Supportive Services

We Provide:

  • A 24-hour crisis line.
  • Assistance to domestic violence victims in Spartanburg, Cherokee and Union Counties.
  • Assistance to sexual assault victims in Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties.
  • Up to 60 days+ of emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence and their dependent children including: food, clothing, transportation, limited day care, and tutoring.
  • Hospital accompaniment and advocacy for sexual assault victims during the medical/legal protocol.
  • Police and court accompaniment and advocacy.
  • Crisis counseling.
  • Individual and Family Psychotherapy.
  • Case management and follow-up.
  • Information on employment, housing, financial aid, budgeting, child support, legal, medical, and social problems.
  • Community support/psychotherapy groups for adults and children.
  • Access to Thrift Store for clothing and household goods.
  • Assistance in completing Order of Protection petitions.
    • Our Spartanburg County Office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm and located on the 3rd floor of the Spartanburg County Courthouse.
    • Our Cherokee County Office is Open Monday through Friday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm is located at 1612 North Limestone Street, Gaffney, SC.
    • Our Union County Office is Open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm and is located at Union County Carnegie Library – 300 E South Street, Union, SC.
  • Primary Prevention and community education about domestic violence and sexual assault.
  • Training for law enforcement, medical personnel, social services agencies, and other professionals.

24-Hour Hotline

Project R.E.S.T. provides a 24-hour hotline for domestic and sexual assault survivors seeking support, resources, hospital accompaniment, and/or shelter. The hotline can be reached locally by calling (864) 583-9803 or toll free for Cherokee & Union County residents @ (800) 273-5066.

Our 24-hour services are available to anyone who has been affected by domestic or sexual violence. We counsel those who need immediate assistance, are working to heal, friends or family of victims and survivors as well as anyone in the community who has questions about these issues.

Your safety is our priority, so all phone calls are completely confidential and our advocates are specially trained to offer support. You can reach our hotline 24/7/365 days and are free of charge.

Safety Plans Document

Shelter

Project R.E.S.T. provides temporary emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence and their dependent children for up to 60 days. At the end of their time, their stay can be extended by 30 days upon approval from the Director. We offer individualized services to each adult and child who seeks shelter from us, including legal advocacy, individual and group therapy, and a peer support group.

In order to qualify for placement, the person must:

  • Reside in Spartanburg, Cherokee or Union County
  • Have been physically abused or threatened with physical abuse with a past history of physical abuse by a spouse, a common law spouse, an ex-spouse, or a live-in partner.
  • Have lived with the abuser at some time
  • Must be in danger of further abuse
  • Must be homeless due to an abusive relationship
  • At least 18 years old or older

Additional guidelines:

  • A resident must be able to care for themselves and their dependent children.
  • A resident must be able to participate in individual and group activities.
  • A resident must be able to emotionally function in the shelter setting.
  • A resident must be willing to follow house rules and participate in shelter duties.
  • The victim must directly request shelter placement on her own.

Sexual Assault Hospital Accompaniment

Hospital staff will call a Project REST volunteer/advocate to meet any survivor who seeks medical treatment after a sexual assault at emergency rooms in Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties.

After a sexual assault, you may wish to seek medical attention to determine if you have suffered physical injuries and to collect any evidence left behind by the person who sexually assaulted you.

Survivors who present at the emergency room will typically receive the following services:

Read More

If it has been less than 96 hours since the sexual assault, a survivor can decide to get a forensic exam at any Emergency Room in Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties. The two purposes of a forensic exam is to (1) check for and treat injuries and (2) collect DNA-related evidence. Forensic exams vary based on the age of the victim, the length of time since the assault, and the type of assault. It is best to get a forensic exam done as soon as possible after an assault to ensure that the most evidence possible is present. A forensic exam typically includes:

  • An interview that asks for information about the assault and your medical history.
  • A medical examination to document and treat any injuries present. This may include a pelvic or anal exam depending on the assault.
  • Collection of evidence for a law enforcement investigation, commonly known as a rape kit.
  • Medications to prevent sexually transmitted infections and/or pregnancy as a result of the assault.

You can choose to report the incident to law enforcement while at the hospital, or (if you are 18 yrs. and older) you can opt for an anonymous exam. An anonymous exam is when evidence is collected but no report to law enforcement is made; it will then be stored for up to one year to give the survivor time to decide whether to report the assault to law enforcement.

The cost of the forensic exam is typically covered by The Attorney General’s Office of Crime Victim Compensation, regardless of whether the survivor chooses to report the assault to law enforcement or not. The Department of Crime Victims Compensation (DCVC) also offers a compensation program for other medical expenses related to the assault.

When a victim comes to the hospital for a forensic exam, a trained volunteer/advocate from Project R.E.S.T. is called by the hospital. The advocate can provide information and emotional support during the survivor’s time at the hospital and answer common questions about legal and medical processes. Advocates will also provide clothing to the victim if their clothes were taken for evidence collection and connect the survivor to follow up services and other resources.

