Promoting Awareness

Domestic Violence Solutions

By Leah Etling on Oct 5, 2018 in Giving

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Santa Barbara County’s Domestic Violence Solutions (DVS) has planned weekly events to bring this societal epidemic out of the shadows and into the light.

 

Candlelight vigils to bring attention to the prevalence of domestic violence across America are set for Lompoc (Oct. 11), Santa Maria (Oct. 18) and Santa Barbara (Oct. 25).

Since its start in 1977, DVS has aimed to educate the public while creating a pathway of hope for those who experience domestic abuse firsthand. It is Santa Barbara County’s only full-service domestic violence agency, committed to ending the cycle of domestic violence through prevention and intervention services.

With support from state and federal funds, grants and corporate and private donations, DVS provides the county’s only 24-hour shelter service, as well as the county’s only transitional housing program for domestic violence survivors.

To fully illustrate its impact and the need for such services in Santa Barbara County, in 2017 DVS:

• Answered almost 5,000 calls to its 24-hour crisis and information lines
• Provided 4,687 safe nights to victims of domestic violence
• Responded to over 472 calls from law enforcement and emergency rooms at the victims’ location
• Participated in 244 educational and outreach events throughout the community
• Sheltered as many children as adult victims of domestic violence

The Yardi Foundation is a longtime support of DVS’ work to help domestic violence survivors and their families get back on their feet, and educate the community at large about how to stop the pervasive cycle of violence.

“We’re very grateful for the support we’ve gotten from Yardi. They’re a wonderful Santa Barbara company and we truly appreciate their contributions,” said DVS executive director Jan Campbell, the former chief philanthropic officer of the Santa Barbara Foundation.

Campbell, who took on the head role at DVS in March of this year, says that while she had always supported the organization’s work as a member of the community, the devastating impacts of domestic violence that she has observed while leading the non-profit have floored her.

“What has really hit home to me is the effect that domestic violence has on children. When I started here, I did not realize that half the people who come into our shelters as a result of domestic violence are children. As a parent myself, it’s heartbreaking. Their reactions range from everything from complete emotional shutdown to violent behavior, and it’s especially terrible for infants, who are perhaps the most adversely affected. Their brains are still developing, and they simply do not know how to process the situation,” said Campbell,

Since taking on the executive director role, she has worked to make improvements to DVS’ administrative and residential facilities, upgrade and improve its IT and phone systems and client tracking database, and foster staff development.

Campbell and her staff of 22 are also making progress on the effort to ultimately eradicate domestic violence from the community. Preventative education for teens is a priority, and a $45,000 fundraising campaign focused on domestic violence awareness among teens is currently underway.

For those struggling with domestic violence today, DVS programming includes emergency shelter housing, which often operates at full capacity in both the South and North Counties.

Clients can remain in a DVS shelter for 45 days. If further support is needed, they can move into a transitional housing program. For up to 18 months, clients receive assistance with job searches, parenting skills, managing finances, and clinical support. Children receive specialized counseling, play therapy, and after school care. To protect victims’ privacy, all services are confidential and recipients’ identities are protected throughout the process.

To offer your support for prevention and intervention services through Domestic Violence Solutions, visit www.dvsolutions.org.