“What do you tell someone when they call your 24-Hour Crisis Line?”

This is a question we get often.

WAVAW’s Crisis and Information Line operates 24 hours a day, every single day of the year. Both survivors, and their friends and family members, can call us for support.

We like to explain the importance of our Crisis Line by using the analogy of a ship lost at sea.

After a sexual assault, survivors can feel like they are out to sea, navigating turbulent and unfamiliar waters. They aren’t able to see beyond the big waves, they don’t know what is coming next, and they don’t know where to guide their ship.

Calling out on their radios for help, they reach WAVAW.

Our team has seen similar waters before. We are able to assess the immediate risk for the survivor, offer resources and referrals, and guide them through the choppy waters towards a calm and stable route. This starts survivors off on a path to healing.

No one should have to go through a difficult time alone – and our Crisis Line provides reassurance to survivors that the storm will pass, and that there is hope for their healing.

There’s one reason we’re able to be here for survivors: our community.

Our community’s support makes it possible for us to answer survivors’ calls when they need us most.

In a world that still doesn’t believe survivors, thank you for standing out and believing them.

Thank you for making sure survivors receive the support they need, when they need it.