SafeHouse presents services; commission proclaims April Sexual Assault Awareness Month

The Chilton County Commission heard a presentation from Deb Higgins, forensic medical services director at SafeHouse, and approved a proclamation recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

Higgins described services SafeHouse provides free of charge to survivors, including forensic medical exams, crisis-line response and shelter services covering multiple counties. “We are a nonprofit organization. Any of our services that we provide are absolutely at no cost to the survivor,” Higgins said. She told commissioners SafeHouse received about 1,400 crisis-line calls in the past year, provided shelter to 80 victims and children, and assisted more than 600 survivors across its service area. For Chilton County specifically, Higgins said SafeHouse served 17 clients, sheltered four people and recorded 44 service touchpoints.

Higgins proposed an art installation called “What Were You Wearing?” to increase awareness; she said the exhibit would include clothing examples and survivor stories and could be displayed at the courthouse for the month before she retrieved it for SafeHouse. The commission asked about logistics; Higgins said she has a memorandum of understanding with Chilton County Hospital to provide on-site exams at the ER and said survivors 18 or older may receive an exam without reporting to law enforcement in certain circumstances.

Commissioner Bone moved and Commissioner Childress seconded a motion to adopt the proclamation recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The commission approved the proclamation unanimously and agreed to sign the document and accommodate a courthouse exhibit for the month.

The commissioners did not prescribe additional county funding for the exhibit; Higgins said SafeHouse would provide the installation and pick it up at month’s end. The commission asked staff to arrange signing and a photo opportunity.