1. VICTIM SERVICE RESTRUCTURING IN IOWA

2.  Talk about the evolving climate of victim services in Iowa;  Provide a brief overview of the process and priorities for changing services in Iowa;  Discuss the impact of our service delivery changes; and  Share results of these changes in Iowa EXPECTATIONS FOR TODAY

3. Lots and lots and lots and lots of people lead and helped and challenged WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE THIS ALONE

4.  $8.5 million dollar budget facing an approximate $1.4 million cut to federal funding sources (VAWA & VOCA 2011)  Uncertainty with state funding levels  Inevitably, programs would hobble along and eventually close INEVITABLE CHANGE

5.  Seasoned elected Attorney General, Tom Miller  Former CVAD director, elected into legislature  FVPSA, VAWA (STOP and SASP) & VOCA all administered by CVAD  Strong sexual assault and domestic violence coalitions with seasoned directors  Healthy reserve fund at CVAD CLIMATE OF THE OFFICE

6.  99 counties  20 shelters  24 dual domestic abuse/sexual abuse programs  3 stand alone sexual abuse programs  3 stand alone domestic abuse programs  279 staff CLIMATE OF VICTIM SERVICES *THEN*

8.  40% decrease in shelter clients in urban areas  17% decrease in shelter clients utilizing rural shelters.  The shelter vacancy rate is 42%  It costs approximately $400,000 to run a shelter; the cost of vacancy is roughly $3.36 million dollars.  About 40% of the VSS Program resources maintain shelters, reaching 11% of the crime victims in IA STATEWIDE LANDSCAPE IN 2011

9. ...developed into questions about whether the current model delivers what victims need… WHAT STARTED OUT AS A QUESTION OF RESOURCE

10.  Effective, high quality services to all crime victims  Equitable distribution of funds and services across the state  Healthy, successful, and supported programs prepared to stretch, and rise to meet the evolving needs of victims  More victim advocates working directly with victims and providing advocacy services PRIORITIES

11.  Improved collaborative relationships with local service providers in existing and expanded service areas  Build on existing strengths of programs  Smooth transition with the least amount of service disruption to existing clients PRIORITIES

12. Janelle Melohn, 515-242-6109 janelle.melohn@iowa.gov Donna Phillips, 515-242-5121 donna.phillips@iowa.gov janelle.melohn@iowa.gov donna.phillips@iowa.gov PROCESS PRESENTATIONS

13.  Gathered data  Created a “plan”  Brought coalitions into the process  Informed DA and SA Directors and requested input  Responded to federal funders and other interested parties  Hosted community meetings and identified key stakeholders  Drafted, re-drafted, and finalized “the plan” PROCESS

14.  Bricks and mortar is expensive; yet housing is a primary and urgent need of victims  Services must be closer to victims; transportation and access are huge barriers to services  Sexual assault services must be prioritized  Culturally specific services are imperative  Services to survivors of homicide victims should be available statewide  Decisions will be driven by victims needs PRINCIPLES

16. Shelter-Based Services 1 Domestic Abuse Comprehensive Services 2 Sexual Abuse Comprehensive Services 3 Culturally Specific Services 4 THE “PLAN”

17.  Regionalize services  Housing First  New partnerships with different agencies  Victim gets what s/he needs through comprehensive services and case management  Emphasis on direct client assistance  Non-traditional service provision  Mobile advocacy THE “PLAN”

18.  99 counties  8 shelters  18 domestic abuse comprehensive and culturally specific programs for victims of domestic violence  17 sexual abuse comprehensive and culturally specific programs for victims of sexual abuse  360 staff CLIMATE OF VICTIM SERVICES *NOW*

19. SFY2013 VS SFY2014 VICTIMS SERVED

20. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

21. THEN  Shelter-bound services  Services at main office  Assessments completed at discharge  Limited client assistance for limited purposes NOW  Housing First model  Mobile advocacy-services in outreach offices or in community (not shelter)  Intake and lethality assessments at first contact  Client assistance to help with health, safety, stabilization and self- sufficiency DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SERVICES

22. CLIMATE OF VICTIM SERVICES TODAY

23. SFY2014 VICTIMS SHELTERED & SHELTER NIGHTS ShelterSafe HomesHotel MotelTotal Victims Sheltered 2,7291065013,336 Nights of Shelter 74,2421,8431,76077,845

24. DIVERSION SERVICES

25.  SFY2014  3,602 Housing assessments  732 Assistance with rent of utilities  1,075 Other financial assistance  2,937 Problem solving and advocacy DIVERSION SERVICES

26. SHELTER

27. THEN  20 shelters  Transitional housing  Rapid re-housing (minimal)  Assessment conducted some time in shelter NOW  8 shelters  4 community supported shelters  Transitional housing  Rapid re-housing  Hotel/motel  Safe homes  Apartments  Rent/mortgage/utility assistance  Assessments at first contact SHELTER

28. VACANCY RATES

29.  Housing First  Centralized intake form (VI-SPDAT tool)  No need to re-tell story  Tenant based rental assistance (TBRA)  1 year:  77 survivors  354 months of housing assistance  $500/month average per client FY15-SUCCESSES

