Resources During COVID-19 - Path to Care (2024)

PATH to Care Center (PTC): Confidential, free, campus-based resource for urgent support around sexual assault, sexual harassment, interpersonal violence, stalking, and invasion of sexual privacy. Most advocacy is taking place remotely but accompaniments to medical care, court, and law enforcement are still available. PTC serves employees and students.

• Care Line: (510) 643-2005 for 24/7 urgent support
• Main Line: (510) 642-1988 for appointment and questions

Social Services (SOS): offers counseling, crisis intervention and support, referrals, and clinical case management for students. Limited phone appointments are available during reduced business hours (10am-4pm). SOS serves students.

• (510) 642-6074 for appointments and questions
• (855) 817-5667 after-hours support line

Employee Assistance: For employees, free, confidential support from a licensed mental health professional. Appointments, including phone and video options are available, and can be scheduled:

• employeeassistance@berkeley.edu
• 510-643-7754

Bay Area Women Against Rape (BAWAR): Confidential and free sexual-assault advocacy and counseling support for survivors of sexual violence. Per hotline staff, accompaniments and services will be provided remotely. The 24/7 Hotline is currently running and should be the primary point of contact. Services available for survivors of all genders.

• (510) 845-7273 or (510) 345-1056 for the 24/7 hotline

Family Violence Law Center Crisis Line (FVLC): FVLC is scheduling intakes and appointments remotely as needed for legal advocacy and support for people impacted by sexual violence or sexual harassment. The 24/7 hotline is currently running and should be the primary point of contact.

• 1-800-947-8301 for the 24/7 hotline
• Alameda County Courts continue to accept Domestic Violence Prevention Act restraining order filings and ex parte (emergency) family law requests.

Office for the Prevention of Harassment and Discrimination (OPHD): Respond to reports, conduct interviews, and resolve complaints through web and video-conferencing, and phone appointments. OPHD will maintain normal business hours, Monday - Friday from 9am-5pm.

• Contact OPHD, email ask_ophd@berkeley.edu or call (510) 643-7985.

UC Berkeley Police Department (UCPD): If there is an emergency please contact UCPD at 510-642-3333 or 911. For those residing in the City of Berkeley, please call Berkeley Police Department at 510-981-5900 or 911.

Local Resources

To search for a local agency in California, you can visit:

• Rape Crisis Centers
• Domestic Violence Agency

National Resources

The following national resources can also help you find a local agency. Notably, these national hotlines offer chat-based services, which may be beneficial for those struggling to find privacy during shelter-in-place orders.

The National Sexual Assault Hotline

• 1-800-656-4673 is available 24/7, confidential, free,
  
• Available through chat online (The National Sexual Assault Hotline) as well

The National Domestic Violence Hotline

• 1-800-799-7233 is available 24/7, confidential, free,
• Available through chat online (The National Domestic Violence Hotline)

Other National Resources

• End Rape on Campus and It’s On Us are hosting Survivor Check-in Calls and Zoom University #ASelfCareSurvivorsSeries
• Futures without Violence Information on COVID-19 for Survivor, Communities, and DV/SA Programs
• Crisis Text Line offers secure, confidential text message with a live, trained crisis counselor

• International agencies for sexual assault and harassment (University of Minnesota resource) (There are links that are out of date, but provides useful info)
• Rape Crisis Network Europe (Has additional international resources)
• International Rape Crisis Hotlines (Provides links to international organizations or lists)

Please note: We are actively reviewing and updating our resource lists to ensure it is holistic and current. If you have connected with any survivor support resources internationally, we welcome any additional insight or feedback regarding those resources. You can share this information with a PATH to Care advocate via email at pathtocare@berkeley.edu or by calling our main line at 510-642-1988.

Building An Individual Safety and Support Plan:

Safety and support plans can be used to identify helpful resources, people, and tools that can be accessed during or after an experience of harm. Social distancing and quarantine restrictions can create additional safety concerns for survivors. If there are trusted friends and family you are able to get in contact with, consider reaching out to these people or a confidential advocate at the PATH to Care Center (see below for contact information) to create a safety plan. Consider the following when creating your safety and support plan:

• Request and offer support through online tools (e.g. video/phone calls, messaging, etc.)
• Identify safer rooms or spaces within your location
• Develop a plan with family or friends to alert them when harm/abuse is escalating
• Discuss and identify alternative shelter locations and options with appropriate personnel

The goal of primary prevention of sexual and domestic violence during shelter-in-place orders is to promote healthy relationship behaviors and reduce abusive incidents. Prevention is important for everyone to practice, whether in a quarantine site or while social distancing; the burden of this is not on the survivor. Share these strategies with your community!

Affirming Healthy Norms

Reinforcing positive values and behaviors can be done virtually or in-person, especially when the person causing harm is present, by:

• Practicing respect and kindness
• Modeling affirmative consent
• Defining and expressing personal boundaries
• Supporting others by valuing and upholding their personal boundaries
• Recognizing and naming problematic language or harmful behaviors

Reduce Social Isolation

Quarantine and social distancing does not have to lead to social isolation. Reducing social isolation and creating a community of support is extremely important to prevent harm and support survivors. Get creative!

Create your “quaranTEAM” of people who are in the same quarantine site or a virtual “quaranTEAM” with friends or family using the technology that is available.

This can include:

• Regular phone or video calls and check-ins with family and friends, if possible
• Engaging in virtual or in-person discussions and activities
• Signing up for live online yoga or other classes/workshops together

Bystander Intervention

Active bystanders utilize tools and techniques to safely intervene in potentially harmful or violent situations, even during social distancing. People can be active bystanders on social media, video calls, text chats, as well as in person. It may actually be easier for people to intervene virtually. Please consider that bystanders may miss harmful behavior that is more subtle or done in private, so it is important for friends, peers, and colleagues to check in with survivors to identify additional opportunities for intervention.

Video Meeting Pro-Social Behaviors

If you are participating in or organizing video meetings, setting pro-social, healthy group agreements is an important tool for preventing microaggressions, harassment, bullying, or other negative behaviors. Create your agreements as a group, in order to build buy-in. Some agreements you could start with are:

• Agreeing to be on video where possible, to increase feelings of social connection and shared responsibility
• One speaker, one microphone: not talking over others (this one is harder when there’s a delay in the feed, but agreeing to try is important!)
• Speaking from the “I” when disagreeing rather than using “you” (“I am unclear about how…” vs. “You weren’t clear about..”)
• When doing group introductions, inviting people to share their pronouns
• Respecting our colleagues/fellow students by focusing on the meeting at hand rather than checking email or phones.

• Futures Without Violence - Information during Covid 19
• National Sexual Violence Resource Center - Response resources
• Mutual Aid for Covid 19
• 7 Ways Survivors can Practice Self-Care during a Tragedy
• Basic Needs Center