144 sex assault victims turned away from nonprofit in 2023 due to underfunding, police say
AUSTIN (KXAN) -- SAFE Alliance, a nonprofit organization that serves survivors of child abuse, sex assault and domestic violence, is "critically short-staffed," according to an Austin Police Department (APD) report included in the agenda for next week's Public Safety Commission Meeting.
According to the report, sex assault victims aren't getting the medical help they need from SAFE nor have all of their evidence collected.
The notes on SAFE are part of an APD report about the police department's Collective Sex Crimes Response Model (CSCRM), which outlines efforts APD has been making to improve its response to sexual assault reports.
"Progress being made via CSCRM is greatly thwarted if survivors wanting to receive medical care and/or a [Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner] exam cannot do so," the report reads.
Below is a breakdown - as outlined in the report - of the 144 victims turned away in 2023.
- 41 lost due to no nurse available
- 9 lost due to no advocate available
- 50 referred to services elsewhere (unknown if survivor ever received said services)
- 44 victims declined services once a nurse became available
The report also states 188 victims were turned away in 2022.
According to the report, the staffing issue at SAFE is due to "underfunding and low salaries."
KXAN has reached out to SAFE for more information and will update this article when we get a response.
APD: More funding needed to keep up with sex assault response training
Staff working on APD's response model are recommending 56 hours of cadet-level training dedicated to sex assault investigations.
"This ... is unlikely to be met without additional investment and innovation," the report states.
The department said training classes need to be extended to incorporate these hours.
APD also addressed the notion of incorporating housing stipends for cadets and emphasized a need to keep considering how civilian roles can help supplement investigations.
This will all be discussed during Monday's Public Safety Commission meeting at 4 p.m.