Sioux Falls crime victim nonprofit struggles with funding cuts in wake of consolidation costs
Police chief, Minnehaha County state's attorney say they value Solace's free services
As a new recruit to the Sioux Falls Police Department, a daunting task for current Chief Jon Thum was taking his first sexual assault report.
Thum met the victim at a local hospital in 2006. Before he arrived, the woman had already been speaking with an advocate from the Compass Center, a nonprofit created in 1975 to help victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The work that the advocate had done to support and prepare the victim eased the way for Thum to speak to her about the assault.
“She felt supported and prepared,” Thum said. “She had someone to walk through the process.”
Today, the Compass Center exists under a new name, Solace. But the free emergency services it provides to crime victims remains unchanged.
