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Women’s Center receives 3-year grant

MARQUETTE — The Women’s Center Inc. in Marquette has received a three-year Victims of Crime Act Sexual Assault Victims Services grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

The grant, which began providing funding Jan. 1, will enhance the agency’s sexual assault program in Alger and Marquette counties and will allow the agency to focus on assisting victims in underserved populations such as the elderly, disabled, mentally ill, LGBTQ, homeless and at-risk youth, according to a press release from the center.

“Since 2016, we have seen an increase in the number of people accessing our services for sexual assault, dating violence and stalking, but we know we are not reaching many sexual assault survivors,” Women’s Center Executive Director Beth Casady said in the release. “This new grant provides more staffing resources to expand current services that are needed in our region.”

The funding will pay for a full-time sexual assault program coordinator, a full-time coordinator for its Sexual Assault Response Team, or SART, and a half-time therapist for sexual assault victims. The Women’s Center currently operates a volunteer SART in Marquette County. The new funding will allow full-time dedication to enhance the SART services in Marquette County, establish a program in Alger County and expand direct client services.

“Many people do not know about our sexual assault program,” Casady said. “Often victims of sexual assault, dating violence or stalking carry with them the trauma of that experience or experiences without speaking to anyone about it for years. We saw this with the revelations in the #MeToo movement and the Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh hearing. We are here for everyone, regardless of when the assault took place and regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, religious affiliation or disability. Our services are free and confidentiality is one of our core values.”

For more information on the Women’s Center and its services for men, women and youth, visit its website at www.wcmqt.org.

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