News

We are extremely proud to announce that one of our own, Ethel Magaña-Lopez has been awarded a community-based project grant through the City of San Antonio (COSA) Grant Challenge at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Ethel has served as a Crisis Intervention Specialist at The Rape Crisis Center since April 2015. Not only does Ethel work hard supporting survivors at our center, but she goes above and beyond to pursue projects like this grant in her own time that she knows will greatly help our community. This isn’t just a 9-5 job for Ethel and her passion for this work is evident. She is utilizing her voice and tenacity to reach out and make an impact for an underserved population. We are certain this is only one of many accomplishments that Ethel will achieve through her journey in community based work. The COSA Grant Challenge District 8 Councilman Ron Nirenberg collaborated with Center for Civic Engagement at UTSA to initiate a mini grant program for service learning projects. The COSA Challenge Grant Program was launched to provide students with the opportunity to engage with non-profit agencies and positively impact the community through mutually beneficial learning experiences. Students […]

Press Conference to be held on April 17, 2016 at 10:30 AM outside on steps of San Antonio City Hall Each year during the month of April, government agencies, community-based organizations, rape crisis centers, universities and individuals participate in Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month (SAAPM), a campaign to raise public awareness about sexual assault crimes and educate the community on how to prevent it.   “Sexual assault is a crime that significantly impacts the City of San Antonio. The Rape Crisis Center responds to 2 to 3 new assaults every day and 50 percent of those incidents are against minors,” says Miriam Elizondo, Executive Director of The Rape CrisisCenter.   In Texas, 1 in 5 men and 2 in 5 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime.  According to the U.S. Department of Justice Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) statistics for San Antonio, there were 1,190 sexual assaults reported to law enforcement.  Yet a 2015 statewide research report by the University of Texas at Austin shows that in Texas, only 9.2% of victims are reporting their assaults.   The Rape Crisis Center in San Antonio provides intervention, counseling, and advocacy services to children and adult victims of all forms […]

SAN ANTONIO – A state lawmaker wants to use crowdfunding to help end the rape kit backlog. But instead of using a site like GoFundMe, Texans would have the option to donate during the driver licensing process. “Rape Crisis Center hotline,” says an operator answering the phone at nonprofit’s main office on San Antonio’s northwest side. From the first phone call, the staff there helps sexual assault victims get through the painful journey. “A lot of times when we meet them at the hospital, they’re numb. They’re in shock,” says deputy director Deana Franks. “Part of that is processing that kit. I feel that it shows that we believe something happened to them.” To test those kits, the state is setting aside $4.29 million in the next budget. But a Dallas-area lawmaker says it’s not enough. “That funding does not cover the gap because we have a huge rape kit backlog of thousands and thousands of untested rape kits,” says State Rep. Victoria Neave (D – Mesquite). She proposes that when you apply for or renew your driver license, you would have the option to donate a dollar or more. “It would be completely voluntary,” State Rep. Neave says. She […]

Experts say we’re seeing a rise in violent crime here in San Antonio. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar says the increase is consistent with an increase in crime on a national level. Dozens of concerned women are taking part in a self-defense seminar hosted by the Rape Crisis Center the techniques they learned that could save their life. “It’s going to look real, it’s going to feel real, and it’s going to be real,” said Pete Hardy, an instructor at STW Krav Maga. Hundreds of women, of all ages and backgrounds, learned from martial arts experts how they can improve their personal safety. “If I’m in a situation where I get attacked I’m not really sure what I would do so I’m just trying to be more prepared,” said Olivia Michael, who was attending the class for the first time. In Bexar County, the Rape Crisis Center says they receive an average of three phone calls to assist with new assaults each day. The center hopes training classes like the one held on Saturday will prevent future violent crimes. “We of course want to emphasize that if you didn’t fight back that is in no way your fault,” said Brittany […]

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – October 18, 2016 U.S. Department of Justice Office of Victims of Crime has awarded the Rape Crisis Center (RCC), in partnership with the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), the Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking grant to strengthen their efforts against sex and labor trafficking in the San Antonio area. The Rape Crisis Center in San Antonio provides intervention, counseling, and advocacy services to children and adult victims of human trafficking, which impacts both men and women, domestic and foreign-born. “Human trafficking is one of the most degrading and inhuman violations of a person that happens all too often in our community” says Miriam Elizondo, Executive Director of The Rape Crisis Center. “The San Antonio Police Department will continue to aggressively target those individuals involved in trafficking and exploitation. We remain committed to working with our partners in law enforcement and advocacy to ensure that all citizens are safe from this predatory behavior,” states San Antonio Police Chief McManus. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, human trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes, profiting an estimated $32 billion a year in the global market and 25% of human trafficking victims are found […]

