Support Services Available

Are you needing to talk and would like someone to listen?

We are here for you.

The SASC’s Support and Advocacy Team is trained to provide confidential and non-judgmental emotional and/or short-term crisis support. SASC can support with the following and more:

• Sexual assault
• Sexual abuse in childhood
• Intimate partner violence or relationship violence
• Technology facilitated violence
• Stalking
• Sexual Harassment
• Safety planning
• Isolation
• Self-care and coping strategies
• Boundaries
• Sexual and physical health

If topics or situations come up that are beyond the scope of our services, we can explore and connect you with relevant resources in the community and/or on-campus (See our list of Community Resources for a few options).

A safety plan is an individualized and practical plan that includes information, resources and actions to help you keep as safe as possible and prepare you for different scenarios. At the SASC, we can help you develop a safety plan so that you may use it during your day-to-day activities, before you plan on leaving an unsafe living environment or relationship, when you’re in the process of leaving, or after leaving. It can be helpful to review this safety plan every once in a while and to update it accordingly with support persons and other trusted individuals in your life such as family members, friends, co-workers, etc. It is also important to know that regardless of whether you had a safety plan or followed it, sexual assault and abuse are never your fault. 

Navigating any one institutional system (medical, legal, academic, etc.), let alone multiple systems, can be stressful and overwhelming.

You don’t have to do it alone.

From applying for academic concessions, to filing a report with the UBC Investigations Office or the police, to requesting workplace accommodations, or even accessing health services, the SASC is here to offer advocacy and accompaniment services every step of the way. We can support you by attending appointments and meetings with you, writing support letters, advocating or relaying messages on your behalf, and more.

Since advocacy planning can look different from one person to the next, we would like to encourage you to connect with a Support Worker to discuss what options may be most relevant for your situation.

The Sexual Assault Service (SAS) is a medical/hospital service that offers care and services to anyone 13 years or older who has been sexually assaulted within the past 7 days.* The SAS is available at UBC Urgent Care Centre at Koerner Pavilion, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm and at Vancouver General Hospital’s (VGH) Emergency Department (24 hours), 920 West 10^th Avenue.

The SAS services include:

• The assessment and treatment of injuries and sexually transmitted infections
• Forensic sample collection
• Medical reports for police
• Referrals to health, legal, and community-based support services

*If you are 12 years old or under and have been sexually assaulted, please call 911 or go to BC Children’s Hospital.

Additional information you should know when accessing the SAS includes:

• All services are free and confidential
• No Care Card (MSP)** is required
• You can bring a friend, family member, or support person with you to the hospital:
  • UBC Urgent Care: If you would like someone from the SASC Support Team to accompany you to the SAS at the UBC Urgent Care Centre, please call (604) 827-5180. Our accompaniment services are for people of all genders who have experienced sexualized violence.
  • Vancouver General Hospital: Cis and trans women, Two-spirit, trans and/or non-binary survivors may also call (604) 255-6344 to arrange for a Salal (formerly WAVAW) worker to accompany them to VGH
• Interpreters are available for individuals who are deaf
• Language interpreters are available

**While not required, it can be helpful to bring your Care Card with you if you have it on you.

If you were assaulted more than 7 days ago:

• You can access medical care from your doctor or nurse practitioner, a local community health clinic, walk-in clinics, and youth clinics
• For ongoing counselling support, questions about the legal system and other resources, you can contact VictimLink at 1 (800) 563-0808
• At UBC, you can contact the SASC at (604) 827-5180 or SVPRO at (604) 822-1588 for emotional, informational, and advocacy support and referrals to various community resources
• In Vancouver, you can contact WAVAW at (604) 255-6344
• A SASC support worker can discuss clinic options and resources that may be closer for you

At the SASC, we believe it is important for us to not only understand the scope of our services but also to connect survivors with resources that can offer additional and/or specialized supports and information. Our Support and Advocacy Team can help develop a list of various community and on-campus resources for you, discuss these options, and refer you accordingly. You can check out a few of these resources here.

Have questions about certain resources or unsure about where to start? Feel free to reach out to a Support Worker to discuss what options may be most relevant for your situation.

In addition to one-on-one support services, the SASC runs support groups throughout the year. If you have any questions about the groups, would like more information, or are interested in participating, please give us a call at (604) 827-5180 or send us an email at sasc@ams.ubc.ca to complete the intake process.

Roots & Resilience: 

Roots & Resilience is a free art therapy support group for UBC students and community members of all genders who have experienced sexualized violence. This group is facilitated by SASC Support & Advocacy staff, practicum students, and/or registered clinical counsellors.

Read more about Roots and Resilience here.

Contacts

Jessie Margaret (Assistant Manager of Support and Advocacy): JessieMargaret@ams.ubc.ca

Ophelia Kehila (SASC Manager): OpheliaKehila@ams.ubc.ca

The SASC is a registered harm reduction site. We offer a variety of supplies and materials including safer sex supplies, menstrual hygiene products, pregnancy tests, fentanyl test strips and Naloxone kits. We have a sharps disposal container on site and we also offer Naloxone training and information on safe(r) substance use.

Harm reduction supplies and Naloxone training are available by dropping into the office and can be accessed anonymously.