STESA Open House Celebration
**Events may have been canceled or postponed. Please contact the venue to confirm the event.
Date & Time
Fri, Oct 09 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Address (map)
610 Anacapa St. Suite A
Venue (website)
Standing Together to End Sexual Assault
In June of this year, STESA announced on their Instagram, the office has moved to 610 Anacapa St. Suite A, right on ‘nonprofit row’. The STESA counseling and drop-in services have been held at this new location since then. The STESA team will celebrate the opening of this new space in an Open House event with the community.
This move marks STESA’s fourth home since its inception in 1974. The Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center (SBRCC) was created by three Santa Barbara women, Muff Bizwell, Nora Hochman, and Barbara Lindemann, as a crisis hotline in response to community needs related to sexual assault. SBRCC started at a time when many rape crisis centers were starting around California. This operation started in Muff’s garage with a long cord and a phone, and SBRCC began responding to survivors calling. Over the years, SBRCC moved from the garage to various locations to establish and expand services beyond crisis intervention and hotline services
In 2018, SBRCC became STESA, a change in response to community feedback to represent the scope of services offered by the organization that includes prevention, intervention, and community change-making to eradicate sexual violence. STESA has been at the previous location, on E. Canon Perdido, for 20 years, and at the location before that for the 10 years prior.
STESA is excited to share with the Santa Barbara community their new home at 610 Anacapa St., Suite A. The STESA office is in a refurbished space in the old Antioch building to suit the needs of STESA clientele, with storage spaces for community educational materials and counseling rooms with enhanced privacy. Presently, STESA’s services have expanded, with the STESA space to hold counseling sessions, support groups, events, and provide educational services. STESA’s new office space also houses educational materials and serves as a location where hotline advocates are trained.
STESA invites the community to join them in an Open House celebration on Friday, October 9 from 3-6pm. A short program will start around 5pm. Appetizers, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. STESA looks forward to celebrating this exciting milestone with their friends, supporters, and the community!