30.  Victim with Disabilities  Enslaved by abusers, finally kicked out for seeking help  Program helped:  Recover belongings  Apartment close to grocery & other community services  Paid 2 months rent until disability kicked in  Arranged for mental health services be provided in home  Worked with landlord to provide laundry services FY15-SUCCESSES

31.  Victim and 2 children  Rehoused  Provided first months rent  Helped her move  Helped her develop a budget  Worked in two rural counties to secure multiple houses and apartments at 50% of fair market value for rent FY15-SUCCESSES

32.  Housing retention  30 days out – 93%  60 days out – 87%  90 days out – 85%  SFY2015  Average length of stay in shelter decreased by 3 days FY15-SUCCESSES

33.  “Housing Team”  ID-ing rural homes vacant for 12 months and targeting for rent  Team then facilitates conversation with homeowner to exchange upkeep and maintenance to property for fair market rent FY15-SUCCESSES

34.  Victim of domestic violence and childhood trauma  “Without the help of Safepath Survivor Resources, I would not be here today. [I] now have something to look forward to.”  Secured her an apartment after two years of being homeless and 30 days after finding the DAC program  Counseling, budgeting, employment, and help with state medical benefits were other services provided  Currently working a full time forty an hour week job FY15-SUCCESSES

35. DOMESTIC ABUSE COMPREHENSIVE

36.  Mom & 7 year old  Stayed with family first  Moved to safe home in rural area of the state  Employment assistance  Food cards until food stamp benefits started  Personal hygiene items  Worked with community college to get a scholarship to complete GED requirements  Worked with pharmacy to help get meds on a small installment plan  Now permanently housed and employed FY15-SUCCESSES

37. THEN  Come to shelter “mentality”  All services provided out of the shelter  Menu of services NOW  Assessment at first contact  Mobile advocacy  Designated satellite offices; strong outreach in each county of the service area  Customized service plan for each victims  Client assistance for health, safety, stability and self-sufficiency DOMESTIC ABUSE COMPREHENSIVE

38.  DHS co-located advocate focusing on offender services as well as child and family needs  “Fatherhood Initiative”  Educates offender on DV and its impact on his children and partner/spouse FY15-SUCCESSES

39.  Victim with disabilities  Diverted from shelter to emergency housing program  Unable to get copies of birth certificate because adoption records were sealed because of DV  Program:  Facilitated trips to home state  Lodging while in home state  Return to stable short-term housing and working on permanent housing FY15-SUCCESSES

40.  Client assistance  Tennis balls for the bottom of the walker  RX for sick child when insurance denied  Relocation  A client needed assistance with lawyer fees, which we couldn’t assist with, but instead we assisted with rent for a few months which allowed her to save up to pay her legal fees. FY15-SUCCESSES

41. SEXUAL ASSAULT

42. THEN  Advocates had dual DV/SA responsibilities  Crisis response to hospitals and law enforcement NOW  SA designated staff  Focus on youth  Creative ways to reach survivors  Shift in crisis lines/hotlines  Criminal justice is not the primary intervention point SEXUAL ASSAULT COMPREHENSIVE

43.  SFY2014 vs. SFY2015  24% increase in primary sexual assault victims served  16% increase in number of in person services hours  13% increase in services provided over the phone  98% increase in transportation trips for victims FY15-SUCCESSES

44.  Adolescent survivor raped at 13 years old  Grounding techniques to reduce anxiety around males of a certain age  Now able to order food at a restaurant on her own FY15-SUCCESSES

45.  Adult Survivor of Sexual Assault  Attended court with an advocate  Dissolved marriage  Continued No Contact Order denied  Participates in several support groups  Equine Therapy  Gardening  Faith-based group  Lawyer of shelter helped with landlord housing issue FY15-SUCCESSES

46.  Teen survivor  Assaulted by stepfather  Victim was seeking shelter  Found semi-permanent solution  Now in permanent housing FY15-SUCCESSES

47.  Campus Coordinator position located on campus & volunteer curriculum built into college course.  Partnership with the local Junior League of the Quad Cities whose advocacy platform is addressing SA on campuses  Screenings of The Hunting Ground and panel discussion with three of our local schools  Brooke Axtel coming to speak at our annual Rising Up luncheon and at one of the local universities. FY15-SUCCESSES

49. “Five years ago I thought we provided good sexual assault services. Looking back, we provided crisis services. We conducted very little outreach and even less community building.” FY15-SUCCESSES

50. “As an agency I believe we have moved beyond simply focusing on the crisis and stabilizing a situation, to focusing equal energy to healing. While crisis stabilization is essential, it all seems somewhat futile if individuals and families are not able to recover from the trauma of abuse.” FY15-SUCCESSES

51. SERVICES TO VICTIMS FROM MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES

52.  January 1-June 30, 2015  42% of clients who are immigrants were able to obtain work visas  Conducted targeted radio ads, resulting in a 20% increase in Latin@ clients accessing services in the following months FY15-SUCCESSES

