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Cowlitz County proclaims Crime Victims Rights Week and Sexual Assault Awareness Month; shelter presents services and local data
Summary
The Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners on a unanimous vote approved proclamations recognizing Crime Victims Rights Week (April 6–12, 2025) and Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April 2025). A representative of the Emergency Support Shelter described local services and recent client counts.
The Cowlitz County Board of Commissioners on a motion approved proclamations recognizing Crime Victims Rights Week (April 6–12, 2025) and Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April 2025).
At the meeting an advocate from the Emergency Support Shelter described the organization's range of services and recent caseload. "The Emergency Support Shelter was established in 1978 as Cowlitz County's first domestic violence assistance program," Tasha, a crime victims advocate with the Emergency Support Shelter, told commissioners. She said the shelter provides "emergency shelter for survivors of domestic violence and their children, free and confidential domestic violence advocacy, legal advocacy, and support for victims of crime and sexual assault."
Why it matters: The proclamations formally acknowledge county attention to victims' services and connect county government with local nonprofits that provide emergency shelter, hospital-based advocacy and court accompaniment.
Tasha gave program specifics that commissioners entered into the public record: the shelter's Crime Victim Advocacy Program (CVAP) served 250 individuals in Cowlitz County last year, and the shelter's HOPE Project (sexual-assault advocacy tied to emergency-room response) served more than 320 individuals. She said HOPE ensures a trained advocate can be available at a local emergency department within 20 minutes when someone reports a sexual assault. Tasha also cited statewide figures from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs about rates of violent crime and violations of no-contact orders during a single day-span, noting the local service demand.
Board action and next steps: Commissioners signed the proclamations and said staff would deliver the signed documents to the Emergency Support Shelter.
The meeting packet includes the proclamation texts declaring the week of April 6'12, 2025 as Crime Victims Rights Week in Cowlitz County and proclaiming April 2025 as Sexual Assault Awareness Month in Cowlitz County.
