Innovations in Domestic Violence Response: Creating New
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Transcript Innovations in Domestic Violence Response: Creating New
Innovations in Domestic Violence
Response: Creating New Options
for Survivors
Volunteers of America, Oregon
Home Free
Kris Billhardt
[email protected]
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
1
Caveats and Disclaimers
• Development of new response models does
not negate the need for programs that
provide immediate safety for DV survivors.
• This is not a prescription or a miracle
solution; simply our experience of change
and its benefits.
• Consider our program’s story as to whether or
how it may be applicable in your community
to add to options available to DV survivors.
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
2
Background: Home Free
History
•1926: VOA established the Mothers
and Children’s Home to serve
“abandoned” women and children
•DV became focal in the 70’s
•Family Center/
Transition House, 1989
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
3
Background: Home Free History II
1998 – Expanding Beyond Shelter
Outreach services and mobile advocacy
methods are added to residential service
elements
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
4
Discoveries…
• We were reaching a different sub-group of
survivors
• Motel vouchering served as a bridge to
shelter, or AS shelter
• Mobile advocacy removed many barriers to
survivors engaging in services
• Advocates’ mobility made an astounding
difference in how they could assist
• Flexible funds were instrumental in survivors’
successful outcomes
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
5
…and the ensuing musing
With 1FTE and $50,000, we’ve stabilized 35
families in safe housing...
The cost of 2 shelter nights for a family of four
is equivalent to a month’s rent for the same
family…
If we had more advocates not tied to the
shelter…
With most of the system’s funding going to
residential services, how many survivors and
children have no access to help?
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
6
Home Free’s Big Change:
October, 2003
•Closed Shelter
•Hotline reduced to 8AM to 6PM M-F
•Expanded motel vouchering
•Expanded housing-focused services
•Expanded outstationed services and mobile
advocacy
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
7
Steps to Change I
Program Assessment
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Fit with Mission: How are our current
services moving us toward our goal to
end DV?
Constituent Expertise: What are
survivors telling us about their needs?
Demographic Trends: Who are we not
seeing in our program, and what can
we change to increase access?
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
8
Steps to Change II
Piloting: Try New Ideas on a Small Scale
• Identify projects/funding
HUD Horizons
VOCA Project Grants
Foundation funds
AmeriCorps
• Cultivate key partnerships/agreements
• Develop necessary expertise, policies, and
practices
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
9
Steps to Change III
Assess Pilot Programs
• High utilization of piloted services obviated
need
• Services are cost efficient
• Services could be expanded with no new
money if resources were reallocated
• Positive impact on system: reduce service
duplication, & fill gaps in our system
• Services did indeed improve our community’s
response to underserved needs of survivors
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
10
Steps to Change IV
Clarifying Our Aims to Inform Our Redesign
• Reduce need for survivors to delay leaving abuse
because shelter beds are full
• Provide housing options for those excluded from
shelters or not served by prevailing model
• Increase availability of non-residentially-based support
and community-based advocacy
• Focus on post-crisis stabilization and economic
barriers implicated in decision to return to abuser
• Offer services that are actively interventionist, flexible,
survivor-driven, and get people farther
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
11
Steps to Change V
Environmental Scan: How Will Our Idea
for Bigger Change Affect the
Landscape?
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Community partners
Systems Plan/Vision
Underserved Populations
Underserved Needs
Funding Trends
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
12
Steps to Change VI
Floating Your Idea: Dialog, Dialog, Dialog!
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Staff (early and ongoing)
Agency Administration (early buy-in critical)
Community partners
Funders
Constituents
Volunteers and other supporters
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
13
Steps to Change VII
Locking In: What Should Be in Place
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Timeline (ramping down and ramping up)
Program site
Funding commitments
Partner agreements
Staffing patterns (re-assignment/hiring)
Job descriptions, training plan
Program design, Policies and procedures
Budget and cost center redesign
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
14
Home Free – Program Design
Emergency Services
Out-stationed Services
Children’s Services
Transitional and Housing
Services
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
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Challenges
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•
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Little in the way of a blueprint to follow
Community “gets” shelter
Remaining shelter programs wary
Some staff initially skeptical
Learning curve – many new skills
required
• Facilities and equipment needs very
different
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
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Successes
• Serving 4 times as many families with emergency
vouchers than we could house in our shelter
• 80-100 families achieve permanent housing
annually with expanded intensive housing services
• 3,000 survivors receive brief in-person services
• Expanded ability to provide outstationed advocacy
has increased access
• Substantial increase in underserved populations
• Enhanced participation in coordinated community
response
NAEH Annual
Conference 7/18/06
Volunteers Of America, Oregon
Home Free
17