Clinical Services

  • All Project R.E.S.T. Clinical services are FREE
  • Trauma-focused psychotherapy for survivors of domestic and sexual violence
  • Individual, family and group psychotherapy for adults and children
  • Variety of treatment interventions
  • Interpreter or signer available through LUNA
  • Teletherapy sessions via secure Doxy.me online platform at home or one of our offices

Project R.E.S.T. clinical services begin with an eight-week Orientation to Trauma Therapy support group. Topics include:

  • Dynamics of Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse/Assault
  • Symptoms of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Safety Planning
  • Empowerment
  • Skills for managing and decreasing the emotional distress of traumatic trigger 

Once clients have completed the orientation group, they may choose to pursue:

  • Brief Therapy (Maximum of 12 sessions)
  • Therapy Group (Unlimited)
  • Referral to one of our partner clinicians

What is Group Psychotherapy?

In group therapy, there are usually about 3-8 members who meet with a trained therapist to find support and learn skills to work through their trauma. Therapy group provides an opportunity to process trauma-related thoughts and feelings in a safe environment with other survivors who have gone through similar experiences and understand each other’s struggles. Group members are never asked to share graphic memories or details of their trauma – the focus is on healing symptoms of distress. Depending on the type of group, members may engage in creative expression through art or writing, do active physical body work to release stress, and/or learn skills for mindfulness/self-soothing/assertive communication/healthy relationships/self-esteem.

Clinical Services for Children and Adolescents include:

    • Trauma Assessments
    • Individual and Family Therapy
    • Activity-oriented, Trauma-focused Support Groups

We primarily see children on referral from DSS and/or the Child Advocacy Center (CAC). If a child has been directly abused, they must go through the CAC before we can do therapy with them. Minors aged 16-17 cannot be required to participate in therapy as they have the legal right to choose treatment or not, and they must sign their own consent if they want therapy. Please be advised that our clinical staff are mandated by law to report suspected child abuse.

If you are interested in clinical services for yourself or your minor child/ren, please contact our Clinical Director at 864-583-9803 or ask your advocate to make a referral.

Multilingual Access

Project R.E.S.T. will not turn away a victim of domestic violence or sexual assault because of language barriers.  We have various staff and volunteers who assist us to ensure that language and culturally appropriate services are provided in your native language.

En este video introducimos Project R.E.S.T. y nuestros servicios para víctimas de violencia doméstica y abuso sexual en los condados de Spartanburg, Cherokee, y Union. Para aprender en más detalle acerca de nuestros servicios vea los siguientes videos en esta lista de “Project R.E.S.T. en Español”.

Project R.E.S.T. en Español

Court Advocacy

Project R.E.S.T. assists victims of domestic violence in Spartanburg, Cherokee, and Union County. Our advocates can assist in filing Order of Protection petitions in Family Court, free of charge. They can also attend criminal and general sessions court with clients, and provide guidance and referrals for other services as needed.

Project R.E.S.T. also provides legal advocacy to sexual assault victims as well. Advocates can assist victims in filing restraining orders, as well as accompany victims to interviews with law enforcement, bond hearings, court hearings, and meetings with solicitors & attorneys. In certain cases, Project REST can help find legal representation for a sexual assault victim or provide a free legal consult with an attorney.

Please contact our main office to be referred to the correct county if you are needing assistance or for more information @ 864-583-9803. Office locations can be found below.

Who can file for an Order of Protection?

South Carolina law says that you can file for an Order of Protection if you have been a victim of abuse.   “Abuse,” under this law, means either:

  1. physical harm, 2. bodily injury, 3. assault or the threat of physical harm, or 4. a sexual criminal offense committed by a family or household member.

To file for an Order of Protection in family court, the person who caused the abuse has to be related to you in one of these ways:

  1. your spouse or former spouse,
  2. persons who have a child in common; adopted or biological
  3. a person with whom you live or used to live with.

If you don’t fit in one of these categories and have experienced some kind of abuse, you may need to file for a restraining order in magistrate’s court.

What can an Order of Protection give you?

The Order, if granted by the Judge, can give you the following relief on a temporary basis (6 months to 1 year):

  1. Restrain the abuser from abusing you, threatening to abuse you or bothering you in any way.
  2. Restrain the abuser from contacting you or communicating with you, coming to your home, work, school or other place that the judge writes in the order.
  3. Grant you custody of any children you have with the abuser.
  4. Grant visitation with the children: either giving reasonable visitation or denying visitation.
  5. Require the abuser to pay child support for any children you have together.
  6. Grant you possession of the home you live or lived in.
  7. Restrain the abuser or both of you from transferring or destroying any property that [3] might belong to the other person or that may be marital property.
  8. Allow you or the other person to get their personal property and restrict either or both people from destroying personal property. The order can also include that either person will have police assistance in getting their personal property.
  9. Grant you any other relief that you have asked for in your petition ‐ e.g. possession of a specific car, a pet, or any other specific requests you have that aren’t included in the list above.

This list includes things that are possible. The judge is in control of what relief is actually given. This means that you may or may not be given all the relief you’ve asked for.

When should you file your Petition?

The sooner you file your Petition, the better. You should file the Petition for Order of Protection as soon as possible after the abuse has happened; if you feel you need the protection. Some judges may tell you that if you wait to file for an Order of Protection, you are not in fear of the abuser or do not need the protection. The sooner you file your Petition after something has happened, the sooner you will have your hearing and may be issued an Order of Protection.

Please refer to South Carolina Legal Services Self-Help Order of Protection Forms for more information.