About The Center

As Northern Santa Barbara County's primary resource for victims of sexual violence, victims of domestic and child abuse, crisis support, and resources and training - we are here when you need us.

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Providing critical services in Northern Santa Barbara County since 1974

About the Center

The purpose of the North County Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center is to reduce the incidence of and vulnerability to sexual assault, child abuse, and human trafficking by providing education and prevention skills to community children and adults and to alleviate the trauma experienced by survivors of these crimes by providing direct services.

The Center is a non-profit agency supported in part by the Office of Emergency Services, Santa Barbara County, the cities of Lompoc and Santa Maria, as well as community foundations and private donations in an effort to provide Education/ Prevention and Intervention Services to the communities in northern Santa Barbara County.

Our History

The Center got its start in 1974 as the answer to supporting those in crisis in the City of Lompoc. Over the years the agency has grown to encompass all of northern Santa Barbara County, providing critical services to those in need.

The North County Rape Crisis Center has grown to now have staff working in Lompoc and Santa Maria offices. Both offices provide crisis intervention to those in need as well as an extensive educational component. Programs offered by Center staff and volunteers include the ChildSAFE Program, a personal safety program offered to youth K-9th grade in north county schools, Word on the Street aimed at reducing the incidence of human trafficking among youth, self-defense, Good Touch/Bad Touch Puppet Shows for preschoolers, sexual harassment, Mandated Reporter, teen dating violence prevention, and much more.

If you would like more information on what the Center offers, please call the office at (805)736-8535 or (805)922-2994.

Our Services

On a daily basis the Center works to prevent sexual assault, child abuse and human trafficking by educating community children and adults regarding the realities and commonality of these crimes to raise their awareness while at the same time giving them tools and skills that will help them to stay safe should they find themselves in a dangerous situation. All outreach presentations and workshops are age-appropriate and created specifically to address current issues that children, adolescents and adults may face in their daily lives.

At the same time, the Center provides direct services to survivors of sexual assault and child abuse through its 24-hour support hotline, and accompaniment services when a sexual assault is reported to law enforcement. All advocates are certified by the State of California to provide accompaniment and support services and stay with the survivor through the law enforcement interview and forensic evidence collection.

Counseling and follow-up case management services are provided as well, to both the survivor and any significant others that wish to utilize our services. The goal through the intervention component of the Center is to provide each survivor with validation, support, and tools to help them heal, and we start by simply believing them.

One of the Center’s driving beliefs is the power of helping someone take back control of their lives and we start with the very first contact by introducing their options. Learning that they even have options is freeing; to learn that self-determination is their right is very liberating and strengthens the foundation for each survivor’s journey of healing. Worth noting is that all Center services are free of charge, and are provided in both English and Spanish.

“Nobody should ever have to suffer in silence. Nobody should even have to bear their trauma by themselves. People need to know they have a voice and that it’s OK to speak up.”

– Ann McCarty, Executive Director

Who We Are

Our Team & Leadership

Through its’ prevention and intervention efforts, the Center has a total of 13 full and part-time staff positions, which includes a Client Advocate position within the Lompoc Police Department (LPD). In addition, there are currently 20 volunteers who donate an average of 321 hours each month in assisting with the Center’s programs. As mentioned, all services are offered bilingual English/Spanish, and are available free of charge to all, though donations are of course accepted.

Meet the Board

Ann McCarty

Executive Director

In 1994, McCarty joined the staff of the North County Rape Crisis Center as hotline coordinator and gained more responsibilities through the years before taking the top job in 2015. After more than 25 years of advocacy, developing important relationships, and acting as a tireless voice for sexual assault survivors, Ann is now the Executive Director of the North County Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center.

Alison Wales

Associate Director

Karin Powers

Finance / HR Director

Maureen Attebury

Administrative Services Coordinator

Sabrina Ross

Counseling Services Advocate

Crystal Jimenez

Hotline Services Coordinator

Rachel Hurd

Counseling Services Advocate - Santa Maria

Kimberly Chandler

School Program Coordinator

Griselda Martinez

Bilingual Outreach Presenter

Laura Navarrete

Community Outreach Presenter, Lompoc

Meet the Board

Meet Our Staff

Frequently Asked Questions

What does my donation mean to the Center?

If requested, your donation can be made for a particular service that the Center provides or will go into the Center’s general fund if you do not. Some examples of what services cost for the Center are as follows:

$1,000 funds 40 hours of assistance for teens identified as Commercially Sexually Exploited Children and adult survivors of human trafficking
$750 funds 3 months of 24-hour hotline accessibility for survivors of sexual assault, child abuse and human trafficking
$500 funds 4 ChildSAFE three-day workshops for one school. The Center provides these workshops in all north county secondary schools.
$250 funds art supplies for four Survivor support group sessions
$100 provides workbooks to 15 youth in the Center’s Word on the Street human trafficking prevention program.
$50 funds four survivors with clothes to wear home after a SART/Rape Kit exam. The Center averages over four exams a month.
$25 provides food for volunteers during two training sessions.

The Center’s main cost is staffing; our staff members are our programs; we do not charge any fees for service, and so there is no program expense line item in our budget.

What kind of recognition will I receive?

Your name will appear in the Center’s annual Community Report; if you are a Foundation and award a grant to the Center, the Foundation’s name will appear on our website as well.

If I have additional questions regarding my donation, who do I contact?

Please feel free to reach out to the Center at office@ncrccpc.org. We check our email regularly and welcome questions regarding donations, services, and programs.

Is my donation tax-deductible?

Yes! The North County Rape Crisis and Child Protection Center is a registered 501(c)(3), and all donations are tax-deductible.

Can my donation remain anonymous?

Yes, the Center will only keep records of your name when we receive the donation and places a section in our annual Community Report for Anonymous donations.

Do we accept non-cash donations?

The Center is not prepared to accept household goods for those in need, but we are connected to a variety of organizations and can provide information on where you might donate items such as clothing, furniture, or other household goods. Since we do not operate a shelter, we cannot make use of or distribute such items, however, many of our community partners do, and we’d be happy to connect you to them.