Amberly's Place Offers Round-the-Clock Support for Sexual Assault Survivors in Yuma

For more than 3,000 Yuma County residents who have survived sexual assault, Amberly's Place has been a constant presence. This April, the nonprofit reminded the broader community that those same services are available around the clock to anyone who needs them.

Amberly's Place highlighted the reach of its work as Sexual Assault Awareness Month brought renewed national attention to the issue. The nonprofit's services include a 24-hour crisis helpline, on-call crisis intervention, legal advocacy and accompaniment, and emergency assistance for survivors at any point in their experience. Nationally, someone is sexually assaulted every 68 seconds, a figure that underscores the daily demand on organizations like Amberly's Place to remain staffed, funded, and reachable.

Executive Director Tori Bourguignon stressed that no survivor in Yuma has to navigate the aftermath alone. "We sincerely hope that knowing there's a safe place to turn to and an advocate is waiting to assist 24/7 to meet those victims and survivors right where they are," Bourguignon said.

That commitment carries particular weight in Yuma County's border-region setting, where geographic and access barriers can make reaching services harder for some survivors. Legal advocacy and court accompaniment, offered directly by Amberly's Place staff, are especially critical when survivors must interact with law enforcement or move through the justice system without institutional support.

Staff member Kayla Irr-Mendez described the personal meaning she draws from her role at the organization. "It makes me feel blessed to be in a position where I can help our community in a much stronger way," Irr-Mendez said. "I do not know what these victims go through but what I can do is be a strong arm behind them and help those victims."

Sexual Assault Awareness Month also functions as a checkpoint on civic readiness. Whether Amberly's Place can continue meeting demand depends on sustained funding, volunteer recruitment, and coordinated responses from courts, law enforcement, and social services throughout the county. The nonprofit's decades-long presence in Yuma reflects the community's recognition of that need; sustaining it requires that recognition to translate into ongoing support.

Yuma County residents seeking immediate help can contact Amberly's Place through its 24-hour crisis helpline. The organization also accepts volunteers and donations to sustain its services.