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‘A safe port in the storm’ for sexual assault survivors

Published: December 09, 2022

Indiana’s only designated rape crisis center delivers essential support to victims of sexual violence and trafficking

Believing survivors of sexual assault is the very first step of the care provided by the Fair Haven Rape Crisis Center.

The faith-based non-profit provides free advocacy services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to three counties in the northwestern portion of the state. Day and night, trained staff members deliver trauma-informed crisis support by text or phone, or in person, to victims of sexual violence and trafficking.

Fair Haven is the only stand-alone rape crisis center in the state, and co-chairs the Lake County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART).

“Our job is to believe survivors and be there for them,” says Shana Robertson, Fair Haven’s community relations director, from her office in the town of Highland, 45 minutes south of Chicago.

If a survivor needs immediate in-person support at a hospital or police station, a Fair Haven staff member will be dispatched to assist and advocate for them.

While at the hospital responding to a patient in need, Fair Haven executive director and co-founder Kelly Vates had the idea to put together rape response bags for survivors. The patient had consented to a forensic exam, which required her to leave her clothing with authorities as evidence. Vates observed hospital staff looking through the lost-and-found for items to give the survivor, and she saw an opportunity to do more.

Fair Haven began distributing kits that contain clothing, undergarments, shoes and hygiene items, as well as pamphlets outlining Fair Haven’s services.

“These items preserve dignity,” Robertson explains. “We believe very strongly in adding value.”

The response bags are one of the Fair Haven projects for which the organization raises funds throughout the year—including, most recently, its family-friendly fifth annual Fairy Tale Ball held Nov. 6.

Enbridge has supported the gala in all of its five years. This year, we made a $7,500 Fueling Futures grant to Fair Haven for the event, which not only raises necessary funds for programs but also raises awareness in the community.

“If no one knows we're here, then we can't serve anyone, which would be a travesty,” Robertson says, noting that an important component of their work is awareness.

The center delivers programs in the community—including prevention education in schools, and community education to teach people what to do if they or someone they know is a victim of sexual violence, and share Fair Haven as a resource in a crisis.

Over Fair Haven’s 17 years of service, the center has established strong partnerships in the community. Notably, Fair Haven is part of the region’s SART, a group of allied professionals who work together to provide care for survivors. The team includes medical professionals, police, prosecutors, social resource organizations, priests and ministers.

Fair Haven’s role is to assist survivors from the first moment of crisis right through the medical, legal, judicial, and recovery process.

It all starts with believing them, Robertson emphasizes.

“When the survivors are ready, they can start working on recovery. When they feel they're ready to join a group, we have support groups, so they understand that they are not alone,” she says.

For some survivors, faith is pivotal in the healing process, and Fair Haven will connect them with a faith-focused advocate.

The name Fair Haven is derived from the Bible, from the story of the apostle Paul, who is caught in a shipwreck but finds a safe port in the storm, in a town called Fair Haven.

“Sexual assault can feel like a shipwreck,” Robertson explains. “We want to be that safe port in the storm for survivors.”

(TOP PHOTO: Fair Haven staff following an awareness walk in April 2022.)

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