Community Solutions will again host its “Time to Stop Rape’ awareness event on Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Gavilan College’s Hollister satellite campus at Fourth and San Benito streets.
The annual event drives home the impact of sexual assault and domestic violence in the community while reminding residents who might need services that they are available to help with those coping with the aftermath of the traumas. At the event, residents can put up a flag to show support to victims of assault, or pick up pamphlets about the issues. Community Solutions will host the event at the main Gavilan College Campus in Gilroy and for the first time at the Morgan Hill satellite campus.
“We are still providing sexual assault support and some support for domestic violence,” said Debbie Ruiz, the case manager for Hollister’s Community Solutions office. “We are seeing things with prevention being cut back a little bit.”
Ruiz was excited to announce in the days before the event that Community Solutions, along with the Youth Alliance and the county gang prevention coordinator, that the agencies had received a grant to fund a child abuse prevention program.
The grant will allow them to work on child abuse prevention in the community and also to offer a teen awareness program.
Ruiz said teen violence is an issue in the community, and something that teenagers often don’t recognize as a problem. She said a lot of teens might not think it is wrong for a significant other to push them, look at their phone to see who they are texting or calling, follow them around without their knowledge or have someone follow them.
“We want to let them know that those behaviors are not OK,” she said. “Some parents don’t know how to handle those conversations.”
In terms of their basic service of offering sexual assault support, Ruiz said the number of clients is growing each year.
“I feel like we are constantly busy and I really feel the word is really out there that we are providing support,” Ruiz said.
Community Solutions, which works in San Benito and south Santa Clara counties, has seen an increase in human trafficking cases and Ruiz said in the Santa Clara area, they are seeing sexually exploited minors.
“People are becoming more aware (of human trafficking,)” she said. “There is such a stigma people don’t want to talk about it. “It’s an uncomfortable thing that people don’t want to believe is happening. Sexual assault – they don’t want to believe kids are being molested or sexual assault or rape is happening.”
Ruiz said that high-profile cases often help give people the courage to come forward and ask for help either about a past trauma or a recent incident. She listed recent cases in the state news about teachers abusing students, such as a Central Valley teacher charged with having a relationship with a high school student or the Los Angeles Unified School teachers that have been arrested in recent months.
“It’s hard to call, but people are calling and they are not being embarrassed to ask for services,” Ruiz said.
In the small Hollister office, Ruiz said she has about six volunteers that work with her. They answer calls, sometimes meet with clients and make it possible to keep the office running at busy times. The volunteers were honored at a dinner in Gilroy on Monday.
“This work is hard and it’s still just me funded in Hollister,” Ruiz said. “We wouldn’t be able to do this work without the volunteers in the community.”
The volunteers go through a 65-hour sexual assault training and the next training is scheduled in July. She said residents can also make donations to the agency and that gift cards are especially helpful to give to clients.
“I’m just amazed at how busy we still are,” Ruiz said. “Every year we are getting busier and busier.
Time to Stop Rape
The Community Solutions annual awareness program Time to Stop Rape is 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Gavilan College Brigg’s building, Fourth and San Benito streets, in Hollister, at the main campus in Gilroy and at the satellite campus in Morgan Hill. Residents can stop by to show their support for victims of sexual assault or to promote prevention by putting up a flag in the lawn in front of the Briggs building. Those interested in becoming a volunteer at Community Solutions can call 408-776-6246. The next training session starts in July and includes 65 hours of sexual assault training. Those in need of services, can call 637-1094 or 1-877-END-SADV (1-877-363-7238.)
