Underserved Programs MECASA was awarded the Partners for Equality Award from EqualityMaine for our work creating accessible and appropriate services and supports for LGBTQ+ survivors of sexual violence in Maine. We couldn’t do this work without our engaged LGBTQ+ Advisory Board with participants from the Health Equity Alliance, EqualityMaine, Pine Tree Legal Services, Maine TransNet, University of Southern Maine, SAGE Maine, and sexual assault and domestic violence advocates. We expanded the scope of the Advisory Board’s work to include domestic violence. It is now co-chaired with the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence and includes domestic violence advocates. This collaboration seeks to access the expertise of our partners efficiently, while increasing collaboration between local services providers. MECASA and MCEDV will present a workshop at the National Center on Victims of Crime Conference about the Advisory Board and how this collaboration creates better support for LGBTQ+ survivors. “We get to do this work, because MECASA’s board understands that it’s necessary and right, and because funders believe it’s important. We know that it takes more than just opening the door to make services accessible to LGBTQ+ survivors of sexual violence.” -MECASA Partners for Equality Award Acceptance Speech Thanks to a grant from the Office on Violence Against Women, and additional support from DHHS, FY 2017 saw the launch of Maine’s rural programming: specific support, training, and technical assistance to new rural-focused advocates across the state. We created an online toolkit of ruralspecific resources, including webinars, articles, and tip sheets. MECASA also offered support to rural advocates with site visits, rural-specific tools, and newly developed peer support calls, which offer rural advocates throughout the state the opportunity to connect with other advocates via teleconference. Rural advocates talked about their successes and ways to address challenges. Peer support and connection helped break the isolation that advocates sometimes feel when doing sexual assault work in rural areas. There are currently eleven advocates who are part of the Rural Advocate Cohort, and we are excited to work with them to further develop programs to support survivors in rural areas. MECASA staff also continue to work as part of the Maine Council for Elder Abuse Prevention. During this last year, we specifically provided support around the 4th Annual Maine Elder Abuse Summit and developed the Council’s statewide World Elder Abuse Awareness Day campaign. We also supported efforts to expand tools and strategies to increase mandated reporting of elder abuse. 9
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