New City Council funding, secured through the District Attorney’s Office, is offering temporary relief to Philadelphia’s only rape crisis center.<\/p>\n
WOAR<\/a>, formerly Women Organized Against Rape, announced sweeping layoffs on Oct. 6<\/a>, cutting about three-quarters of its staff.<\/p>\n “Many of our offices are pretty bare right now,” said Laquisha Anthony, senior manager of advocacy at WOAR.<\/p>\n These empty offices once housed therapists serving survivors of sexual violence at WOAR, the city’s only rape crisis center. Now, the center itself is in crisis.<\/p>\n “Last week, we unfortunately had to lay off a substantial number of our dedicated and vital staff,” said Anthony.<\/p>\n Laquisha Anthony said 72% of WOAR’s funding comes from the state, money they haven’t received this year, with the budget now over 100 days overdue.<\/p>\n The center can still staff its 24-hour hotline and offer some crisis counseling, but it has had to halt critical ongoing therapy services.<\/p>\n One room used to host counseling for children who survived sexual assault.<\/p>\n “Children who have started this process of counseling, and now it will be disrupted,” said Anthony.<\/p>\n But now there’s some hope.<\/p>\n “They will be receiving $90,000,” said Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner.<\/p>\n