ALPENA — Hope Shores Alliance is excited to announce the launch of its Rural Sexual Violence and Victim Services Expansion Project. The project is a comprehensive initiative designed to enhance victim services for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking across the five-county region of Alcona, Alpena, Iosco, Montmorency, and Presque Isle in northeastern lower Michigan.

With a strong commitment to supporting survivors, Hope Shores Alliance has partnered with 22 community agencies to implement the program’s goals and objectives. These partnerships reflect a shared dedication to providing trauma-informed care and expanding the service network available to survivors.

The project will benefit child, youth, and adult survivors by focusing on two primary service areas: expanding therapy services and improving access to forensic medical examinations.

Program components include expanding therapy services for survivors, establishing a 24/7 On Call Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Team, and forming a partnership with MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena to establish a service suite where survivors can access forensic medical exams, advocacy, and other critical services in a centralized location.

The primary goal of the Rural Sexual Violence and Victim Services Expansion Project is to provide child, youth, and adult survivors in the five-county service area with the highest quality of care, including immediate access to therapeutic support and compassionate, comprehensive forensic medical examinations.

Hope Shores Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. For more information, contact SAFE Program Coordinator Jana Shupert at jshupert@hopeshores.org.