BRAVE Bay Area, the Alameda County-based rape crisis center and hotline formerly known as Bay Area Women Against Rape, will permanently close at the end of September, citing funding cuts and staffing constraints.
Have you ever used BRAVE Bay Area’s services or volunteered with the organization? Email us at [email protected], and we may reach out to you for an upcoming story. — Headquartered in Oakland with a service center in San Leandro, the organization was the first rape crisis center in the U.S. It served as a national model for supporting sexual assault survivors, offering a 24-hour bilingual crisis hotline, counseling, training programs and advocacy services across Alameda County and beyond.
In a May 5 statement, Executive Director Leah Kimble-Price and Board Chair Karen Schoonmaker said BRAVE Bay Area began experiencing financial constraints in 2015, which worsened over the past decade…