Courtesy photo.
Local Community Organizing team seeks input to help guide its efforts to reduce sexual assault and dating abuse.
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — RISE, through its Close to Home Community Organizing Team, is releasing a city-wide survey to gather input on how community members view gender-based violence on the local level and how they would like to see violence addressed.
According to the NationalSexual Violence Resource Center, 63% of sexual assaults are not reported to police, and, statistically, one in five women and one in seventy-one men in the US will experience sexual violence in their lifetime. Statistics reported by the San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD) in May 2019 show that the City of SLO leads the County in reported rapes and that crime overall is up 2 percent. These statistics indicate that more efforts to prevent sexual violence are needed locally.
Close to Home is a community- driven initiative, born out of the need to engage people in violence prevention and give them the power to tell their own stories and design sustainable solutions. Close to Home is made up of 24 community members, ranging from 14 to 43 years of age, all committed to making San Luis Obispo happier and healthier for everyone.
“In a city known for it’s philanthropy and volunteerism, Close To Home is a natural fit,” said Jane Pomeroy, RISE Interim Executive Director. “RISE began serving San Luis Obispo County in 1975 as a volunteer-led, grassroots organization serving those impacted by sexual violence. I am so heartened by the recent outpouring of support at the state and local levels for prevention focused programming and I look forward to watching this movement grow.”
Releasing thissurvey is Close to Home’s first step toward making San Luis Obispo safer by elevating the voices of people living in this community. The survey gauges people’s thoughts and actions around sexual assault and dating abuse, comfort level in local spaces, as well as their general connection to the community and what they would like to see change.WhenClose to Home receives enough responses, volunteers will use the data to create campaigns to end violence that are relevant to our local community. To take the community climate survey, follow this link https://bit.ly/2LCvUCQ.
“It has been such an incredible experience working collaboratively with community members to make San Luis Obispo a better place,” said Janae Sargent, RISE Education Program Manager. “I am hopeful that this survey will help us capture people’s lived experiences here and allow us to design solutions that truly speak to the needs of this community.”
RISE was one of ten organizations in the State of California to receive funding from the California Department of Public Health to adopt Close to Home. Close to Home is an evidence-based, community mobilization approach informed by public health models and designed to prevent sexual and intimate partner violence before it starts. It is the first sexual assault and domestic violence prevention program run by and for the community of San Luis Obispo. Youth and adult leaders participating in Close to Home engage community members of all different backgrounds and beliefs to improve the health and safety of our community and to design and implement sustainable solutions to gender-based violence. Over the next four years, RISE will receive $500,000 to implement this prevention program.
About RISE: RISE is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to transform the lives of sexual and intimate partner violence survivors, their families and the community through services and education that promote safety, healing and empowerment. RISE provides the following programs: 24-hour crisis line, case management, restraining order assistance, accompaniment and advocacy, two emergency shelters, individual and group counseling, and prevention education.