay in a hospital bed and gave an officer my statement, my hand was held by a Hearts of Hope hospital advocate. I was so terrified, but she made sure that I felt safe, had water/food, and also questioned things that police and doctors asked. She even texted me some days after just to check in on me. Those moments in the hospital, she really did fully and completely advocate for me, and [I] feel like this was my experience with Hearts of Hope from start to finish. The [Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner from Hearts of Hope] that did my kit was also amazing and kind. Jonathan Jarrett [the attorney that works with Hearts of Hope] handled my TRO [temporary restraining order], and that made me feel safe knowing that the defendant would stay away from me. Another advocate gave me a lot of information about the statistics of college women getting sexually assaulted, and while the numbers are scary, I felt that I was not alone. Hearts of Hope immediately offered me therapy with someone whose name I have also forgotten. Still, I will always remember that she first taught me how to calm myself down using grounding techniques, which really helped me tremendously until I was able to fully establish myself in long-term therapy. They gave me access to court advocates, and Jencie was nothing short of amazing in helping me navigate through the justice system process. I even had to see a counselor as an emergency to kind of process the grand jury indictment hearing. Hearts of Hope was always available to me if I needed to talk or needed anything at all throughout the six years it took for the case to make its way to the end. From the Grand Jury hearing until the Plea deal/sentencing hearing, Hearts of Hope was there for me. These services are very much needed in the community of Lafayette and the surrounding areas because I don’t think I would have survived this whole ordeal without them. Today I don’t feel like a victim anymore; I feel like a survivor. I am thriving in Baton Rouge. I’m able to be the best mother to my children, have been in consistent therapy for two years doing EMDR work, and have almost completed an associate’s degree in Paralegal studies. I hope to one day become a victim’s advocate myself and help people through the justice system process.
LaFASA News 