Community Betrayal: We Won't Stand For It

When I was desperately looking for help, community, or anyone who could understand my situation and connect me to support, I was rerouted time and time again. And when I called the next place they suggested, I was once again rerouted, let down, and left feeling beyond frustrated. I asked people who proclaim to support survivors for help only to be told to contact another agency, who also told me they couldn't help, and to try to contact another agency, eventually left with a circuit of agencies who didn't truly do anything for survivors that could have helped me in any way.

It was the most frustrating time of my life. I still feel the anger simmer when I think about it. I still feel the pain and the exhaustion of trying so hard to earnestly seek support and be turned away time and again, because it didn't truly exist. I spent my entire days calling, sometimes giving my whole story to personnel, just to be told they could not help me. It was beyond unhelpful- it was actively harmful, and something I still work to repair my trust in today.

Survivors clearly do not deserve that- there is no way around that fact. Agencies need to be perfectly transparent in what they offer, and very aware of what their referrals are offering as well. Sending survivors on a wild goose chase is never the answer. It's frustrating at best and dehumanizing at worst.

We started Survivors RISE because, although we know we can't support or fix every problem, we want survivors to have a soft place to land, to connect with others, and to have free options to work towards wellness and recovery. We want to be a place that does have available support. We want to be a place where survivors know they can connect with others who get it with no strings attached.

Community and institutional betrayal are verifiably detrimental to the mental health of survivors. We will not be that place. We know the adequate level of services across the board are lacking, but we will offer what we can, when we can, and always invite survivors in. And if you call us and we can't offer what you are looking for, we promise to be transparent in what we do offer, what others offer, and only give resources that we are certain won't send you on a chase.

Your time is valuable and your mental health matters. When you are going through this journey, more than ever, you deserve honesty and clarity. We hope to provide that, and if we ever fall short, we want you to let us know. Your healing matters, and we hope we can be a part of your journey forward.