By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Options workers have often said they are the best-kept secret in town.

But perhaps not anymore.

After the organization, which assists survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, began a public awareness campaign last year, calls to the Options hotline more than doubled.

Jennifer Hecker, Options: Domestic and Sexual Violence Services executive director, said she did not believe the occurrences of sexual assault and domestic violence have dramatically increased, but more people are aware of the nonprofit’s services.

“We wanted to pull the curtain back,” Hecker said. “We didn’t know if people would respond, but we wanted to let them know there was an environment of safety. There are more people in the shadows. We want to reinvigorate hope. We want them to know there is hope out there and know there is hope out there for me.”

Related: Read about how a woman escaped her abuser and fled to Kansas

During the same time the hotline calls increased by 267 percent, the number of survivors served at the Options shelter increased by 36 percent — and is projected to grow 58 percent this year.

Overall demand for services was up 159 percent in 2016, and Options is on pace to see 50 percent growth in 2017.

Options provides personal, medical, court, law enforcement, youth/child and parent/child advocacy, as well as crisis intervention, a safe shelter, counseling, support groups, community education and a 24-hour Helpline.

Many of Options services are designed to walk survivors through the medical and legal steps necessary to report an assault or to leave an abuser. Counseling helps survivors rebuild lives after leaving an abusive situation or recovering from an assault.

Kelsey Hogan, shelter services coordinator, said all Options services are free and all contacts are confidential. Advocacy workers are there to support survivors and will not push to report the crime if the survivor does not wish to.

The organization also can offer limited financial help for people who are trying to leave an abusive home. Some survivors have not been allowed to handle their own money and leave abusive situations with nothing.

There is no time limit on receiving help. Some survivors seek help long after the abuse or assault is over. Hogan said it can sometimes be years before survivors are ready to come forward. Options works with men, women and children and people from all walks of life, including those from the LGBT community.

Options has a male advocate for those who feel more comfortable talking to men, offers materials in Spanish and Braille, and works the Kansas Language Line to provide interpreters.

The nonprofit offers classes for domestic violence survivors on pattern changing. Hogan said survivors often find themselves going from one destructive relationship to another, and support groups and counseling can help them break the cycle.

Options serves 18 counties, including Ellis, Russell, Trego, Gove, Logan, Wallace, Osborne, Rooks, Graham, Sheridan, Thomas, Sherman, Smith, Phillips, Norton, Decatur, Rawlins and Cheyenne counties.

About a third of the survivors served by the organization are from Ellis County.

The staff at Options anticipated the education campaign would increase demand and wrote grants to increase personnel and resources to handle the influx.

Still the organization shelter, which can house 15, has been at capacity for the last two years and is in need of expansion.

Despite Options’ education and advocacy work, Hogan said stigma is still attached to domestic violence and sexual assault and can be a barrier to survivors reporting the crimes.

In Options’ 18-county service area, 91 assault victims were served last year. Seventeen cases were reported to law enforcement, and nine arrests were made.

In Ellis County, 39 survivors received services, eight incidents were reported to law enforcement and five arrests were made.

Options will conduct a workshop from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the United Way of Ellis County conference room to inform employees and human resources coordinators about how they can assist employees who might be experiencing domestic violence.

Domestic violence costs employers millions in added health care costs each year, affects productivity and increases absenteeism.

For more information about the workshop, call Options at 785-625-4202. Options’ 24-hour hotline is 1-800-794-4624. No appointment is needed to seek Options’ services. The Hays office is located at 2716 Plaza Ave.