Survivor Advocacy & Healing Support Services
Healing-Focused & Justice-Driven
At HIR Wellness Institute, our Survivor Advocacy Services provide compassionate, culturally grounded, and trauma-informed support for individuals impacted by sexual assault, domestic violence, trafficking, and other forms of interpersonal or community violence. Our advocacy team helps survivors navigate complex systems—legal, medical, and social—with dignity and empowerment at the center of care.
Advocacy & Outreach
We offer free and confidential services that include crisis intervention, safety planning, accompaniment to court or medical appointments, case management, and referrals to restorative and therapeutic supports.
Advocates collaborate closely with our counseling, occupational therapy, and art therapy teams to ensure holistic, cross-care coordination that addresses the mind, body, heart, and spirit. Every survivor’s journey is unique. Whether someone needs immediate crisis support, long-term healing services, or help rebuilding safety and stability, our advocates walk alongside them with compassion and respect. At HIR Wellness Institute, advocacy is not just about navigating systems—it’s about restoring power, rebuilding hope, and reconnecting survivors to community and culture as pathways to healing.
Culturally Specific Victim Advocacy
​The HIR Wellness Institute advocacy team provides culturally responsive direct relative care and crisis intervention in the field and in-office for Indigenous and underserved victims of crime.
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We support victims with immediate and urgent needs when leaving an abusive situation including relocation to an identified safe place, shelter, emergency relief, rescue, and respite. We work with survivors to ensure they know all options and accurate information regarding involvement with law enforcement, the criminal justice system, restraining orders, and work closely with the Wisconsin Safe at Home program. We provide hospital accompaniment for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) exam and Sexual Assault Forensic exams (SAFE). We support cross coordination of care with culturally specific advocacy agencies, tribal agencies and services across the state, shelters, and agencies that offer victim services. After urgent needs are addressed, advocates help survivors with application processes for food, health care/insurance, childcare, housing (applying for applications, filing paperwork, identifying resources), and other social service programs. They coordinate with HIRWI counselors to address potential mental health needs.
Our Lead Indigenous Sexual Assault & Tribal Trial Law Advocate is an enrolled Menominee tribal member. She provides culturally responsive and respectful practices when working with Indigenous victims of crime. She holds the primary and advanced certificate in Tribal Court Legal Advocacy, issued jointly by the National Tribal Trial College and the University of Wisconsin Law School. The HIR Wellness Institute advocacy team provides culturally responsive direct relative care and crisis intervention across the state of Wisconsin both in the field and in-office.
Advocacy Services
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Safety planning
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Crisis stabilization
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Accompaniment to court
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Accompaniment to a SANE interview (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner)
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Trained advocates with the SAFE at Home program
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Accompaniment to hospitals
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Restraining orders
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Parental supervised visits for VOC
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Victim Support through our CARES Warmline
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Support groups for sexual assault or domestic violence
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Mental health counseling for VOC
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Legal advocacy
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Help filling applications including restraining orders
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Help to find assistance and resources
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Victim services related to the crime
How to Contact Us
To speak with one of our advocates, HIR Wellness offers a CARES warm line at 414-748-2592 we are available Monday-Friday from 8 AM - 6:30 PM (CST) or email our Sexual Assault Advocate Lexy at LLunger@HIRwellness.org to learn more about our advocacy services.
* One of our advocates will call back within 24 hours of receiving a call.