Public safety is non-negotiable. We need to SAVE SAFE!

95% of all reported sexual assault crimes in Austin are reported through SAFE, at an average of two crimes per day in 2025.

The City of Austin’s decision to cut funding to the forensic exam program is an announcement to the City that sexual crimes are not an APD priority. Dumping the responsibility on local hospitals and an out-of-town nonprofit will result in an immediate drop in the reporting of domestic violence and sexual crimes.

City officials have been unable to explain to residents how they will be able to get a forensic exam through a hospital without being charged for hospital resources. We have not been shown a plan for ER wait times or for immigrants who experience heightened risk in institutions like hospitals. We have not been given guidance on how to report malpractice or medical coercion - frequent problems that the trauma-informed Eloise House was created to avoid.

After 10 years of reliable, dignified services at Eloise House, Austinites will not know where to go to get help after the most traumatic experience of their lives. An untested, out of town nonprofit is an inappropriate alternative that will not provide the quality of care and survivor advocacy that Austinites rely on when reporting crimes.

We’re calling on the City of Austin to pass emergency funding at the next council meeting to keep the forensic exam program running at Eloise House.

The SAFE shelter is set to close in October unless they get full funding.

The SAFE shelter houses 1,000 Austinites under threat of imminent homicide. With no other shelter beds available in the city, the SAFE shelter is the ONLY option for women and children experiencing domestic violence, trafficking, and the threat of violence.

Half of the shelter occupants are children. SAFE provides an on-site school where children and parents can live full-time on the property without risking kidnappings, violence, and murder that a large number of their residents face outside the shelter. SAFE’s shelter consistently has a long waitlist reflecting the critical need for these services. 

Programs run by SAFE are essential for the health and safety of our community. We expect full funding in the 2026-2027 budget for city-funded SAFE programs, including a 5% yearly funding increase to account for inflation (not counting extra funding needs resulting from increased use of programs in future years).