Important Update: A Message from Our CEO, Lisa

In this update, I have some difficult news to share with you and I want to speak to you directly and honestly.

The last few months have been the most challenging and destabilising time at RSVP.

We’ve been hit by a deepening funding crisis, at the same time as more survivors than ever have reached out for our support.

Demand for RSVP services has risen sharply, costs have increased and we have had to make painful, difficult decisions to protect RSVP’s survival.

These decisions have affected survivors, our dedicated team and the survivor community.

The Decisions We Have Made So Far

• Closed two of our services: our long-running social wellbeing groups, established in 2008, and our Sex Worker ISVA Service, established in 2017.

• Reduced other services, including pausing new referrals into our Adult Counselling Service from April.

• Made changes to our Independent Sexual Violence Advocacy (ISVA) Services, as ISVA/Advocates have caseloads higher than they should be. This is impacted by survivors being forced to wait longer for justice, due to the years that they wait for a court date, meaning they need ISVA support for longer.

These decisions affect real people, survivors who have finally reached out, and our dedicated team who give everything they have to this work.

All while, every single day, we continue to see the power of RSVP’s specialist support.

🙍🏽♀️Why We Keep Going: A Survivor’s Words

This is our why and why RSVP exists.

This is why we are determined to recover and rebuild.

For survivors 💜

🚀Launching Soon…

In June, we will launch something important for survivors, so do look out for more information in our next newsletter.

Its focus will be to:

• Start to rebuild our core services, and ensure that RSVP continues to stand with child and adult survivors, from Birmingham and Solihull.

• Rebuild hope, strengthen the survivor community, and ensure survivors are not alone.

Stay Connected: Join Our New WhatsApp Channel ✅

We have now launched a new WhatsApp Channel where you can follow:

• Real stories of impact.
• Behind-the-scenes insights.
• Updates on survivors’ needs.
• Ways to get involved with RSVP 🫱🏽🫲🏻

It’s a simple way to stay close to the work you care about. Scan the QR code or click the button below.

Other Ways to Help 🤗

We know that our supporters like to support RSVP, in many different ways.

This is why we have created a variety of meaningful ways to support survivors using what you already have:

• Corporate connections: Can you introduce us to your workplace CSR team or suggest RSVP as a charity partner?

• 🥿👚📱Fundraise with what’s at home: Can you sell or donate items you no longer need? Look out soon for information on our new schemes where if you donate good quality second-hand bras and smart phones (and other tech) to RSVP, it could raise funds for us.

• Share our messages: Can you share and help us use our voice and survivors’ voices to help us reach new people, who may never have heard of RSVP.

• Champion our work: Can you talk about why specialist support matters, especially now? 🗣️

Every single action strengthens RSVP’s support, care and community around survivors.

Looking Ahead With Determination 🌟

This is a tough moment, for survivors, for our dedicated team, and for RSVP. However, we believe it can also be a moment of change, connection and hope. RSVP has always been built on people who show big-hearted, bold, belief in survivors. These values will carry us through this period of recovery.

Thank you for caring, for continuing to support survivors and for standing with us.

With gratitude,
Lisa Thompson
CEO, Rape and Sexual Violence Project.