Las Vegas nonprofit sees uptick in services for survivors of sexual violence

Signs of Hope, the Las Vegas nonprofit formerly known as the Rape Crisis Center, has released key statistics about services it provided to victims and survivors of sexual violence in 2022, revealing an across the board increase in services from the previous year.

On Tuesday, the organization said it handled 5,201 hotline calls in 2022, a nearly 5 percent increase from 2021. Before last year, Signs of Hope said it had never had more than 600 hotline calls in a single month, since it began tracking them. But in 2022, there were three months where more than 600 calls came in.

“I think the most surprising trend that I saw (from 2022) is the number of calls to our 24/7 hotline,” said Kim Small, the nonprofit’s new CEO. “How do we prepare for that amount of calls coming in? Capacity… We’re having our advocates try recruiting more volunteers to come in.”

In addition to the increase in hotline calls, there was also an 8 percent increase in the number of victims assisted at the hospital, and a 26 percent increase in the number of clients who received counseling from Signs of Hope’s therapists. Small, who took over as CEO on Jan. 23, said part of the uptick is due to victims becoming cognizant of previous abuse.

“Victims are stepping forward, and we’re seeing some that are needing immediate help, and some that are coming forward from past trauma,” Small said.

Signs of Hope board member Zenja Dunn is an example of a sexual assault survivor who sought out treatment many years after being abused. She says it changed the trajectory of her life.

“I didn’t come to terms with what had happened to me until my thirties,” Dunn said. “If you have not come to terms with what has happened to you… you need someplace like Signs of Hope for someone to answer those questions, to find counseling, to go ‘Where do I start?’ now that I’m really dealing with what happened to me.”

Both Small and Dunn emphasized the need for education throughout the Las Vegas community to combat sexual violence.

“We need to be aware of what to look for… in terms of human trafficking as well as sexual abuse,” Small said. “The rape culture needs to be addressed in our communities. It is not blaming the victim for what they’re wearing, or for being out late. It is understanding how we can better notice this and combat it and really address it.”

“I would say come on in and go through (Signs of Hope’s) volunteer training,” Small said. “There’s a lot of people who go through the volunteer training and then they are more equipped.”

To volunteer or donate to Signs of Hope, visit the organization’s website at sohlv.org.

Contact Justin Razavi at jrazavi@reviewjournal.com. Follow @justin_razavi on Twitter.