The first trauma recovery center was developed as a four-year pilot at the University of California, San Francisco at San Francisco General Hospital in 2001, launched with a mix of public and private dollars. Inspired by a study that found that after six months, less than a third of victims of violent crime had returned to work despite having healed physically, while many others actually became victimized again after hospital release, trauma recovery centers were designed to go beyond repairing physical wounds to give support to victims experiencing the debilitating impacts of trauma on all aspects of life.
Trauma recovery centers are particularly focused on helping violence survivors who are unlikely to receive support through the traditional justice system or face barriers in accessing mainstream mental health or social services. Trauma recovery centers provide both emergency help in the immediate aftermath of violence as well as long-term therapeutic support. The free and comprehensive program helps victims of crime:
- Apply for victim compensation
- Access emergency food, clothing, transportation and housing
- Communicate with employers
- Access school accommodations for children
- Access both peer support and professional mental health support
- Access specialized assistance, such as substance abuse treatment, sexual assault or domestic violence services, legal advocacy, peer support and more
This wraparound care costs much less than traditional, fee-for-service victim services programs.
Studies show that trauma recovery center clients have better mental health outcomes and reduced repeat victimization, as well as improved stability related to employment, housing and childcare.
Helping victims to heal breaks cycles of harm, making families and communities stronger.
How can more crime victims gain access to trauma recovery centers?
Since 2015, our advocacy has helped establish more than 50 trauma recovery centers in cities across the nation. Still, too many victims don’t get help, and the need for trauma recovery centers exceeds current capacity. More than half of our nation's trauma recovery centers are running a waitlist because they do not have sufficient funding to immediately serve all survivors who seek their support. Alliance for Safety and Justice advocates for stable and sustainable funding for trauma recovery centers to meet victims’ needs.