San Antonio: We need your help.   What We Know Mid-June, we learned that the City of San Antonio Municipal Government is considering cutting $1.3M in funds for agencies that provide domestic violence “Safety Net” services (i.e. The Rape Crisis Center and Family Violence Prevention Services, Inc.). Several comments were made in the city council session that funding agencies — like ours — only appears to be INCREASING the need and that perhaps the City needed to reconsider their investment and reroute funding to Workforce Development. Some council members believe that if they target poverty, that it will positively impact sexual and domestic violence. And though in the grand scheme of things we understand the vulnerabilities of sexual violence, we also know that this is only a small piece of a much larger problem. There were several other comments made that were short-sighted; you may read them for yourselves on NOWCastSA.   Speak Out Starting July 1, our staff, volunteers and anyone officially representing our agency will be unable to speak to their council members as they begin the “block out” period, so we need your help. We ask for you to call your council member as a constituent and […]

The Rape Crisis Center’s PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) hotline was honored by the The Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG), winning the 2015 Community/Non-profit Project of the Year Award on December 9, 2015. This award has been given out annually since 1974 to community projects that contribute to the significant advancement of the AACOG region and/or any communities in the twelve counties of the Alamo Area (Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Frio, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, McMullen, Medina, and Wilson Counties). The Rape Crisis Center helped create a crisis hotline for incarcerated survivors of sexual violence in collaboration with the Bexar County Jail. The line helps survivors behind bars be heard in their time of need. When a survivor of sexual violence is incarcerated, the environment can trigger memories of an assault that occurred before incarceration. The crisis staff is there to listen and help them through these difficult times. Once released, they can come to The Rape Crisis Center for counseling; in the long run, this help during their incarceration enables them to return to the community as a better person. This work has been taken on by The Rape Crisis Center staff along with their other duties without extra compensation. The Center is one of the few agencies of […]

United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County honored The Rape Crisis Center’s staff for their contributions as part of an annual employee giving campaign to benefit United Way. In three days, 20 participating Rape Crisis Center employees raised $4,372, surpassing goals and previous agency marks. San Antonio’s United Way provides services to many local residents through diverse programs, from early care for children to the provision of basic needs of families and individuals, all in an effort to change lives. They also provide the 2-1-1 help line for referrals and invest in 141 programs at 70 agencies around San Antonio. The Rape Crisis Center is just one of the agencies that United Way invests in. Once a year, United Way of San Antonio asks that these agencies support United Way and fellow partner agencies by giving during the Care Share Campaign. This year, the Campaign brought in $1,124,646 – 2% more than last year. Overall, 85 nonprofit organizations participated in the campaign with 44 (52%) that had 100% participation, 26 (31%) that met or exceeded their goals, and 45 (53%) that increased funds raised over last year. Among these organizations, The Rape Crisis Center was honored for outstanding performance, having 100% participation, a surpassed […]

SAN ANTONIO — The Rape Crisis Center of San Antonio will celebrate its 40th anniversary November 6th, 2015, at 3:00pm. The Center is located at 7500 US Hwy 90 West, Building 2, Suite 201. The Rape Crisis Center is one of the nation’s oldest and largest providers of crisis intervention and counseling services for individuals impacted by sexual violence and their families. Since its inception as a community-based organization, The Rape Crisis Center has served as a beacon in our community that lights the path of healing and guides the way toward a violence-free city. Special guests include SAPD Police Chief William McManus, Bexar County Sheriff Susan L. Pamerleau, and State Senator Jose Menendez. Senator Menendez will read a special proclamation from the Texas State Senate commending the Center for four decades of 24/7 service touching the lives of literally hundreds of thousands of people in the San Antonio area. In the past year, The Rape Crisis Center was able to answer 16,020 calls on the 24-hour hotline; accompany 883 children, women, and men to the hospital for their sexual assault forensic exams; provide counseling to 1,149 survivors and their loved ones; educate 4,378 youth in middle and high schools on what it means to have a healthy relationship; and present 5,093 community members with discussions on general awareness. […]