About Us

 

King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) is the largest and most comprehensive sexual assault services organization in Washington State.  Its overall purpose is to alleviate, as much as possible, the trauma of sexual assault for victims and their families. Its mission is to give voice to victims, their families, and the community; create change in beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors about violence; and instill courage for people to speak out about sexual assault.  
 
KCSARC is a private, non-profit organization headquartered in Renton (located in King County, WA, just south of Seattle). It leads the way in program development and training for other sexual assault resource centers in Washington State and is recognized as a leader regionally and nationally because of its cutting –edge work. Since 1976, KCSARC has served over 150,000 members of our community.
 
KCSARC works with child, teen, and adult victims of sexual assault and their family members. All services are provided to clients free of cost and are available in English or Spanish. KCSARC also delivers an array of Sexual Assault Prevention workshops and programs, including groundbreaking work with communities coping with returning sex offenders and youth cybersafety.
The following values guide all of our intervention, advocacy, and prevention work:
• We focus on meeting the victims’ needs.
• We provide all services in a no-cost, confidential manner.
• We strive to maintain a balance between victim services and prevention education to the community.
• We recognize that sexual assault is a problem that impacts everyone, having roots in large social issues of sexism, racism and homophobia.
 

Key Milestones in KCSARC’s history include:

 
• 1976:  The agency first opened as King County Rape Relief in order to respond to adult victims of sexual assault.
 
• 1979:  Our staff authored He Told Me Not To Tell, the first ever published book about child sexual abuse. This book has since been printed in 10 languages in 8 countries. At last count, over a million copies have been distributed.
 
• 1984:  The 5-part PBS series, “Child Sexual Assault—What your Child Should Know,” featured KCSARC and was watched by over 6 million people. This series greatly increased awareness of child sexual abuse and demand for KCSARC’s He Told Me Not to Tell publication.
 
• 1985: KCSARC responded to the large number of refugees arriving in the U.S. by adapting and translating its educational materials into multiple languages.
 
• 1989:  KCSARC expanded its services to include children and youth impacted by sexual violence. Today, young people comprise over 50% of victims served.  
 
• 1992: KCSARC’s Education Department developed its Professional Development Series, which today continues to train service providers in recognizing and responding to sexual assault.
 
• 1995:  KCSARC played a leadership role in making Washington the first state in the country to develop standards for the provision of sexual assault legal advocacy and for training to its providers. Since then, KCSARC’s legal advocacy program, developed in collaboration with the King County Prosecutor’s Office, has served as a model for similar program throughout the United States.
 
• 1999:  When Seattle Rape Relief dissolved, KCSARC took over its resource lines and began providing Legal Advocacy and other services to Seattle residents.
 
• 2001:  KCSARC organized the King County Sexual Offender Management (SOM) Team and still coordinates its monthly meeting. This multidisciplinary team focuses on educating citizens and developing strategies to address the practical realities of sex offender issues and concerns.
 
• 2002:  Washington CEO magazine named KCSARC as the "Best Place to Work" in the non-profit category and received the "Business Excellence Award" from the Renton Chamber of Commerce. 
 
• 2002:  KCSARC initiated its Interfaith Symposium in collaboration with faith community members and the Department of Corrections. Continuing today, the Interfaith Symposium strives to support the efforts of faith communities to address sexual abuse and ensure safety for their congregations, especially for young people.
 
• 2007:  KCSARC organized its comprehensive services for Hispanic/Latino survivors of sexual assault under a program called Dando Voz (Giving Voice), which provides all services in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner to the growing Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latino community in South King County. 
 
• 2010: KCSARC launched two innovative new programs: a ground-breaking Cyber Safety Project to develop outreach strategies, curriculum and materials for youth at highest risk for Internet predation; and CourtWatch, a program which provides feedback on the judicial system in order to create positive change for victims of sexual assault.
 
KCSARC is governed by a Board of Directors who represent the business, legal and faith community. Click here for more information about KCSARC's Board.