Rebuilding Hope Sexual Assault Center

02/19/2026

This week for Black History Month, we are spotlighting Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement by Tarana Burke. Before dominated the news cycle, Burke had been organizing and sparking conversations in Black communities for years. Read how her story and her work changed the way we view sexual assault and harassment in the modern era and started one of the largest cultural events in U.S. history.

Are you familiar with this work? Let us know in the comments below!

Content warning: This material has themes of racism, sexual assault, and gender-based violence. No details are depicted in this post.

02/19/2026

Last month, special guest and Advocacy Supervisor Katelyn Smitley joined our monthly board meeting as a staff spotlight. They shared an inside look at the work they do behind the scenes to ensure our advocacy team has the support, tools, and guidance needed to show up consistently for our community. In their role, Katelyn supervises our Kitsap Advocates and volunteer interns, offering day-to-day support, mentorship, and coordination. They also play an active role in training new advocates, answering our 24/7 Helpline, responding to local emergency departments, and so much more. Through this combination of supervision, training, and direct service, Katelyn helps keep our advocacy program running smoothly and sustainably.

Katelyn started off as an intern 7 years ago and worked themselves up to be an amazing leader! We are beyond grateful to have them on our Advocacy team.

We’re proud to be able to highlight the amazing work our staff do and get them acquainted with our board who supports them. Thank you for all of your hard work Katelyn! Stay tuned for next
month's staff spotlight…

02/17/2026

Dear Community, We Need Your Help.

As Washington's legislative session continues, a proposal to reduce victim services funding by 40% is under consideration. Rebuilding Hope, Oasis Youth Center, Our Sisters' House, and YWCA Pierce County are joining together with one urgent message: survivors of violence cannot afford cuts to the services that keep them safe.

If approved, this massive reduction would cause immediate and long-lasting gaps in services for victim-survivors and their families statewide. Without these funds, we will not be able to provide critical services to meet the needs of our community.

We are urging legislators to include $21.3 million in the SFY27 (State Fiscal Year) budget to stabilize victim service programs.

This is not a request for expansion, it is the baseline required to maintain critical safety, healing, and justice services for survivors across Washington.

Survivors deserve safety. They deserve stability. They deserve a community that shows up.

Your voice matters. Contact your Washington State legislators today by phone or email and urge them to protect victim-service funding.

Here’s how:

1. Open the Washington State District Finder app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder

2. Find your State Senator + Representatives (select “Legislative,” not Congressional)

3. Contact each legislator. See our sample email and phone scripts you can fill in with your information (you can also copy and paste them from here https://pdflink.to/0046e6ac/)

It takes less than 2 minutes — but it could protect lifesaving services across Washington.

Please take action, repost, and share this message to ensure victim-survivors can access the support they deserve.

02/16/2026

Our offices in Tacoma and Bremerton will be closed on Monday for Presidents’ Day, but our Advocates are always standing by. If you or someone you know is in need of support, call us anytime, day or night, at 1-855-757-7273.

Prefer not to call? You can also chat with an Advocate confidentially from 8am - 8pm, 7 days a week - simply go to our website and click “Chat Live”. Advocates are also available 24/7 via email at Advocacy@rebuildinghope.org.

02/14/2026

For many, Valentine's Day can be a difficult holiday, so today we're sending some extra love to victim-survivors...

Our local Advocates are here to offer a listening ear to you, your loved ones, and any person impacted by sexual violence. Call our 24/7 Helpline at 1-855-757-7273, or access our confidential chat 8am - 8pm, 7 days a week. simply go to our website and click “Chat Live”. Advocates are also available 24/7 via confidential email at Advocacy@rebuildinghope.org.

We are here for you! Take care,
Rebuilding Hope 🩵

02/12/2026

Check out this FREE online professional consulting workshop for business leaders focused on preventing human trafficking for the 2026 FIFA World Cup! Presented by Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking, Washington State Department of Commerce, and Washington State Attorney General.

Online Human Trafficking Prevention Strategy Workshop for Business Leaders in WA’s World Cup Fan Zone Cities

02/11/2026

Reminder that we have two victim-survivor healing groups happening RIGHT NOW!

Whether you’re looking for community support or structured therapy, we are proud to offer options to fit your needs — and yes, you can attend both!

Survivor Support Group
This month we started our 2026 Survivor Support Group! This free, open group offers a safe space to connect and explore topics like self-esteem, impacts on family, and the culture of sexual violence. Led by a Victim Advocate, sessions are two hours and held online or in person at our Tacoma Office on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month through June.

Register today, and our team will reach out to schedule a screening during the week of Feb. 23 - Feb. 27. Find community and support for your unique healing journey.

