The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) estimates that two out of every three sexual assaults goes unreported. Hillsborough County aims to improve access to trained professionals and rape kits, and thus encourage more victims to report their assaults, by opening a new Crisis Center of Tampa Bay location in the southern part of the county.
The center has been serving Hillsborough County for several decades, but its location on Bearss Avenue means that sheriff’s deputies may have to drive an hour each way to get a victim to the center.
With South Shore’s population swelling by the day, it just makes sense to offer a location there, CEO Clara Reynolds said.
The new center is scheduled to open in August at 201 14th Ave., S.E. in Ruskin. It will serve not only Ruskin but Brandon, Wimauma, Apollo Beach, and the rest of southern Hillsborough County.
The Board of County Commissioners, led by Commissioner Harry Cohen, worked with Reynolds to find unused space in the South Shore Community Resource Center where services could be offered. The new Crisis Center location will include an exam room, quiet space, a separate entrance for law enforcement, and other needs. Hillsborough County will fund the renovation.
In exchange, the crisis center will help the county staff the phones for the county’s Department of Social Services.
Reynolds said the addition of a second location where sexual assault victims can go for rape kits and where others can come for counseling is likely to increase the number of people seeking help.
Rape kits, which collect DNA evidence and assist in the prosecution of sexual assault cases, can be prepared up to 120 hours after an assault.
At the Bearss Avenue location, the center completed 320 rape kits in 2021 and helped an additional 375 people with counseling and advocacy. That is nearly one rape kit every day, Reynolds said. “Now, we will be right there in the South Shore community. We recognize that it is not always easy for someone to get to us” in northernmost Hillsborough County.
The multilingual staff, on duty 24/7, will be able to serve the county’s diverse population, and assist people in transitioning from victim to survivor, Reynolds said. The team includes a nurse practitioner and a professional advocate. Eventually, a trauma counselor will be added to the staff.
Staggering Numbers
RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, works with sexual assault service providers across the country, including the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay. It operates programs to prevent sexual violence, help survivors and bring perpetrators to justice.
Notably, one out of every six American women will be the victim of sexual violence in her lifetime. Where the criminal justice system is concerned, sexual violence victims face staggering odds: fewer than one-third of sexual assaults are reported to law enforcement, and even fewer are referred to prosecutors who successfully obtain convictions.
Whether or not the victim chooses to report their assault, the mission of the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is to ensure that no one faces these instances alone.
“The organization is the community’s gateway to help, hope, and healing, and is Tampa Bay’s elite provider of crisis and trauma services,” it stated in a press release about the new center. “Responding to over 160,000 requests for help each year, the nonprofit agency offers a range of evidence-based programs designed to meet community needs.”
Crisis Center of Tampa Bay Resources
- Call 211 for the Gateway Contact Center for crisis counseling, suicide prevention and referral services.
- The Corbett Trauma Center offers trauma counseling and sexual assault survivor services.
- TransCare offers 911 emergency and mental health ambulance services, medical transport and community paramedicine.