Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative Enhancing Sexual Assault Services eNewsletter Summer 2013 In This Issue Meed the project sites in Nebraska and North Carolina Pages 2-3 Meet the project sites in Arizona and New York Pages 4-5 Meet the project sites in Washington and Michigan Pages 6-8 The importance of documenting this work Page 9 THE PROJECT What is SADI? The Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative (SADI) is the first large-scale project in the United States to address the challenges dual domestic violence and sexual assault/multi-service programs face in reaching sexual assault survivors by dedicating resources, support, and replicable tools tailored specifically to the needs of those programs. The SADI will develop a range of innovative outreach tools, service models, and agency structures to discover best practices and needed action in reaching more sexual assault survivors with comprehensive quality care. “Sexual assault is a complex crime that affects every sector of our society,” remarked Susan B. Carbon, former Director of the Office on Violence Against Women in her press release announcing the Initiative. “Coordinated victim services, including emotional and medical support along with a well-defined criminal justice response are vital to helping victims and their families heal. This demonstration initiative will provide support for the development of best practices that will significantly impact OVW’s future work and the work of our partners.” For more, check out this video on YouTube http://tinyurl.com/cx9ht75 More about SADI The Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative (SADI) is the first large-scale project to address the challenges dual/multi-service programs face in reaching sexual assault survivors by dedicating resources, support, and replicable tools tailored specifically to the needs of those programs. National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) 123 North Enola Drive, Enola, PA 17025 Toll free: 877-739-3895 Fax: 717-909-0714 TTY: 717-909-0715 Email: resources@nsvrc.org www.nsvrc.org www.facebook.com/nsvrc www.twitter.com/nsvrc Resource Sharing Project (RSP) 3030 Merle Hay Rd. Des Moines, IA 50310 Phone: 515-244-7424 Email: rsp@iowacasa.org www.resourcesharingproject.org This publication is supported by Grant No. 2009-TA-AX-K011 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. © National Sexual Violence Resource Center 2013. All rights reserved. MEET THE PROJECT SITES: Nebraska The DOVES Program The DOVES Program believes strongly that all victims deserve the opportunity to find their power. Survivors are supported in making their own choices about how we serve them. We can provide one on one information and education, through our shelters we can provide a safe place to take a deep breath and reassess their options, through our 24-hour hotline, we can give them an opportunity to be heard. Our transitional housing program offers long-term financial and emotional support to give participants the opportunity to see for themselves they can succeed, they can overcome, they can find that inner strength they thought was lost and realize it was inside them all along. Our desire to participate in the SADI was fueled by the victims in our Panhandle who were being told by friends and family members that sexual assault “isn’t a big deal. It happens to everyone.” How devastating would that response be to a victim who reached out for support only to be told that it isn’t even something that warrants concern? We also struggled with the needs of sexual assault survivors, so different from the domestic violence victims we serve every day. The most important thing we’ve learned so far is that listening is a critical service. We have a tendency to believe that only tangible things can help--food, transportation, shelter—when the truth is sexual assault survivors want to talk and they want someone willing to listen and validate their experiences. They want, in short, to be the authors of their own recovery. What we’ve relearned is that sexual assault survivors are looking for their power and our role is to stand with them as they find it. We are excited and honored to be a part of an initiative that will inform the way dual programs serve sexual assault victims in the future and we look forward to a time when no one’s power is stolen from them again. For more information, visit www.dovesprogram.com MEET THE PROJECT SITES: North Carolina Family Violence & Rape Crisis Services Family Violence & Rape Crisis Services (FVRC) has a 30-year history of providing services to victims of domestic and sexual violence in Chatham County, a rural area in central North Carolina. Originally founded as a rape crisis hotline, the demand for domestic violence services rapidly overtook the focus of the agency. FVRC services include 24-hour hotline, shelter, crisis counseling, court advocacy, civil legal representation, support groups, short- and long-term individual counseling, children’s services, displaced homemaker services, batterer intervention services and primary prevention programs for domestic violence and sexual assault. All of our victim services are available in English and Spanish. Chatham County