The Eloise House program provides sexual assault forensic exams and medical care for survivors. The evidence collected from the exams is used by Austin police and district attorneys to investigate and prosecute sexual violence cases.
The SAFE Alliance's Eloise House in 2019. The program will no longer provide forensic exams to sexual assault survivors starting later this year. Instead, those services will be shared among a group of local hospitals.
Mayor Kirk Watson said several local hospitals will step in to provide forensic exams for sexual assault survivors after the SAFE Alliance announced it would have to shutter its program because of funding gaps. SAFE Alliance announced it was among four of its programs facing closure because of a $4 million funding shortfall. The SAFE Alliance is set to continue those services through the end of May before the hospitals take over.
The evidence collected from the exams is what Austin police and district attorneys use to investigate and prosecute sexual violence. The Eloise House program has provided approximately 600 exams annually. The program also assigns survivors an advocate to accompany them during the recovery process. That service is expected to continue.
The other programs at risk of closing are the downtown shelter the organization runs, Planet Safe, a secure child exchange program for children of sexual assault survivors and SAFE Futures, which helps keep children with their parents. SAFE Alliance CEO Pierre Berastaín previously told KUT that local, state and federal entities have pulled back funding and donors have drawn back their contributions, leading to the funding gap.
Over the last several weeks, Watson helped facilitate conversations between Ascension Seton, Baylor Scott & White, St. David’s Healthcare and the SAFE Alliance to find a way to keep the programs open.
“Our priority has always been, as it should be, focused on sexual assault survivors and to make sure survivors in our community get the care and services they deserve,” Watson said. The SAFE Alliance did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But Watson said this is not about any one organization or the way it's been done in the past.
"This is about the survivors and making sure they have the services they need," he said. "We've worked hard and I'm pleased the hospitals remain committed to finding a solution for our community and the survivors of sexual assault. They will have the services they need. That's always been our focus.
" In a joint statement, the hospitals said they are working with the Brave Alliance, another organization that provides forensic exams and services, to ensure a thoughtful path forward. “Our focus remains on sustainable, coordinated solutions centered on the needs of patients, today and in the future," the hospitals said. Officials with the Brave Alliance said it plans to maintain sufficient staffing and operational capacity to provide 24/7 coverage and"timely, victim-centered care.
" It is not yet clear what this means for the remaining programs that were identified as at risk of closing.. Sponsors do not influence KUT's editorial decisions.
Baylor Scott & White Eloise House Mayor Kirk Watson SAFE Alliance St. David's Sexual Assault Sexual Assault Forensic Exams Sexual Assault Survivors Sexual Violence
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