Survivor Advocacy

Navigating options and remedies as a survivor of abuse and violence can be confusing and scary. Advocates from Arise support survivors by providing accompaniment to civil and criminal court proceedings, the hospital and other important medical appointments, law enforcement and prosecution interviews, and other important appointments that aide survivors in their healing process. Advocates are able to provide transportation assistance to survivors who have transportation barriers.

Accompaniment means that our staff go with individuals to court hearings, medical appointments and other important interviews and appointments. Advocates provide accompaniment to the following locations 24 hours a day, 7 days of the week:

• Courthouse
• Police station
• District Attorney’s Office
• Hospital and other medical facilities
• Other public locations by request

Our advocates also assist with court preparation. During court preparation the advocate will walk the survivor through what to expect when interacting with the court system. Court preparation includes, but is not limited to:

• Reviewing the steps to participation in both the civil and criminal justice system
• Introductions to important participants in the court system such as attorney’s, judges, and other key system personnel
• Visiting the courthouse and/or court rooms ahead of time so that the survivors know where to go
• Preparing a victim impact statement

Frequently, our advocates provide assistance in filing civil orders, including:

• Protection from Abuse (PFA) Orders
• Sexual Violence Protection Orders
• Protection From Intimidation Orders

While survivors of abuse and violence must go to the courthouse to file and obtain these orders, advocates can assist in determining if a protection order is appropriate and provide the paperwork for a survivor to complete prior to arriving at the courthouse.

Safety Planning for a survivor of abuse and violence is critical. Advocates work with survivors to ensure that they have a plan for personal physical and emotional safety regardless of their situation. Safety plans can include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Helping a survivor leave an abusive and violent situation
• Helping a survivor remain in an abusive and violent situation if they cannot or are not ready to leave
• Identifying community resources to help meet particular needs
• Learning new coping skills
• Building a support system

The most important thing about safety plans is that they are customized to each person’s unique situation.

Often times survivors of abuse and violence suffer from monetary losses as a result of their crime victimization. Advocates can assist survivors in filing from Crime Victims’ Compensation. The state of Pennsylvania provides this compensation program to individuals who are innocent victims of crime, or who are hurt trying to apprehend a suspected criminal. Compensation may pay for:

• Medical expenses
• Counseling
• Loss of earnings
• Loss of support
• Cash loss of benefits
• Funeral expenses

The needs of survivors of abuse and violence often extends beyond the services provided by Arise. To that end, our advocates provide information and referral to ensure that individuals understand what community supports are available to them. Arise has a large network on community partners that also assist survivors of abuse and violence to meet their needs. These partners include, but are not limited to:

• Medical services
• Mental health services
• Housing servicing
• Utility assistance
• Food assistance
• Support groups
• Employment and education services
• Childcare services

For more information about Survivor Advocacy, please contact [email protected].

Accompaniment means that our staff go with individuals to court hearings, medical appointments and other important interviews and appointments.
Transportation provided by our staff ensures that individuals make it to important appointments.

Safety Planning helps individuals understand the red flags of potentially dangerous situations and develop plans for personal physical and emotional safety.

Information and Referral ensures that individuals understand what community supports are available to them.

Crime Victims’ Compensation helps individuals recover money that they had to pay out of pocket as a result of being a crime victim.