Sign up for registration/screening requests here https://rebuildinghope.org/groups/. For questions and more information email prevention@rebuildinghope.org

Sexual Assault Treatment Group
This in-person therapy group uses Group Traumatic Episode Protocol (G-TEP), a brief form of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy that helps survivors process traumatic memories and reduce post-traumatic symptoms, without the need to share stories. Groups meet four times over two-week closed sessions that are held in Pierce and Kitsap counties. Dates and times scheduled based on participant availability. The cost is $40, with a sliding fee scale available for those in need.

Registration is available here https://rebuildinghope.org/groups/. For more information, you can email our Clinical Director, Stephanie Sacks, at stephanie@rebuildinghope.org.

02/10/2026

This week for Black History Month, we’re spotlighting On Intersectionality: Essential Writings by Kimberlé Crenshaw. A pioneering scholar and civil rights activist, Crenshaw popularized the term ‘intersectionality’, which is key to understanding how violence and oppression impact victim-survivors. You may have heard the word before, but Crenshaw’s collection unpacks its full significance, building on the Combahee River Collective’s statement from 1977 and other works that named how our personal identities create political realities.

Are you familiar with her work?What other texts have helped you understand intersectionality? Let us know in the comments below!

Content warning: This material has themes of racism, sexual assault, and gender-based violence. No details are depicted in this post.

02/09/2026

Early Bird Tickets are officially available!

Get ready! 🎉Register now and secure your spot for our 5th annual Spring Soiree here https://shorturl.ayt360.org/7HzP9h. This is a cocktail hour-style event, happening Friday, April 24 at the Silver Cloud Hotel Tacoma at Point Ruston Waterfront. All tickets include hors d’oeuvres; hosted wine, beer and non alcoholic refreshments; and opportunities to participate in raffle drawings and our live auction.

Buy now to lock in Early Bird pricing:

General Admission: $80 / VIP: $100

Thanks to our sponsors, all funds raised during the event will go directly to our programs providing 24/7 compassionate and trauma-informed services to victim-survivors and delivering prevention education to the community.

Speaking of which…we’re still looking for sponsors! Visit here https://rebuildinghope.org/spring-soiree-2026/ to learn about the exclusive perks you can enjoy the night of the Soiree when you become a sponsor.

For more information visit our website or contact us at Development@rebuildinghope.org.

🎟️ https://shorturl.ayt360.org/7HzP9h

02/06/2026

📣New job posting alert!📣

We are looking for passionate and capable applicants for our Weekend Per Diem Victim Advocate role. This part-time role provides direct advocacy services to victim-survivors and their loved ones during weekend hours and is essential to maintaining our 24/7 supportive services.

Check out full job descriptions and apply by submitting a current resume and cover letter here: https://hopesacpc.bamboohr.com/careers.

02/02/2026

Happy Black History Month! Throughout this month, we’re honoring some of the Black advocates and survivors who have shaped the anti–sexual violence movement by spotlighting readings and materials created by Black and BIPOC women. Today, we are recommending Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Swipe to learn more about these amazing works!

We invite you to explore these texts and other works we’ll be featuring this month. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is available for free from many online sources, such as Project Gutenberg. Black women have long been at the forefront of social justice efforts for marginalized communities, and their works continue to offer fresh insight and instruction for how to build a world free from oppressive systems that harm people based on their race, gender, and other identities.

Have you read either of these? How did they help you understand the connection between racism and sexual violence? Let us know in the comments below!

Content warning: These materials have themes and explicit depictions of gender-based and racial violence. No details are depicted in this post.

01/30/2026

Earlier this week, our Deputy Director Christina Lee (pictured far right in red) was one of 150 advocates taking action for victim-survivors during the 2026 Survivor Advocacy Day. Every year, community sexual assault programs and domestic violence organizations from across Washington State join forces to show up for survivors and urge legislators to fund crime victim services. Pictured with her are our wonderful partners at Our Sisters' House .

As federal funding for advocacy programs continues to decline nationwide, state budget decisions are more critical than ever in ensuring victim-survivors can access the resources and support they need. We encourage you to read the article, “WA Crime Victim Orgs Call for State Help as Falling Federal Funding Has Them at a ‘Breaking Point,’” published by InvestigateWest. The article features survivor advocate Sara Owens (pictured in the second image) from Beyond Survival as well as many others of Rebuilding Hope’s peer agencies, highlighting the ongoing struggle to secure sustainable funding for community-based advocacy and support services.

A huge thank you to Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Children's Advocacy Centers of Washington for co-hosting and giving advocates a platform to fight for victim-survivors at a state level.

Read InvestigateWest’s article here: https://www.investigatewest.org/wa-crime-victim-orgs-call-for-state-help-as-falling-federal-funding-has-them-at-a-breaking-point/