is a large rural county in central North Carolina. Located on the edge of two major metropolitan areas (Triangle and Triad), Chatham has maintained much of its rural nature. Less than 20% of the county’s population resides in our three small towns, with the remainder dispersed throughout the county in suburban and rural communities. The county’s diverse population includes a large Latino community. Socioeconomic extremes are evident in our county. In spite of having the third highest per capita income in NC, homes without complete indoor plumbing in Chatham County are at twice the state rate. It is one of the most rapidly growing counties in the state, with projections of the county’s population doubling over the next 10 years. Over the past two decades we have made great strides in developing our domestic violence services, becoming well-known throughout the state for comprehensive services, a strong coordinated community response to domestic violence, and effective intervention and prevention programs. Our sexual assault response, however, has lagged behind. We know how BIG and how complex sexual violence issues are and that we haven’t begun to chip away at the iceberg; we know we can and must do better. Starting with the development of a sexual assault response team about two years ago, we have already seen an increase in demand for services. We know that through increased outreach and a change in the community culture regarding sexual violence, we can improve our services and reach people who would never have turned to us before. We also felt that other programs could learn from our struggle to develop more equal services. We have been surprised and encouraged by how hungry our community has been for the information we have begun to share. Our community appears not only ready to talk about sexual assault, but eager to help figure out how to decrease barriers and provide more effective services. For more information, visit www.fvrc.org MEET THE PROJECT SITES: Arizona Gila River Indian Community The Gila River Indian Community is an American Indian reservation spanning over 500 square miles in the southern region of Arizona and is home to more than 20,000 enrolled tribal members. The Huhukam people are the ancient ancestors of the present day Akimel O’odham (River People). The Community is also home to the Pee-Posh who were welcomed to inhabit the westernmost region of the reservation which provided shelter and protection from warring tribes. Today the Community is comprised of 7 political districts and governed by 17 council representatives, Lt. Governor and Governor. Although Crime Victim Services is part of the tribal government, we strive to maintain a Community-based approach to services which means we learn from those we serve, include them in developing solutions and have the flexibility to respond more fully to their needs. Crime Victim Services was created in the mid-90s with only one advocate position. The program has been expanded to include 4 additional advocates, 2 advocate aides, supervisor and a secretary. This multipurpose program assists victims of violent crimes and their families. Gila River is a dynamic community with distinctive attributes which requires advocates to assist with basic needs, court advocacy, crisis intervention, safety planning, shelter placement assistance, education, medical advocacy transportation and supportive listening. The program serves residents of all 7 districts of the Gila River Indian Community, tribal members living off of the reservation and those who have been victimized within the Community. Sexual violence against American Indian women and Alaskan Native women is at epidemic levels. SADI and the Department of Justice has provided Crime Victim Services the funding and technical assistance to listen to the voices of the Gila River Indian Community. With the guidance of an Advisory Committee comprised of Community members and service providers, Crime Victim Services will be able to explore the past, present, and future state of sexual violence within the Community. The SADI project will help to understand the unique dynamics of sexual violence in a tribal community, improve delivery of services, and provide a safe place for survivors to tell their stories. For more information, visit www.gilariver.org MEET THE PROJECT SITES: New York New York Asian Women’s Center Founded in 1982, New York Asian Women’s Center (NYAWC) is a multi-service agency offering a wide array of assistance to Asian American survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. The Center provides a safe haven through multi-lingual support programs and shelter services. NYAWC also works to raise public awareness about violence against women, advocates for the rights of survivors, and acts as an agent of social change. Located in one of the world’s most populated cities with 8.2 million residents residing in 305 sq. miles, NYAWC serves clients from diverse ethnic, linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Staff members of NYAWC speak over a dozen Asian languages and dialects, including several Chinese dialects, Korean, Japanese, and a number of South Asian languages and dialects. In 2012, NYAWC instituted a practice model