Sexual Assault Resource Center (SARC)- Oregon

Mission

Our mission is to promote social justice by eliminating sexual violence in our community through education, support, and advocacy.

Bottom Line for Portland

SARC-Oregon supports adults and teens impacted by sexual violence through direct services like our 24/7 support line, in-person hospital accompaniment advocacy, safety planning, on-going case management, housing advocacy & financial support, and no-cost individual and group mental health and healing services. Our services are confidential and we affirm every survivor’s choice throughout the process after an assault. Our work centers on and advances social equity to empower marginalized communities most impacted by sexual violence and oppression. 

SARC's Impact In 2023:
• We provided 97 survivors with counseling and support group sessions. 
• Our 24/7 support line answered 1,337 crisis support calls and responded to 64 hospital-response advocacy requests from survivors following an assault. 
• Our case-management program provided holistic support to 242 clients with a total of 2,127 services, including safety planning, housing advocacy, system navigation, and basic needs support.  

SARC supports comprehensive primary prevention efforts with high school teens through a multi-session healthy sexual relationships curriculum, Beyond!Consent: Healthy Teen Relationships aimed at building positive social norms to dismantle oppression, providing positive frameworks for healthy and empowering relationships that honor and support a future free of sexual violence. On average, more than 5,000 high school aged youth experience the B!C healthy relationships curriculum each year across the Portland metro area and Oregon. 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

SARC recognizes that sexual assault can and does happen to anyone, however, members of historically marginalized and oppressed communities are more likely to be affected by sexual violence, and to experience barriers to accessing services. Therefore, we intentionally explore the organization’s position in a culture impacted by white supremacy to ensure that our approach is ever-changing and flexible to lift up social equity and authentic access to resources, especially for communities often farthest from those resources. 

We hold three core values of our service provision that call us to prioritize equity, diversity, and inclusion in all of the work with which we engage: 1) Trauma-Informed Practice, 2) Racial and Social Justice, and 3) Accessibility. These values guide the work of the organization. 

Partner(s)

Chill N Fill is North Portland’s premier Growler shop featuring 30 rotating taps of craft beer, wine, cider and kombucha! Offering  a full digital menu, open seating, and two flat screens for your viewing pleasure, they take pride in being the local neighborhood’s gathering spot, whether it’s an after-work hangout, mid-day break or late night catch-up, you can find your escape.