Julia Holtemeyer (MPP) is the Resource & Training Specialist for SPARC (the Stalking, Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center), an AEquitas initiative. In her role, she provides training and technical assistance, develops original resources, and collaborates with partners to enhance the ability of multidisciplinary professionals to recognize and respond to stalking. Julia’s work in gender-based violence began more than 15 years ago as a college student, when she worked at a rape crisis center and as a peer health educator. Since then, she has worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Tanzania, in gender integration in global health with USAID, and to improve how multidisciplinary professionals identify and respond to domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
SPARC (Stalking Prevention, Awareness, & Resource Center) is a federally funded project providing education and resources about the crime of stalking. SPARC aims to enhance the response to stalking by educating the professionals tasked with keeping stalking victims safe and holding offenders accountable. To stay up-to-date on SPARC’s resources and offerings, follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter) @FollowUsLegally and/or subscribe to our quarterly newsletter. SPARC does not provide direct services to victims. We recommend that stalking victims work with a local victim advocate, and the Victim Connect hotline can help connect victims with one. Local victim advocates can help plan for safety, discuss legal options, and connect victims with additional services. Victim Connect can be contacted at https://victimconnect.org/ for online messaging and information, and by phone at 1-855-484-2846. Local domestic violence and sexual assault support services/organizations often work with stalking victims/survivors, even when those victimizations are not part of the stalking. Unfortunately, there are no hotlines and few support service organizations that specifically work with victims/survivors of stalking.
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If you are in an emergency, call or text 9-1-1.
For information about our services and how Hope House can help, call our 24-Hour Hotline at 816-461-HOPE (4673) or the National Domestic Violence Hotline 800-799-7233.