called, Moving Ahead Positively (MAP) which uses the strength of the relationship between the survivor and the counselor to foster recovery from trauma in a culturally informed practice model. We thrive to program our services to better serve our clients’ needs. Through SADI, NYAWC is committed to developing more resources and culturally appropriate methods for outreach and counseling, as well as enriching our community linkages, to enhance and improve the response to Asian survivors of sexual assault and sexual exploitation by intimate, acquaintances and strangers in New York City. For more information, visit www.nyawc.org MEET THE PROJECT SITES: Washington SafePlace SafePlace was founded in 1981 as a merging of 2 organizations: a domestic violence shelter and a rape relief program in Olympia, Washington. Our county is the seat of the Capitol which is surrounded by completely rural towns, and encompasses parts of three tribal nations, three institutions of higher learning, and a large military population from Joint Base Lewis McChord. We are an hour south of Seattle and 2 hours north of Portland, Oregon, which puts us in the corridor of domestic and international human trafficking—a growing problem in our area. The local migrant workforce often travels between Eastern Washington, in apple orchards and other agribusiness, to Western Washington (here), harvesting shellfish, Christmas trees, and salal (a plant in local forests used in flower arrangements.) As a feminist agency, we are connected to some of the founding mothers of our local movement, and they still provide us with guidance on our Capital Campaign, our Board of Directors, and our fundraising events. This provides us access to our “Herstory” and keeps us rooted in our philosophy and our origins. Our local university, The Evergreen State College, affords us fresh-minded and radical interns, volunteers, and staff members with a social justice and anti-oppression framework. This fosters an atmosphere of change and opportunities to ask questions. These two influences on SafePlace help us look to the future while remaining rooted in our past and our mission. It also makes for a fun and quirky program that has great, long-term community support. SafePlace is a dual DV/SV program, providing direct services in English, Spanish, and Cambodian. Included in our services are: a 10 bedroom emergency shelter, 24 hour HelpLine, 24 hour sexual assault response program, support groups, legal advocacy, education, prevention, and outreach. We have about 30 employees and many volunteers that staff our programs. We have both formal and informal working relationships with many local community organizations. We chose to apply for the SADI because we knew there was room for improvement in our services to survivors of sexual violence. Our community, while it has long supported us in our work, is not clear on what we do. Many see us as simply a battered women’s shelter, providing services only to women. We also recognized that those seeking services for sexual assault were connected or referred through medical/legal processes. Our services are more accessible to folks who are also accessing courts, law enforcement, and forensic exams. We have been asking ourselves, why? Can we reach those survivors that don’t see these systems as options? We wish to engage our community in broader conversations and ensure accessibility of our services to marginalized and underserved communities. We saw the SADI as an impetus for much needed change in our agency as well as our community. Survivors inform all of the work that we do, and through the process of the SADI have helped to inform the direction of our planning. One of the most impactful pieces of this project thus far has been the individual interviews with survivors in our communities. These folks have amazing, terrible, inspiring stories of survivorship. The interviews show a diversity of experiences as well as similarities. With their input, ideas for improving services and outreach will be that much easier. We could not have gotten here without the voices of survivors. For more information, visit www.safeplaceolympia.org MEET THE PROJECT SITES: Michigan Shelter, Inc. Shelter, Inc. is the only sexual assault/domestic violence service provider within the rural five county covering 3005 square miles. In 2007 Shelter, Inc. participated in a non-funded, tiered sexual assault capacity building exercise involving board, administration, supervisory, direct service (paid and volunteer) staff and survivors. As an agency we were concerned about the lack of understanding and empathy within our local communities and systems regarding sexual violence. On an administrative level we began to question the capacity of our own staff in regard to sexual violence. The logic being: we are a community based program, our staff are part of the community, the community has broad misconceptions, as a dual program what is our knowledge skill level? We were amazed to learn how many challenges lay within our own agency. We aggressively began identifying, prioritizing, developing and implementing an intra-agency sexual assault training curriculum for all staff. As an organization careful consideration was given to the