MSU will have two therapists and two victim advocates join the Sexual Assault Program after it received a grant from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Victim Services, Crime Victim Services Commission.
“The community is coming together to take swift action and solve a problem and the assistance from state government shows they have the right priorities,” MSU Interim President John Engler said in a press release. “We are making changes so MSU becomes a model for addressing sexual harassment and assault. You can’t do this if staff levels are not commensurate with need.”
Expansion of the services came as a recommendation from the Relationship Violence and Sexual Misconduct Expert Advisory Workgroup.
More than 600 clients were helped by the Sexual Assault Program during the 2017 fiscal year, up from 260 during the 2007 fiscal year, according to the press release.
The Victims of Crime Act has more than $490,000 in funding. MSU has to match 20 percent of the money to receive the funding, according to the release.
“Survivors of sexual assault need and deserve our support as they recover from their traumatic experiences,” Interim Director of the MDHHS Division of Victim Services Debi Cain said in a press release. “It’s important that these brave individuals know that there are people they can talk to about their experiences and feelings. We have always had a long and successful relationship with MSU’s sexual assault program and we are very pleased to provide more much-needed funding so the university can do even more to help victims of sexual assault.”
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