Community Providers launch Seattle Sexual Assault Resource Connector Tool

Seattle Indian Health Board, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, UW and Harborview Abuse & Trauma Center partner to speed, expand response to sexual assault victims

Jan. 24, 2023 [SEATTLE] – Leaders of five community health and advocacy providers that specialize in assisting survivors of sexual assault announced a resource connector tool that aims to increase awareness of and access to services for victims in Seattle. The Seattle Sexual Assault Resource Connector Tool is a collaboration between Seattle Indian Health Board, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, the University of Washington departments of Psychiatry and Psychology and Harborview Abuse & Trauma Center.

Recognizing that many sexual assault victims are unaware of resources available in their communities and may be overwhelmed in the aftermath of a sexual assault, the project aims to simplify and centralize information, equip the professionals and community surrounding survivors to better respond, and point survivors to local resources suited to their individual situation.

“Long-term recovery after sexual assault is not only possible but likelier when a survivor receives immediate support and validation,” said George Gonzalez, Assistant Director, Harborview Abuse & Trauma Center.

“Given the depth of expertise and resources available in our region, we want to increase the chance that every survivor has the opportunity to recover,” said Larraine Lynch, Chief Program Officer, King County Sexual Assault Resource Center.

As a means to streamline and encourage connection to advocacy and treatment resources, project partners will be reaching out to police, medical providers, first responders, schools and other community entities to offer simple materials to promote the tool to survivors, such as business cards with a QR code linking survivors to a dedicated website.

That website, offered in English at SeattleSAHelp.org and Spanish at SeattleAyuda.org features a confidential tool that walks the survivor or someone seeking services on behalf of a survivor through a set of questions about the survivor’s background, preferences, and needs. Based on responses to those questions, survivors are able to choose from recommendations tailored to their individual needs, including culturally-specific resources in the community.

The tool is completely confidential: it does not collect or share names or any other personal information about the people who use it.

“Every survivor is unique, and every path to healing will be different,” said Abigail Echo-Hawk, Executive Vice President, Seattle Indian Health Board. “We are all too familiar with the effects of trauma left unaddressed and unacknowledged.”

“This partnership has the potential to reach and assist many more survivors who could benefit and serve as a model for other communities working to help survivors access local support,” said Emily R. Dworkin, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at UW Medicine.

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