Esta publicación fue escrita originalmente en español. Lea la versión en español aquí.

These last few months have been full of different emotions. Changes have been inevitable in our community. For many of us in Monterey County, March was the month this quarantine began. From one day to the next, stores, restaurants, schools and workplaces went through great changes. These places closed their doors to start a "virtual" world.

The changes and transitions have not been easy; having to change our lives and routines from one day to the next was not something we were prepared for. For some, this brought with it different emotions, such as anger, fear, worry and uncertainty among others. These last few months have been a whirlwind of emotions. Beyond the changes that this quarantine brought, there are people in our community who are going through extremely difficult situations and need our support.

We are here to remind you that you are not alone right now. The Monterey County Sexual Abuse Crisis Center is here to provide that much-needed emotional support right now. Due to quarantine restrictions, our offices are not open, but we are still here. Our services are available to you or your loved ones and our helplines remain available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Although we cannot be in person, we continue to support and assist virtually to the best of our ability.

If you or a loved one are survivors of sexual abuse and are interested in therapy, need to make a report to the police, have an interview or forensic exam pending, or simply have questions about our services, we are here to support you. Our mission is to advocate, provide emotional support and relief to survivors of sexual abuse, human trafficking, and child abuse. Our services are available in English and Spanish and are completely confidential. The most important thing is to remind you that you are not alone during these moments, that although we are going through a pandemic and quarantine, we are still available to continue supporting our community in the best way we can.