Sexual Assault Response Team Advocates 

Survivors of sexual violence often have unique and evolving needs, and may feel overwhelmed trying to navigate the support, resources, and options available.

This is where our Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) can help. Our compassionate and knowledgeable SART Advocates help survivors and their loved ones. A SART Advocate learns about a survivor’s individual needs and asks what types of support they want or need. SART Advocates also offer resources that help survivors make informed decisions about next steps.

Our approach to supporting survivors is to:

  • Believe them and support their choices.
  • Consider survivors’ identities and lived experiences.
  • Ask survivors’ permission before ever acting on their behalf.
  • Keep survivors’ experiences confidential.
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Here are a few common ways our SART Advocates support survivors.

 Connecting Survivors to Mental Health and Peer Support
  • Support survivors by listening to them and validating their experiences.
  • Referring survivors to our support groups to help them connect with peers. 
  • Offer community resources for mental health counseling and therapy.
 
 Medical Support and Follow-Up
  • Attending medical follow-up appointments.
  • Providing information, options, and referrals for testing and preventative medications for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV.
  • Providing support and reproductive healthcare referrals after a sexual assault.
Options for Safety & Justice
  • Creating safety plans with survivors.
  • Providing information on criminal justice and legal options.
  • Helping to file a police report.
  • Helping to file Protection from Abuse (PFA) or Protection from Harassment (PFH) paperwork. 
  • Referring survivors to legal support.
  • Supporting survivors in court.
  • Requesting updates on court cases and explaining the process to the survivor.
  • Supporting students through school-based Title IX processes.
  • Supporting survivors who are incarcerated in navigating PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act) investigations in jails and prisons.
Additional Help
  • Helping survivors apply for the Address Confidentiality Program and Victims’ Compensation.
  • Referring survivors to other providers for case management services.

Request a SART Advocate: Call our free, 24-hour helpline at 1-800-871-7741 and
​request a SART referral. We will call you back within 7 days.

Questions about our SART services? Read our SART Commonly Asked Questions or reach out and send us a message.

Sexual Assault Helpline:
For support, please call our free, private, 24-hour helpline at 1-800-871-7741.
In accordance with federal regulations, Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine does not discriminate in the access to our provision of its services. If you have any concerns or complaints, please send an email to [email protected].

SARSSM provides free services in York and Cumberland Counties.
​Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine is funded in part by Maine's Department of Health and Human Services, the United Way of York County, and generous public and private donations.