Sex, domestic violence crisis calls rising. Stand Up Placer answered 12,000 in year

Stand Up Placer, a nonprofit group that serves survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking, answered nearly 12,000 crisis calls over the past year, about 1,000 more than the previous year, according to the organization’s newly released 2025-26 annual data.

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The group answered 11,966 crisis line calls during the past year, a 9% increase from 10,967 calls the previous year. That amounted to nearly 1,000 additional calls for help.

Stand Up Placer officials said the organization’s Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team, which dispatches advocates to hospitals and crime scenes alongside law enforcement, responded to 856 callouts, up from 812 the year before.

Demand for emergency shelter also increased significantly, according to the data. Nights of shelter provided through housing programs rose 21%, to 29,458 from 24,267. Overall, survivors and their children spent 37,805 nights in safe housing, a 14% increase from the previous year, while the organization’s confidential Safe House operated at or above capacity.

The Auburn-based charity also reported providing 63,389 services to 38,721 clients over the past year. Advocates participated in 126 sexual assault forensic exams through the county’s Sexual Assault Response Team and coordinated 993 responses with law enforcement. Stand Up Placer also distributed $838,766 in direct emergency financial assistance to survivors, many of whom left abusive situations without personal belongings or financial resources.

Kelly Shea-Velasco, chief giving officer for Stand Up Placer, said the numbers were rising at a devastating rate.

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“Crisis doesn’t discriminate. It happens in the middle of the night, on holidays, and at every income level,” she said. “Every 44 minutes, that phone rings. Behind every call is a neighbor, a co-worker, a classmate, and in those moments, response is everything.”

Among the most notable figures in this year’s report were 157 domestic abuse forensic exams conducted through the organization’s strangulation examination program, which launched in the past two years. Research has found that victims of nonfatal strangulation face a substantially higher risk of being killed by an abusive partner later.

According to Stand Up Placer, when a forensic examiner confirms evidence of strangulation, the case is referred directly to the Placer County District Attorney’s Office, reducing the burden on survivors to initiate criminal charges themselves.

This story was originally published July 30, 2026 at 10:41 AM with the headline “Sex, domestic violence crisis calls rising. Stand Up Placer answered 12,000 in year.”

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