AUSTIN, Texas — A new website for survivors and victims of sexual assault has just been launched.
The Austin-Travis County Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team (A/TC SARRT) has been working on this site, called ATX Believes, for about a year now.
“This experience is traumatic, and you feel lost and overwhelmed and you don’t know where to start,” said Marcy Alonzo, the coordinator for the Austin-Travis County Sexual Assault Response and Resource Team.
The site has links to a wide range of resources: everything from how to seek justice in court, to counseling services, to even housing for those who still live with their perpetrator. Alonzo calls it a one-stop-shop for victims and survivors.
“A survivor is able to start their journey towards healing or justice wherever they want,” Alonzo said. “They are in control.”
Alonzo has worked with survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence for many years, and the recurring theme she has observed is that victims didn’t feel like they’d be believed. That's why the team decided to name the site ATX Believes.
“Over and over, I heard, ‘Who is going to believe me? Nobody is going to believe me. They think I’m lying,’” Alonzo said. “Maybe I was the first person or maybe that advocate was the first person to tell that survivor ‘I believe you, I hear you.’”
Hanna Senko is a survivor of sexual assault and the lead plaintiff to bring a lawsuit against the city of Austin and Travis County in 2018 for how they handled survivors.
“I think it’s incredibly important for the survivors in our community, for the city to take seriously,” Senko said. “Us taking this seriously and investing in this space has the opportunity to impact, you know, literally thousands of lives right here in our community.”
That lawsuit was settled and, in 2022, the city created the Collective Sex Crimes Response Model (CSCRM) project. Senko is now the project manager of the CSCRM project and works to ensure more justice for victims and improve their experience of reporting a crime to law enforcement.
One part of the CSCRM project includes educating the public about resources available to victims and survivors. ATX Believes officially launched on Aug. 1, and both Alonzo and Senko say it’s something that the community has needed for a long time.
“We’re here, we believe you, you are not alone,” Alonzo said.
The site also has a large red and white button in the bottom right corner that says “LEAVE SITE," which allows users to leave the page more quickly if needed. The page is also fully available in Spanish.
The CSCRM is also asking for additional funding this budget cycle, as the project was previously funded by the settlement. Some of their requests include getting third party experts to help with training and curriculum development, as well as hiring retired sex crimes unit detectives.