On St. Patrick's Day weekend 2007, a then 26-year-old woman said she was asleep in her bed at home in Machesney Park when she was sexually assaulted by a man who came into her bedroom.
The advocate showed up at the hospital after she was attacked and helped get her through the sexual assault examination, police interviews and evidence collection at her home. In the years that followed, Plascencia received legal and emotional counseling and an advocate who remained by her side.Plascencia, a mother of two young boys, still receives support today when needed from the agency where she now works as deputy director.
The agency, which offers its services for free, is one of 30 rape crisis centers in Illinois governed by ICASA. NWCASA survives mainly on federal grant dollars from the federal Victims of Crime Act funneled through ICASA, Estrada said. Funding to help sexual assault survivors is in great need, Estrada said. Many are either unaware of that fact, or do not want to fund it because of the stigma surrounding sexual assault.
Estrada said not only is she concerned for the survivors, but for her team that works closely with them and could suffer"vicarious trauma." Estrada added, people of color and those who identify with the LGBTQ community are"disproportionately" affected by sexual violence at higher rates. But there are only two working in the courthouse, making NWCASA a crucial resource for sexual assault survivors, she said.