Domestic Violence

Domestic Violence Project Paula Hollis Kaplan University

CM 22 Section 52 Nick Pincumbe October 4, 2012

Here in Bay County, we have a population of 169,856 people. Last year, 2011, there were a total of 1,074 cases of domestic violence. During my research, I have found that we have a Salvation Army office with a “program” for cases of domestic violence. Even though this program is good, it is not enough to keep up with the crime in our area. I believe we need to improve our approach to domestic violence by creating a shelter offering counseling sessions, giving legal advice, and help with financial aid. With the shelter working with the law, and vice versa, we can help these victims get the help they need. This shelter should not only be for just women alone. It should be for men, children, teens, as well as women. Different people learn and deal in many different ways. Counseling is a major part for recovering victims of domestic violence. But, not all counseling can be the same for each person. There needs to be counseling specified for the men; maybe another man who has been in a similar situation. But, having a male counselor for a woman at this time probably isn’t the best idea. Considering at this point in time, a woman may not trust men at all. So, a woman for the women victims would be ideal. For the teens, I would maybe suggest a younger woman/man, again, depends on the sex. And as for the children, I think as long as they know how to speak on the child’s level; it wouldn’t matter, male or female. Children are special, they are like sponges; they soak up what they see, or what they hear. If they hear abuse, or see abuse, that’s exactly what they are going to know. They need games, and activities incorporated into that counseling, to get down onto their level. Teaching all of these victims to be independent, self-sufficient, and giving them multiple options on how to deal with their situation is very crucial to the recovering process. Giving legal advice can get a little tricky in these types of shelters. Initially, this legal help will be pro bono for these victims as they probably can’t afford an attorney/lawyer. This can be done in different ways. One, the attorney will be paid by the government, who of which funds most of the shelters. Or, this could be a voluntary service. Now, I’m not saying they have to represent each and every victim they give advice to. But, I do however think that these victims need to know what they can do legally. Where can they go from here, do they need representation, are they qualified for financial help from the government? These are all factors that can be given by legal personnel. Then, at that point, if they need to be represented, they could work out a plan, or they can be lead to a public defender. Either way, that’s an option that they can have.

Financial help from the government may also be discussed during these sessions. Some types of government help should be what is provided in the facility itself; food, general hygiene products, clothing, and bedding should all be included. I think that these victims staying in this shelter should have access to personal transportation to doctor’s visits, court houses, school, and other important places. Victims need help with relocation, if desired, or options for staying where they are, this could be a service offered by the government. Getting help finding a job, in this economy it’s hard, but just to have help filling out a resume or application would do wonders for some one. There should be help for filling out forms for food stamps, Medicaid, or other types of financial aid. Some people do not know this is available for them, they just need a push in the right direction. Working with the law, and the law working with the shelters is an important factor when having a successful running shelter. There are certain problems that may arise by having a domestic violence shelter. I think that the law enforcement and the shelters need to work together in keeping these victims safe. “Around our nation, there are approximately 4,000 deaths each year caused by domestic violence. Of those, 75% is due from the victim leaving the relationship, or after the relationship has ended.” (Ganley, Ph.D. for the Family Violence Prevention Fund) To me, that’s saying that the law isn’t doing a good enough job keeping these victims safe. Most shelters go off of government assistance, which they pay off of how many clients they serve. That being said, most shelters take anyone and everyone that calls for assistance. This good deed may in fact, cause a problem. On one hand, you need to take everyone for the chance of it being a true dangerous situation. But on the other hand, the criteria isn’t hard to meet in order to stay in a domestic violence shelter, so there’s a lot of people that slip in, that do not really need the special attention received from this type of shelter. There have been many instances where the caller on the other line has been the actual abuser, who can sneak their way into the shelter. You never know who is in real dire need, or if someone is just taking advantage of the system. The law needs to make the help that is available known to the victims. From personal experience, the law enforcement does not always give you the option for help. They should do this on each and every call they go on in a domestic violence situation. If these victims know where they can find help, they will be more likely to go after that help, instead of feeling like they have nowhere to turn. This in turn, will help out the statistics for domestic violence cases to go down. I believe that having a domestic violence shelter in our community will help out our area greatly. This shelter will do wonders if it had counseling specialized for each sex, age, or race. Having legal advice being given, and help with government assistance. All of these things go hand in hand when it comes to these victims’ recovery.

References Anonymous, 2012, Inside Story Domestic Violence Shelters www.mensrights.com Ganley, Ph.D. for the Family Violence Prevention Fund, www.domesticabuseshelter.org www.baycoclerk.com www.fdle.state.fl.us

Formal Letter, Newspaper articles

Our community as a whole needs to realize the importance of having options for those in need suffering from domestic violence; whether that be women, men, teens, or children. The nearest shelter specialized in domestic violence is two hours away. Where does that leave those in trouble to go for help? In 2011, there were a total of 1,625 cases of domestic violence reported in our county alone (www.fdle.state.fl.us). But yet, nowhere for these people to go. Sure we have a program through the Salvation Army; a program of which apparently it 's hard to get a hold of someone by phone. Now, this program may help in some minor cases such as stalking. What is it going to do for major cases, like the 1,419 of those cases involved with assault? Please join me in the next political meeting in our community, Wednesday, Sept. 5th at 9:00am in the Bay High School auditorium to further discuss the importance of having a domestic violence shelter closer to our home. Let 's try to get more government funding for something that is really important & that would help tremendously in turning some lives around.

Informal Letter, Flyer on community boards
Listen up y 'all!!!
The next political community meeting is next Wednesday morning, Sept. 5th, at 9:00am at the Bay High School auditorium on Harrison Ave. I believe that if we can get enough people to talk about the importance of having a domestic violence shelter in our county, we may be able to make this happen!!! Anyone can come down: If you have a story or experience to tell, come on down & share it! If you know someone who 's had a problem with this in the past, come on down & share it! If you just plain think it 's a good idea, come on down & share that too! There have been 1,625 cases of domestic violence in the past year just in our county, & we have nowhere for these victims to go. Please join us in the fight to get these people the help they deserve!

Reflection Piece: I learned quite a bit this term in this writing class. I care for the victims of domestic violence, & situations that happen every day. I never knew really how I could help, or what I could do. Since I was never offered help, I had no idea what was around my area for these people. Working on this “big idea” project helped me realize that I would love to work & or volunteer in a domestic violence shelter. I would love to be able to go home from my job & say that I helped someone, or is helping someone. As a writer, I have learned that honestly, I still need to work on my grammar & my writing skills. English has always been my worst subject in school. And sometimes I just don’t understand the “why” of having to do so many steps. But I’m learning that those extra steps really do help you when you come to the “end result”. I also enjoyed hearing other class mate’s responses & opinions. Everyone had some really great “big ideas”, some ideas I’ve never even thought of that would make a big positive impact on our country. It was interesting to see everyone’s walk of life & hear what some of their experiences was. It helped me come more to realize that we are not “alone” in anything that we deal with. Sometimes we feel like we are the only one alive that goes through some of the things that we go through, but we aren’t. Other people are going through some of the same things, if not worse. And you never know what you might say or do that will change someone’s life forever.

References: Anonymous, 2012, Inside Story Domestic Violence Shelters www.mensrights.com Ganley, Ph.D