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June 2006:· Resources Not Available to Help People Physically Move to Permanent Housing· Male victims of Domestic Violence Face Barriers to Connecting with Resources· Critical Resource
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Resources Not Available to Help People Physically Move to Permanent HousingHannah Newton, Crisis Clinic Certified Resource SpecialistWhen homeless individuals and families are ready to make the leap from a shelter or transitional housing to a residence of their own, there is little help with actual moving of household items. The Committee to End Homelessness (CEH) has recently finalized a 10-year plan to end homelessness, and Gretchen Bruce, program manager with CEH, said the issue comes up in focus groups with consumers. In the early years of the plan, Bruce said the committee must first concentrate on getting the additional housing built. Case managers who specialize in transitioning clients from homelessness to permanent housing often have to tell those clients that finding a truck to move their belongings is up to them, although some provide moving services to their clients only. Cynthia Shaw, program director at Rose of Lima House said her staff has historically done the moving, but it is a difficult task and not the most cost-effective use of the agency’s human resources. “Our several-year-old posting seeking volunteer “Movers & Shakers” on the United Way Web site has yielded absolutely nothing, and neither have our regular invitations in our newsletter and e-mail alerts,” she said. The only agency that has reported to Crisis Clinic’s Resource Center that it provides moving assistance to families is the church services network Eastside Love, Inc. Executive Director Chris Baker said she receives many more referrals than her agency can handle, and it is one of the most popular requests. However, many of the moves are not on the Eastside, and many are more complicated than the groups of church volunteers can accomplish. “I have a limited number of volunteers and I can’t work them too hard,” she said. She said the volunteers help out as many as four families a month, and about half of the families are moving out of shelters or transitional housing. The Church Council of Greater Seattle’s Sharehouse, which collects furniture to distribute to individuals transitioning out of homelessness, also does not provide moving assistance, although it maintains a list of people who will move furniture for a fee, such as $35 per trip in Seattle, said Richard Miller, a program assistant. The program helps about 25 individuals and families per week, and many people try to move the furniture in their own vehicles or borrow a vehicle from a friend or relative. He said staffing and money keeps them from providing moving assistance, especially with the rise in gas prices. “This would be the next stage, getting them some move-in help,” he said. “(Before Sharehouse started) they used to move into places that were completely empty.” • Male Victims of Domestic Violence Often Face Barriers to Connecting with ResourcesSelene Wu, Crisis Clinic VolunteerEvery year, hundreds of thousands of violent crimes are committed against women and men by an intimate partner1. Several barriers prevent victims from getting help or accessing services that would help them cope with the abusive relationship. Physicians and health professionals are a possible conduit through which victims of intimate partner violence can be identified and then referred to resources. However, numerous barriers prevent this. Several factors preventing victims from disclosing intimate partner violence to health professionals include fear (over losing control, retaliation, skepticism from authorities), not knowing how the violence will be viewed by another culture, dependence on the abuser, feeling responsible for the abuse and hope that the abuser will change2. Confidentiality concerns may also prevent some victims from disclosing3. Some barriers lie with the health care provider. Many clinicians do not have enough information about intimate partner violence and do not know what to do if the patient discloses abuse, thus preventing them from screening2. Most research on barriers has predominantly focused on female victims. While data indicates some barriers preventing abused women from disclosing intimate partner violence, very little research has been done on male victims of intimate partner violence. In 1999, 15% of violent crimes by intimate partners were committed against men1. Intimate partner violence against men is not as pervasive as that against women but it is still a significant problem. While all victims of domestic violence may face some kind of stigma, male victims may face additional stigma especially if the perpetrator is a female. For example, a survey showed that people were more accepting of women hitting men and were more likely to report tolerance of domestic violence if asked about women hitting men before being asked about men hitting women4. Also, male victims of intimate partner violence are frequently seen as perpetrators and the violence inflicted on them as caused by the woman defending herself5. While this may often be the case, it may further stigmatize male victims who are not perpetrators and prevent access to resources. Few resources are available for male victims of intimate partner violence. This lack of resources may serve as another barrier to male victims getting help. A few examples of agencies that do provide resources are Men Working Against Abuse and the Seattle Counseling Service for Sexual Minorities; see Table 1. Men Working Against Abuse provides services for male victims of domestic violence including information, referral, development of a safety plan, advocacy, and individual/group support ($10-$30 sliding scale/session). The Seattle Counseling Service offers individual counseling (on a sliding scale), referrals and a support group for gay and bisexual male victims of domestic violence. Regardless of gender, it is important to realize the barriers preventing victims of intimate partner violence from getting help. It is important to be sensitive to what they may have had to overcome before asking for help.•
1: U.S. Department of Justice (2001). Intimate partner violence and age of victim, 1993-99. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Special Report. Office of Justice Programs. 2: Griffin, M.P., & Koss, M.P. (2002). Clinical screening and intervention in cases of partner violence. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 7(1), 3. 3: Rodriguez, M.A., Sheldon, W.R., Bauer, H.M., & Perez-Stable, E.J. (2001). The factors associated with disclosure of intimate partner abuse to clinicians. Journal of Family Practice, 50(4), 338-344. 4: Simon, T.R., Anderson, M., Thompson, M.P., Crosby, A.E., Shelley, G., & Sacks, J.J. (2001). Attitudinal acceptance of intimate partner violence among US adults. Violence and Victims, 16(2), 115-126. 5: Muelleman, R.L., & Burgess, P. (1998). Male victims of domestic violence and their history of perpetrating violence. Academics in Emergency Medicine, 5(9), 866-870.
