The Region - News from July 17, 1985

The Compton Center of the Los Angeles YWCA has been awarded a $125,000 grant from the state Office of Criminal Justice Planning to open a sexual assault crisis center. The center’s activities will include free walk-in counseling, a 24-hot line and self-defense classes. The Compton YWCA was given the grant to deal with the growing number of reported rapes in the community, a state official said. In 1984, the city’s Police Department reported 179 sexual assaults, an increase of 42% over 1983. In the first six months of 1985, the number of reported rapes has risen about 26%, a YWCA representative said. The center, at 509 E. Compton Blvd., is expected to open by October.