Heritage University-Survey of Family Violence-Christy Runyon

 Domestic Violence Services of Benton & Franklin Counties (DVS) is focused on providing the best advocacy and support services for domestic violence victims in our community  24-hour crises line: or (800)  archive.com/FMZZH3vSSXBdpe3TTCWc PpivxUDp65iC?w=3 archive.com/FMZZH3vSSXBdpe3TTCWc PpivxUDp65iC?w=3

 I interviewed Shannon, she is a shelter advocate who works at the DVS shelter. Shannon provides support, help, resources and links to the community for the women and children who contact DVS. Shannon is passionate about the work that she does and the families that are hurt by domestic violence

 DVS provides many services to Benton and Franklin County. I asked Shannon to give a brief run down on the services that she thinks are the most critical.  24 hour crisis line  Outreach workers  Funding for rental/eviction prevention  Parenting obstacles

 Most clients stay at the shelter days  Men also access resources thru the shelter. DVS offers men hotel vouchers in crisis domestic violence situations.

 The crisis line is open 24-hours a day  During the day the line is answered by the shelter staff  Night time the calls are answered on a rotation by staff  The kind of calls are often victims looking for referrals

 Provide legal services (protection order help)  Assist with finding resources  Community education  Jail Support group-Shannon facilitates this service, taking information to women in jail about domestic violence and DVS services.

 “No Day is Typical!!”  Check messages  Read daily log  Check on clients needs: food, clothing, hygiene products, cleaning supplies..etc.  CASE MANAGEMENT: letting the clients define goals, define a plan to reach goals, give referrals to other agencies

 Assess the initial case  Assess parenting, financial, housing needs  Define obstacles  Then Shannon says that she makes sure they have something to eat and assures them to get rest

 Getting clients to open up  Clients will get the most help when they are honest. Shannon explained that the most difficult cases are those women who are not able to be honest about the abuse.  Finding out the needs of clients is one of the most helpful bridge builders between the women and breaking the cycle of abuse  Helping clients identify what they will do for the day

Food shopping-Done once a year Heat treat all clothing and bedding Monitor conflicts between clients Children support groups

 Helping and being able to give back what was given to her  Giving hope  Working with people  Shannon says her best experiences working with clients are those that come in so honest about the situation, and want to do anything to change.

 People unable to overcome obstacles. I asked her why she thought they could not overcome those obstacles, she answered again that it has to do with the self honesty  Seeing people leave and come back  Seeing what happens to the children, especially when it happens over and over

 Shannon would want to change how other services in the community help out clients  Shannon would like to help change perceptions about domestic violence in the community

 Shannon believes that the underlying cause of domestic violence is the need for power and control  Shannon thinks the aggravating factors are:  Mental health  Substance abuse  Criminal history

 Helping the community to be aware of DVS services  Compassion and empathy are key to helping clients overcome abuse patterns  Meeting clients needs helps them to break away from domestic violence  Teaching clients about healthy relationships

 Shannon has a rewarding job helping families to gain new skills of being healthy and whole if they are able to take advantage of the resources and services. Each day is different for Shannon and her job is about client empowerment, meeting clients where they are, and exercising warmth, empathy and genuineness as ways to reach out to the clients she serves.