Victims Services & Rape Crisis Center
Almost all of us, at some time in our lives will be touched by crime, through the loss of a loved one or as a victim ourselves. People who have survived an act of violence or the death of a loved one that is painful emotionally and physically may experience a full range of reactions. The Alachua County Victim Services & Rape Crisis Center provides services to survivors of interpersonal violence, sexual violence and personal injury crimes. Established in the Gainesville/Alachua County community for more than 27 years (27) the program is available to support and assist anyone who is a victim or survivor of violence.
Originally, providing primarily traditional core services such as criminal justice accompaniment, crisis intervention and assistance with victim compensation the County's Victim Services & Rape Crisis Center is the cornerstone of victim services in the Gainesville/Alachua County community. The program has received statewide and national recognition for providing creative and non-traditional services for victims of violence, such as a computer workstation to provide internet access to employment opportunities and tutorial software for writing a resume and managing finances, etc.
If you choose not to contact our program or utilize our services, we wish you the best. If you decide to contact us, we are only a phone call away, (352) 264-6760; 24 hours a day, we welcome your call.
We also welcome you to read our brochure on the services that we offer.
Victim Services & Rape Crisis Center's MySpace Webpage
Customer Satisfaction Surveys
The Long Road: Images and Words by Survivors of Sexual Violence
Broken Places: Teen Anthology
Victim Services & Rape Crisis Center's MySpace Webpage
In August 2008, Victim Services & Rape Crisis Center launched a MySpace webpage with the mission of providing online services to victims of sexual assault and other violent crimes. The MySpace webpage caters to internet savvy users and those who do not feel comfortable talking with someone in person. This webpage offers victims the opportunity to chat confidentially online with one of our counselors using MySpace Instant Messenger, send messages, and obtain helpful information, all online from the comfort of their homes.
Click here to visit the page: http://www.myspace.com/victimrapecrisiscenter.
Customer Satisfaction Surveys:
The Long Road: Images and Words by Survivors of Sexual Violence:
Alachua County Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center is proud to announce that copies of The Long Road: Images and Words by Survivors of Sexual Violence, are available free of charge to citizens. This anthology originated as a product of a Survivors of Rape Trauma Support Group that focused on writing as an exploratory and healing tool. Members completed writing exercises throughout the 10 week group, then chose pieces for inclusion in the printed work that they felt conveyed what they needed or wanted to share with others. 
After the group, survivors from the public were also invited to share images and writing. The final version includes an array of themes common to survivors of sexual violence at all stages of the healing journey. Male and female survivors, people hurt as adults and as children, people hurt within the context of a relationship, people experiencing a range of emotions from anger to shame to determination to serenity, thoughts expressed about supporters and about loved ones who could not be supportive - so much of what is here will strike a chord with other survivors, and perhaps offer them hope about their own recovery process.
The Center is pleased to have met the three goals of this anthology: to give survivors a space to voice their experiences, to reach out to survivors who feel as if they are alone and disconnected after the violence, and to educate the public at large so that more people can understand and offer support to survivors. Copies are available at the Community Support Services building, 218 SE 24th Street, Gainesville, or by calling 352-264-6764. Please be aware that the anthology contains strong language, and may not be appropriate for all ages or audiences.
"This book is written by and for teen survivors of sexual violence. The teens who contributed to this work have used their journal writing and artistic expression to aid them on the journey to healing."
We invite you to read this book: Broken Places: These are the Words and Expressions of Teen Survivors of Sexual Violence and Trauma.
