West Virginia

AWAY is a private, non-profit agency that provides services for victims, survivors and witnesses of domestic violence and sexual violence. AWAY is committed to the elimination of personal, institutional, and cultural violence against women, children, and men regardless of their race, creed, age, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.  By developing strong community support and a professional program, AWAY provides safety and quality emergency intervention, advocacy, prevention and educational services for victims and witnesses of domestic and/or sexual violence.  AWAY works for systemic changes and changes in public attitudes to assure and empower families with options for building lives free of violence.

Service area:  Raleigh, Fayette, Summers, and Nicholas counties in southern West Virginia.
Works with: Survivors of sexual assault and their families.
Services for Survivors During Incarceration Include: Crisis intervention via the confidential 24-hour hotline, hospital advocacy/accompaniment during forensic examinations, information and referral.
Services for Survivors After Release Include: 24-hour hotline, crisis intervention; advocacy; counseling, support groups, legal, personal and systems advocacy, information and referrals.
Services for Loved Ones Include: 24-hour hotline, crisis intervention; advocacy; counseling, support groups, legal, personal and systems advocacy, information and referrals.
Fees: Free
Additional Information: For survivors convicted of sex crimes, WRC will make alternative referrals for the provision of on-going services.

CONTACT Rape Crisis Center is a non-profit organization that seeks to help those who are survivors of sexual assault and abuse in the greater Huntington area.

Service area: Cabell, Wayne, Mason, Lincoln, Mingo, & Logan Counties.
Works with: All survivors of sexual assault, their family and friends.
Services for Survivors During Incarceration Include: Pre-arranged crisis intervention via the hot-line during office hours; hospital accompaniment during forensic exams; in-person advocacy, by arrangement; information and referrals. These services are only available in Cabell & Mason Counties.
Services for Survivors After Release Include: Crisis intervention via the 24-hour hotline; hospital accompaniment during forensic exams; in person advocacy; information; referrals and participation in on-going support groups (if available). These services are  available for all counties.
Services for Loved Ones Include: All of the above.
Fees: Free

At Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center, we are committed to providing services that address the needs of domestic violence and sexual assault victims/survivors and their non-offending family members. In addition, we strive to educate the community to change the fundamental beliefs and practices that allow abuse to continue. Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center offers comprehensive case management, shelter, counseling, court advocacy, hospital advocacy, safety planning, and legal advocacy to men, women, and children. We also offer professional training’s and prevention education for students K-College.

Service area: Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia
Works with: Survivors of sexual assault, human trafficking and their families.
Services for Survivors During Incarceration Include: Providing hotline services and hospital advocacy.
Services for Survivors After Release Include: Comprehensive case management; shelter; counseling; court advocacy; hospital advocacy; safety planning; and legal advocacy.
Services for Loved Ones Include: All of the above.
Fees: No income guidelines and no fees for any services.
Additional Information: We can provide services using interpreter phone services to survivors speaking other languages. For Spanish we can provide an in person interpreter.

The purpose of The Family Crisis Intervention Center is to advocate and support social change that will result in non-violent relationships, homes, and communities. To achieve this social change, the Center provides public education, direct services, and programs related to the issues of domestic and sexual violence.

Service area: Services are provided in the West Virginia counties of Calhoun (Grantsville), Jackson (Ripley), Pleasants (St. Mary’s), Ritchie (Harrisville), Roane (Spencer), Tyler (Middlebourne), Wirt (Elizabeth) and Wood (Parkersburg). The Correctional facilities we provide direct services to are located in Pleasants County (St. Mary’s Correctional Facility) and Wood County (Lorie Yeager Juvenile Detention Center and Parkersburg Correctional Center).
Works with: We provide services to all survivors of sexual assault and survivors’ family and friends. We provide services to men, women, youth, and transgender survivors.
Services for Survivors During Incarceration Include: Crisis intervention via the 24-hour hotline, by mail or by email; hospital accompaniment during forensic exams; court accompaniment and legal accompaniment for sexual assault cases; in-person services such as counseling or support groups at local jails, youth detention centers, and/or prisons; and/or information and referrals.
Services for Survivors After Release Include: Information and referral, support group if requested, crisis advocacy, case management and legal advocacy.
Services for Loved Ones Include: All of the above.
Fees: Free

Family Refuge Center is a community-based, non-profit organization committed to ending physical, emotional and sexual abuse in Southeastern West Virginia.

Service area: Greenbrier, Monroe, Pocahontas and Mercer Counties.
Works with: All survivors of sexual assault, their family and friends.
Services for Survivors During Incarceration Include: Crisis intervention via the 24-hour hotline; hospital accompaniment during forensic exams; legal advocacy and court accompaniment for sexual assault cases; in-person crisis counseling, by arrangement; community education for prisoners at FPC Alderson, Denmar Correctional Center and Gene Spadaro Juvenile Center; information; and referrals.
Services for Survivors After Release Include: Crisis intervention; legal advocacy and court accompaniment for sexual assault cases; short-term crisis counseling; peer-led support groups; emergency shelter; information; and referrals.
Services for Loved Ones Include: Crisis intervention; short-term crisis counseling; information; and referrals.
Fees: Free

Hope, Inc. is a private, non-profit agency that offers shelter and confidential support services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking as well as their family and friends.