Table 1: Resources for Male Victims of Domestic Violence
Critical Resource UpdatesCompiled by Crisis Clinic’s Resource CenterIt is always recommended to check Community Resources Online for additional information and for the most current information updates of the following resources. Seattle University School of Law’s Access to Justice Institute has opened up a new legal clinic at the Starbucks Headquarters in the Sodo District. Educational presentation topics are offered by expert attorneys for two consecutive weeks. The first week, clients hear the presentation and may be interviewed to meet individually with an attorney the following week. Call or visit the Web site for dates of specific topics. 4:30-6:30pm, 2nd and 3rd Monday of each month. Boys and Girls Clubs of King County – Federal Way has opened an after-school drop-in center for teens called EX3 Ron Sandwith Teen Center. Activities at the center include an open gym, sports, art classes, a computer lab, and tutoring and homework help by certified professionals and local teachers. Serves as a site of the YouthForce job training program. Children’s Home Society of Washington, Auburn Family Resource Center has newly opened a drop-in child care for parents conducting business at the Seattle Municipal Court or King County Superior Court at the courthouse. Agency continues to have drop-in child care for parents conducting business at the Regional Justice Center in Kent. Downtown Emergency Service Center has opened an employment center, Connections, for homeless individuals whose economic conditions are their primary barrier to homelessness. Services include information and referral, housing advocacy and assistance, vocational training and computer training. Outreaches veterans. El Centro de la Raza has started a new program called Next Generation, which provides information on parenting skills and healthy early childhood development through home visits to teenage parents. Program targets minority and homeless teen parent families. Family Services – Resident Choices has moved to their building at 1100 Virginia St, the same building that houses Baby Boutique and the Transitional Assistance program. Resident Choices is no longer at the Northgate branch but still is at the Lake City branch. Phone numbers remain the same. The Adult Day Health Program, which the Shoreline Senior Center operated at the Shoreline Ronald United Methodist Church, has closed. Street Outreach Services now offers the Changes and Empowerment Program, the only state-mandated HIV & STD prevention classes for individuals convicted of prostitutions charges. These classes are required of women and men convicted of either prostitution or patronizing sex workers. Classes are intended to make clients aware of the health dangers of the sex work industry, to reduce risk, and to help sex workers escape the industry. Street Outreach Services has also started the Youth and Young Adult Employment Program, which employs youth, ages 16 through 25, to work at a beverage cart in Capitol Hill’s Cal Anderson Park. Participants work one-on-one with volunteers to learn customer service skills. White Center Food Bank has moved to 10829 8th Ave SW, Seattle. It also has expanded its hours to an extra evening during the month and an extra hour each day. (11am-1pm, M W F; 6-8pm, 2nd and 4th W of the month.• June and July Selected ResourcesCompiled by Crisis Clinic’s Resource CenterThis column highlights available timely resources in the community information database that might otherwise go unnoticed by our users. It is always recommended to check Community Resources Online for additional information and for the most current information concerning the following resources. June Resource HighlightsCity
of Seattle – Human Services Department – Early Learning and Family Support
Division Seattle
Youth Symphony Orchestras Washington
Homeschool Organization Verbena
July Resource Highlights Ethnic
Heritage Council Hopelink
– Northshore On
a Lark, Inc. Washington
Trails Association |
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