53.  Victim who is three months pregnant  Identified the baby, language and citizenship as primary barriers  Connected to Culturally Specific Provider who:  Connected her to a hospital program for pre-natal treatment  Helped secure employment  Found permanent housing  Currently working toward citizenship FY15-SUCCESSES

54.  Staffing in rural IA  THEN: 1 bilingual advocate  NOW: 4 bilingual advocates FY15-SUCCESSES

55.  Amani (by and for the African American Community)  120 clients served  13 clients rent/utility assistance  66 clients provided assistance (food/gas cards) and transportation trips  3 clients assist with furniture after relocation FY15-SUCCESSES

56. COLLABORATION

57.  Rural Rec League  One presentation led to additional work at coaches clinics  Worked w/board members for weeks to create anti- bullying and gender equity policies  Implemented for entire regional rec league FY15-SUCCESSES

58.  Collaboration with the Park and Rec Board  Targeted homeless population at the RV park  Helped victims with utility and water hook-ups until housing found FY15-SUCCESSES

59.  County Public Health  Community Health Needs Assessment/Health Improvement Plan  Increase rural transportation options  Specifically around affordability and quality FY15-SUCCESSES

60.  Roll call with officers  Meet and greet  Brochure distribution  Training day arrangements FY15-SUCCESSES

61. VOLUNTEERS

62.  142% increase in number of volunteers  145% increase in hours volunteered (163,893 hours)  47,989 hours of these were working directly with victims  These hours are the full time equivalent of 23 additional advocates FY2014

63.  One program reported an increase of 3,936 volunteer hours in 2015  Another program reported 12,331 volunteer hours FY15-SUCCESSES

64.  Once a month a retired nail technician provide manicures and pedicures to client  Doula services provided at a greatly reduced fee, or pro bono  Volunteer will mow yards  Rural craft store offering supplies, space and conducts alternative healing support groups for survivors FY15-SUCCESSES

65. SURVIVORS OF HOMICIDE SERVICES

66. THEN  Services in 36 of 99 counties NOW  Statewide coverage  In three of four regions, 100% of survivors have been connected to these advocates  Increase in % of funds to survivors of homicide programs  Client assistance to support health, safety, stability and self-sufficiency of survivors SURVIVORS OF HOMICIDE SERVICES

68.  DV homicide victim is an adult Native American woman  Program made arrangements to have the victim’s body transported from the Medical Examiner’s Office in Mid- Iowa to the victim’s reservation in another state for funeral proceedings.  The staff member also transported burial clothing for the victim at the family’s request. FY15-SUCCESSES

69.  Individuals witnessed the murder of an individual in front of them 6 years ago when they were teenagers.  A triggering event caused them to seek out further counseling and support.  One of the teenage witnesses, who was a college student had a significant reaction  Assisted in taking a sabbatical from college classes, without losing their scholarship  Put in contact with a therapist and psychiatrist  Support was provided to their parents, as they became suicidal.  Victim has since stabilized and will be returning to college this fall. FY15-SUCCESSES

70.  Program staff responded to the hospital to support the family after a baby died  Staff assisted the family in securing shelter at the local Ronald McDonald house  Collaborated with the local Salvation Army so the grandmother could return to her home by bus  Collaborated with the local domestic violence advocate for the mother  Assisted the family in obtaining a bilingual priest to do the service. FY15-SUCCESSES

71.  The Survivors Program increased its community response, in light of recent homicides that have occurred in public venues with multiple witnesses (grocery store and another at a shopping mall).  Offered public meetings to give out information and referrals/resources on trauma  Collaborated with therapists in the area of the killings, in order for witnesses to forego the waiting lists and be able to receive immediate services. FY15-SUCCESSES

72.  Recent arrest in a 20 year old case  Previous involvement with the survivors was more than 8 years ago and the program was able to offer consistency and services SUCCESSES

73. “I recently told someone, working as an advocate for homicide cases, we don’t always get the “big wins”, we don’t get to spike the ball and declare victory; someone is still dead when they shouldn’t be, there are still families who are heartbroken, however, our opportunity to have a positive impact, to lessen their ongoing trauma, to assist them in moving forward, is present in hundreds of small ways. It is imperative that we are able to be present in those moments.” FY15-SUCCESSES

74. EVERYTHING IS NOT ROSY

75.  Staff on-call time  Collaborations take time to develop  Overcoming the politics of relationships with past programs  Staff transportation (wear and tear)  Increased scrutiny and oversight is taxing  Momentum, buy-in and patience  Increased administrative/fiscal work CHALLENGES

76.  Insufficient number of advocates  Generating a service demand that is difficult to meet  Distance supervision  Roles and responsibilities between administrators and coalitions  Advocate training and program technical assistance  Traditional sheltering got harder! CHALLENGES

77. Iowa Attorney General’s Office Iowa Department of Justice Crime Victim Assistance Division Janelle Melohn, 515-242-6109, janelle.melohn@iowa.gov Donna Phillips, 515-242-5121, donna.phillips@iowa.gov janelle.melohn@iowa.gov donna.phillips@iowa.gov QUESTIONS