Community Buy-in for Your SART Team

By Amy Beckius Johnson and Katelyn Page

Sexual violence is often a difficult and uncomfortable topic for communities to discuss. Raising awareness and garnering support for Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs) in our small towns and rural areas requires a strategic, thoughtful approach. Rural communities face unique challenges: limited resources, lower levels of anonymity, and cultural factors that can affect willingness to engage in these types of conversations. For reasons unique to rural communities, survivors/victims are often reluctant and hesitant to disclose and seek any type of service. However, with the right steps, we can foster community buy-in and support for SARTs:

Engage Community Leaders: Rural communities often have strong connections with local leaders: faith leaders, school administrators, and business owners. Consider reaching out to speak at a local City Council meeting or contacting local officials. Offering a cup of coffee for an informal conversation can go a long way.

• Highlight Existing Networks
  Many rural areas already have established informal networks of care, such as families, service groups, PTAs, and church groups. These networks can be instrumental in spreading information and raise the visibility of this issue: ‘It does happen here.’. Think outside the box; local businesses like hair salons, nursing homes, and libraries can help distribute information, too.
• Foster Open Communication
  Transparency about SART’s goals, processes, and the care survivors will receive can reduce skepticism and distrust. There’s no such thing as over-communicating when you’re building relationships and trust. Share information widely; submit articles to the local paper, include a blurb in the church bulletin, or post flyers at community hubs like grocery stores.
• Normalize Conversations
  In some rural communities, it can be uncomfortable discussing sensitive topics like sexual assault which can be a barrier. Educational programs that make these conversations part of everyday dialogue can help normalize the issue. Tailor your presentations to your audience; schools, church groups, local governments, nursing homes, or even community events.
• Use Survivor-Centered Language
  SART messaging should focus on supporting survivors rather than emphasizing punishment of an offender. Remember, we never know who a survivor may be, so focusing on survivor-centered language ensures that you’re communicating effectively with everyone.
• Create Partnerships
  Building alliances with local organizations—healthcare providers, law enforcement, schools, and governments—helps demonstrate how a coordinated team reduces re-traumatization, improves survivor outcomes, and strengthens the community. Involve a variety of voices in the planning and ongoing support of SARTs, including law enforcement, social workers, healthcare professionals, and survivors themselves.
• Use Data and Success Stories
  Share examples from other rural areas where SARTs have been successfully implemented. Demonstrating tangible outcomes—like improved reporting and disclosure rates, better victim support, or improved mental health outcomes can inspire action in your community. If possible, gather local data to make the issue more relevant to your community, showcasing how the work impacts them directly. Highlighting the economic benefits of SARTs, such as reducing costs related to untreated trauma (emergency room visits, law enforcement involvement, etc.), may also resonate with budget-conscious community members.

As SART initiatives begin to take hold, be sure to celebrate milestones, no matter how small. Publicly acknowledging local champions or the successful handling of a case helps build momentum. Building a meaningful and lasting change is hard work, and everyone involved deserves recognition for their efforts.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss strategies for cultivating community buy-in further (or if you have ideas that have worked in your community), please contact us at [email protected].

This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-22-GK-04024-RURA awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.