Service area: Doddridge, Gilmer, Harrison, Lewis, Marion Counties and Honey Rubenstein Juvenile Center.
Works with: All survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking and their friends and family.
Services for Survivors During Incarceration Include: Crisis intervention via the 24-hour hotline; hospital accompaniment during forensic exams; legal advocacy and court accompaniment for sexual assault cases; information; and referrals.
Services for Survivors After Release Include: All of the above, as well as individual and group counseling; emergency shelter; transportation assistance; childcare; advocacy; and other support services.
Services for Loved Ones Include: Crisis intervention; counseling; information; and referrals.
Fees: Free
Additional Information: Able to serve clients of multiple different languages through interpreters.

The Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center (RDVIC) provides services to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence in Northeastern West Virginia.

Service area: Monongalia, Preston, and Taylor Counties.
Works with: All survivors of sexual assault, their family, and friends.
Services for Survivors During Incarceration Include: Crisis intervention via the 24-hour hotline; hospital accompaniment during forensic exams; legal advocacy and court accompaniment for sexual assault cases; individual counseling, by arrangement; information; and referrals.
Services for Survivors After Release Include: All of the above, as well as individual and group counseling; emergency shelter; a free 911 cell phone program; advocacy; and other support services.
Services for Loved Ones Include: Crisis intervention; counseling; information; and referrals.
Fees: Free

The mission of REACH is to provide professional, compassionate care to survivors of sexual violence and to work toward creating a community in which sexual violence is no longer tolerated.

Service area: Kanawha, Jackson, and Putnam Counties.  South Central Regional Jail, Donald R. Kuhn Juvenile Center, Tiger Morton Juvenile Center, Gene Spadaro Juvenile Center.
Works With: All survivors of sexual assault.
Services for Survivors During Incarceration Include:
South Central Regional Jail: Crisis Line – 9:00 am to 4:00 pm; Hospital Advocacy; Follow-up support services by telephone.
Juvenile Facilities: Hospital advocacy; follow-up support services by telephone.
Services for Survivors After Release Include: 24-hour rape crisis hotline; hospital advocacy; criminal justice system advocacy; and counseling.
Services for Loved Ones Include: All of the above.
Fees: Free

The Upper Ohio Valley Sexual Assault Help Center (SAHC) is a non-profit organization that provides advocacy and support services to child and adult survivors of sexual violence and their family and friends in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia.

Service area: Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel Counties.
Correctional facilities in service area include: Northern Regional Jail, Northern Correctional Facility, and Ronald C. Mulholland Juvenile Center.
Work with: All survivors of sexual assault, their friends, and family members Services for survivors during incarceration include: Crisis intervention via the 24-hour hotline and by mail; hospital accompaniment during forensic exams; in-person supportive advocacy and counseling, by arrangement; legal advocacy and court accompaniment for sexual assault cases; information; and referrals.
Services for survivors after release include: All of the above, as well as advocacy and support groups for adult women survivors of sexual assault.
Services for loved ones include: Crisis intervention; advocacy; support groups for those parenting a child who has been sexually abused; information; and referrals.
Fees: Free
Additional Information: SAHC will provide immediate crisis intervention to any survivor who contacts them. For survivors convicted of sex crimes, SAHC may need to make alternate arrangements to provide ongoing services. Determinations will be made on a case-by-case basis, and appropriate referrals for support services will be provided if SAHC cannot provide ongoing services.

FRIS is West Virginia’s state sexual assault coalition and is comprised of the state’s rape crisis centers. FRIS works with allied professionals to strengthen services and develop intervention and prevention programs to address sexual violence, stalking and dating violence.

Works with:  Rape crisis centers, allied professionals and organizations in West Virginia.
Services for survivors during incarceration include: Information and referrals to the nearest rape crisis center via phone or by mail and a directory of affiliated rape crisis centers on the FRIS website.
Services for survivors after release include: All of the above.
Services for loved ones include: All of the above.
Fees: Free.

Survivors of sexual abuse in a West Virginia Department of Corrections’ facility or their loved ones can request the following policy directives for more information:

401.01: Classification Guidelines
326.01: Administrative Segregation
335.00: General Inmate Grievance Procedure
332.01: Institutional Sexual Abuse and Assault Policies

The request must be in writing and should be addressed to the Department of Corrections at the address above.

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia (ACLU-WV) is a non-partisan, non-profit membership organization whose mission is to fulfill the promise of the Bill of Rights for all West Virginians and to expand the reach of its guarantees to new areas. ACLU-WV maintains an active legal program and receives hundreds of requests for help every year. From those, ACLU-WV may litigate or provide amicus assistance in five to ten cases. In addition, the ACLU-WV may monitor and negotiate other issues without litigation.

The West Virginia State Bar Law Referral Service provides a directory of attorneys to assist its members and the public in locating an attorney.