Sexual Assault Services Organization

The Sexual Assault Services Organization (SASO) is dedicated to ending sexual violence. SASO’s mission is to provide advocacy to victims of sexual assault as well as education and prevention programs aimed at increasing public awareness and safety, in an anti-oppression framework. SASO is committed to changing attitudes, values and behaviors that tolerate abusive interpersonal conduct. Sexual Assault Services Organization, originally known as the Rape Intervention Team, was established in 1977 by a small group of grassroots volunteers. These volunteers were recruited by a hospital social worker who was frustrated by the challenges faced by survivors of sexual assault. Today, SASO offers free and confidential services to survivors of sexual assault and their friends and families. Though we do not collect specific income information about the people we serve, we estimate that about 68% are under-resourced, thus fitting the classification of Low-to Moderate Income populations.

SASO’s Advocacy Services program provides individuals with services to assist them in the long process of healing from sexual assault. The support provided by SASO staff and volunteer victim advocates includes: a) 24-hour crisis intervention and counseling; b) medical and legal advocacy including support during SANE exams, law enforcement interviews, and court proceedings; c) weekly support group and assistance for individual therapy, d) referrals to other community agencies, e) direct outreach to underserved populations that experience higher risk of sexual violence and on-site advocacy to the SW Safehouse, LaPlata County Jail and Hilltop Community Corrections and f) on-site advocacy to Fort Lewis College in collaboration with the administrative Title IX staff.

SASO’s Prevention Services provide community education programs with the goal to prevent sexual violence before it happens. School-based prevention programs include the Child Assault Prevention Program (CAPP), Bystander Intervention and Family Living and Sexual Health or FLASH Program. CAPP, the elementary prevention program, works to break the cycles of all forms of abuse including child sexual abuse by educating children, teachers, parents, and the community as a whole about the issues. CAPP provides personal safety information to elementary school children, which includes empowerment skills that teach children to identify potentially dangerous situations and ways to seek help.

To develop programs for middle and high schools, SASO has worked closely with sexual assault prevention experts at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to institute Bystander Intervention programs that have been effective at changing behavior around sexual violence. The Bystander Intervention program builds teen youth’s potential for stopping sexual violence as bystanders who choose to intervene and take responsibility for the safety of their peers. FLASH creates a five session curriculum to educate on sexual violence and build youth skill base in conflict resolution, healthy relationships, communication, gender norming, and digital safety. This was created from the recommendation from the CDC that recognizes behavioral change happens with participation in four or more classes. In 2018, SASO also partnered with the Women’s Resource Center to bring “Keys to High School Success” 8th grade county wide conference to over 400 boys and girls. The focus is to meet the prevention needs of the underserved community that presents with higher risk of sexual violence.

SASO has built the Council on Sexual Violence Prevention to assess needs and develop programming to reach the Native American, immigrant/Latino/Latina, elder, youth, LGTBQ communities we serve on a daily basis.  The long-term impacts of SASO’s programs are a healthier, safer community.

Advocacy Services

Prevention Services

Outreach

In addition to the SASO Team provides additional direct services and outreach in the community, to a total of 6,261 community members in 2017.