Beginning Fall 2024, PATH to Care Center (PTC) is pausing or adjusting selected services due to budget limitations
PTC’s relationships with campus partners and community members continues to be a high priority
See FAQs below for details about specific service impacts
Memo
Dear PATH to Care partners, allies, and supporters,
Beginning Fall 2024, the PATH to Care Center (PTC) will be pausing or adjusting many services due to the difficult decision to reduce our team related to ongoing budgetary constraints. Having to let contracts expire for such dedicated and passionate individuals—who have been integral to our mission and the well-being of our campus community—has been a difficult and somber moment for all of us at PTC. With reduced staffing and limited capacity across PTC, we will prioritize our focus on providing our core services such as confidential advocacy for survivors and mandated prevention efforts. We ask for your understanding as we navigate these shifts.
Since our inception in 2014, we have grown and worked to meet the campus community’s needs with limited resources. However, we can no longer do so without additional long-term sustainable funding. Earlier this year, the University committed to providing additional permanent funding, a big step towards financial sustainability. However, additional long-term funding is needed to continue to operate at a high standard to meet the campus’ growing needs.
We expect delays in wait times for confidential support services, reduced capacity to fulfill requests for presentations, training, and consultations, and limitations on primary prevention programs. We acknowledge the immediate and ongoing impact this will have on survivors in need of holistic confidential support services. For specific details on these service impacts, please see the FAQs section below.
Despite significant challenges, we remain dedicated to supporting survivors and fostering a campus free from sexual violence and harassment. Our core services will continue to be our focus, and we are working to enhance triage processes and expand partnerships with local agencies to support survivors effectively.
We believe the UC Berkeley community continues to be deeply supportive of our work. We appreciate and are energized by the support and care of the community.
Thank you for your continued support.
Center Updates FAQs
What can survivors expect when calling the 24/7 Care line?
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Trained behavioral health professionals staffing our 24/7 answering service will answer calls. Our confidential 24/7 Care line will provide campus and local information, support, assessment, and options to all callers.
A PTC advocate will be available to provide consultation, and timely intervention and support as well as respond to safety needs.
Survivors who access the Careline will be able to indicate a preference for follow up care during business hours directly from a PTC advocate who can schedule 1:1 advocacy appointments.
What can survivors expect when calling our office line?
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Our goal is for survivors to connect with a member of our team when reaching out to our office. Due to the reduction of staff, survivors may experience a delay in response and will have an option to leave a voice message if you feel comfortable doing so. If there is a need for urgent support, we highly encourage survivors to call our 24/7 Care line, which will still be operating.
Survivors seeking services will still be able to book an appointment with an advocate to discuss resources and support. Booking times may vary; due to limited staff and capacity, survivors may experience longer wait times than usual. During Summer 2024, appointments are typically accommodated within 1 week. Wait times for appointments in Fall 2024 will depend on the volume of requests and will be evaluated and adjusted at that time.
What changes can survivors expect to healing services?
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PATH to Care Center has partnered with Freedom Community Clinic to provide restorative offerings to the UC Berkeley community for Academic Year 2024-2025. We will continue to offer restorative offerings throughout the semester, but our undergraduate support groups, sound healing, rest sessions and trauma informed yoga offerings will be paused until our center can sustainably support this.
What prevention programs and services will be offered?
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PTC will have limited capacity to provide primary prevention programs; we will be prioritizing mandatory trainings. We will still take a limited number of consultations, however, our capacity to provide tailored and longer-term support will be impacted.
We will be focusing on the following programs in a limited capacity: undergraduate peer educators and Graduate Ambassador Program [GAP].
We will be providing only written materials without consultations for the following programs: Field Safety and Prevention Guide, #weCARE campaign, and Breaking the Cycle (student parent workbook for preventing SVSH).
Primary prevention programs that will be paused include the TRAIL Certificate, Social Norms Seed Grant Initiative, Academic Department Toolkit, Manager’s Playbook, undergraduate peer coordinators, Undergraduate Prevention Toolkit, Coaching Athletes as Leaders (CAaL), Train-the Trainer Program for new graduate student education, and tailored workshops by request.
What about the peer educator and peer coordinator programs?
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The peer educator program will continue at a reduced capacity. Unfortunately, we are pausing our peer coordinator program AY 2024-2025 in order to prioritize mandatory trainings.
What about the MSW internship program?
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PTC is committed to fair compensation and payment for placement and will not be offering any MSW internship placements without pay. Consequently, our MSW program is paused for AY 2024-2025.
PTC and SVSH Education training module
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For those who have a history of trauma, PTC is still able to offer alternatives to complete SVSH required training for all undergrads, grads, and employees. Please contact us via email at pathtocare@berkeley.edu.
PTC is NOT able to support any technical difficulties, including accessing the online modules and training records. For support around the training, please contact learningcenter@berkeley.edu if you are a staff/faculty member, gradlife@berkeley.edu if you are a graduate student, or sts-help@berkeley.edu if you are an undergraduate student.
How can I support PTC during this time?
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Continue to refer & utilize our services
Consider donating - every gift helps support survivors and the prevention of future harm to individuals and communities
Join any PTC Student Advisory Board-led actions
Connect with UC survivors and allies on social media etc.
Share the Center Updates Page with UCB community members who we may not have reached