It is not always easy to know if you are a victim of violence. If you are not sure if you have been a crime victim, call your local police and speak to an officer about the details of your situation. You can also contact a counselor/advocate at Women’s Services. If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Below is a checklist that may help you identify if you are a victim of certain crimes:
Trauma-informed counselors are available to assist you as you sort out your feelings. You can meet and talk with others who are in abusive relationships as well as those who have left their abusers. Counselor/Advocates are knowledgeable about a variety of topics and can assist you with your legal rights, emergency and long-term housing options, public assistance programs, school options, job information, and will help you navigate the criminal/civil justice systems and network of local social service agencies.
Women’s Services operates an 18-bed emergency shelter facility called The Greenhouse. It is located in the city of Meadville, PA. The Greenhouse is a safe place for victims and their children if temporarily displaced. While sheltering, victims/survivors can take time to consider their options and to make plans regarding their immediate future. At The Greenhouse, victims/survivors will be with other individuals who face some of the same challenges.
PA Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (PA SAVIN)
The Office of Victim Advocate (OVA)
Address Confidentiality Program (ACP)*
*ACP is not a witness protection program.
A Sexual Violence Protection Order (SVPO) is designed to protect victims of sexual violence from further abuse and/or intimidation by their abuser, regardless of whether or not criminal charges have been filed against the perpetrator. Similar in many ways to a Protection From Abuse Order (PFA), the key difference lies in the relationship between the abuser and the victim. While PFAs require an intimate or household relationship between the two parties, a SVPO does not and is available to victims of sexual violence who are at continued risk of harm from their perpetrator.
SVPOs offer civil protection to any victim of sexual violence who is at risk of further harm by the perpetrator. Parents or guardians may seek SVPOs on behalf of minor children. Protections can be extended to other designated persons who are also shown to be at risk of harm.
SVPOs prohibit an offender from having any contact with the victim. Protections can include preventing the offender from entering a victim’s home, workplace, or school. SVPO protection can also be expanded to prevent intimidation/contact from a third party on behalf of the offender or to extend protection to related parties, such as parents, siblings, or children of the victim.
For more information on SVPO, click on the following link: Sexual Violence Protection Orders | PCAR
The Protection From Intimidation Order was created to protect minors when the offender is age 18 or older. For example, a PFIO could be granted for a child whose sports coach or an adult friend of the family is stalking or harassing him or her.
A judge can grant an SVPO or a PFIO for up to 3 years.
204 Spring Street
Meadville, PA 16335
Office Phone 814-724-4637
123 North Franklin Street
Titusville, PA 16354
Office Phone 814-775-0445
