"Running Head: COMMUNITY- BASED PROGRAMS RESOURCES FOR VICTIMS 1Community-Based Programs Resources for VictimsNameAcademic InstitutionAuthor NoteClassProfessorDate COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES FOR VICTIMS 2Community-Based Programs and Resources for VictimsSexual assault, stalking and domestic violence has profound effects not only on thevictims involved but also the victim’s friends, family and the community as a whole. Thevictim’s close friends, family members, and partners usually show concerns and expressconflicted emotions just as the survivor. These feelings may include confusion, anger, and shock.Research suggests that in the United States, one out of six women is victims of sexual assault.Additionally, one out of four women often experiences domestic violence during their lifetime(Davis et al., 2013, p.34). Also, according to statistics most of these assaults often go unreportedreason being these offenses happen at a friend’s place or the victim’s home.To empower women of sexual assault, stalking and domestic violence, a non-profitorganization, Women Helping Women (WHW) was found. Through this agency’s mission to“empower survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking by providing advocacy,support, and options for safety” this program has successfully managed to educate thecommunity to create social change.StrengthsWomen Help Women (WHW) has various services that make it stand out. These servicesinclude hospital accompaniment, around the clock crisis hotline, Individual crisis intervention,Support groups and lastly court and law enforcement advocacy.To meet any victim’s needs such as filling out applications for monetary compensationfrom the government, or filing files for divorce, specialized knowledge is critical. This COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES FOR VICTIMS 3organization thus has successfully managed to staff the 24-hour crisis hotline with speciallytrained experts who are wellconversant not only in English butFrench, and Spanish as well(McDonald, 2014, p.16). This strategy aims to reach out to the non-natives who are victims ofthe same.Additionally, WHW provides hospital accompaniment to support survivors in hospitalemergency rooms who are victims of either domestic violence or sexual assault. Also, WomenHelp Women purposes to provide personalCrisis Intervention to enable victims to deal with aftereffects of rape, stalking or domestic violence.Likewise, WHW offers court and law enforcement advocacy to support Victims and theirfamilies through legal proceedings: This organization’s support includes but not limited toobtaining legal protection against the accused and offering unlimited support during case trials.Women Help Women also provides support groups to enable victims to cope withconfusion, anger, and fear. These groups provide interactive platforms where survivors sharetheir emotions to help them fight the feeling of isolation.ChallengesA growing concern faced by WHW is that, often, money generated from the office isinadequate to cover intended expenses, for instance, medical bills of victims (ShermanandHarris, 2015, p.48). This limitation makes this organization seek help through grants,sponsorships to overcome this issue.Additionally, this program provides Crisis Intervention services to women withinHamilton and Butler County. However, these services only reach a small portion of individuals COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS AND RESOURCES FOR VICTIMS 4victimized by these offenses. In Cincinnati for instance, there are eight surrounding counties;Women Help Women services, however, is available to only two.ConclusionIn summary, For WHW to continue providing its services effectively, this organizationneeds to have continuous financial support to aid in operation and clearing bills. Also, the CrisisIntervention strategy should be diverse to support a larger number of victims not included intheir program. "