decision to apply for SADI grant funding. A great deal of effort has been undertaken since 2006 focused on accessing not only our agency but our multi-community primary service capacity for addressing/meeting the needs of sexual assault victims/survivors. We believe that a sustainability plan must not be limited to how a project/program will sustain itself after the funding is exhausted, but to how much support is rallied before the demonstration funding is secured. It is extremely important to note the level of dedication of not only Shelter, Inc. but also our community partners to working diligently toward building and sustaining a community coordinated response specifically addressing the rural cultural issues. It is equally important to recognize our evaluation of gaps and needs are based on victim/survivor input, evaluation of cultural needs and resources, community and systems knowledge and awareness as well as service availability and needs gaps analysis information. These activities were not completed haphazardly; the processes have been methodically planned and implemented over a multi-year period. As a community we have not yet reached the level where we can say we are there, we are looking to SADI to reach such an accomplishment. As a dual organization and as a multi-county rural community we have identified the need for and are anxious to establish and sustain a sexual assault model that can and will reach and meet the needs of rural victims/survivors not only in our area but, that can be duplicated in other rural regions. As a group we gather weekly to share knowledge, wisdom, creativity, frustrations and challenges so that as a team we may better serve survivors in a manner that is reflective of our mission, vision and philosophy. Change can end violence, change can create a new world, change has built our team and sustains this amazing place we affectionately call Shelter, Inc. For more information, visit www.shelterincalpena.org/home0.aspx DOCUMENTING OUR WORK Strengthening our programs through documentation Providing effective services to survivors of sexual violence is, by its very nature, an act of social change. Creating safe spaces, listening to survivors, helping them find their own strength, and offering opportunities to act — all of these challenge systems and change culture. That is what makes this work difficult and also rewarding. In the face of these sometimes daunting tasks, we can feel great pressure to act now and to push forward relentlessly. But sometimes what we need to do is to pause for a moment and reflect. What is working? How do we know it is working? How can programs use their strengths to fill gaps and meet unmet needs? When we take one action, what are the ripple effects? What lessons have we learned? How can we use that knowledge in other situations? In short, how do we bring about the kind of changes we have envisioned? In order for the SADI to benefit dual programs throughout the nation, these are the types of questions we need to answer. The goal is not only for six programs to enhance their services, but also for those six programs to shed light on how all dual programs can enhance their services. To achieve this goal, the SADI has committed to rigorously documenting its work. SADI Project Sites and Technical Assistance Teams are working with Documenter, Dr. Stephanie Townsend, to track what actions are taken and their apparent impact, to develop community-specific assessments of needs and values, to identify programs’ strengths, and to track how support and opportunities for survivors of sexual violence change at each of the sites. A community psychologist, Dr. Townsend approaches the documentation process collaboratively, building on strengths, and seeking to create healthier communities through social change. Throughout the course of the SADI, a variety of assessment tools will be developed and shared with the field so programs can use them to assess their own communities, their own organizational needs and strengths, and their own progress toward enhancing sexual assault services. Already being tested are guides for interviewing community leaders and survivors, community surveys, and staff surveys. We look forward to sharing these tools with the field soon so that programs can include them in their own toolboxes. In her poem “The Low Road,” Marge Piercy reflects on the creativity and power that comes with each added person: “… Three people are a delegation/ a committee, a wedge. With four / you can play bridge and start / an organization. With six / you can rent a whole house, / eat pie for dinner with no / seconds, and hold a fund raising party. / A dozen make a demonstration. / A hundred fill a hall…It goes on one at a time, / it starts when you care / to act, it starts when you do it / again after they said no, /it starts when you say We / and know who you mean, and each / day you mean one more.” That is the kind of energy and potential impact that is in the spirit of the SADI. Documenting the processes in the Initiative will help us to see more clearly how this process unfolds and to build upon the successes. It will also allow us to expand the reach of the Initiative, always including one more program that has made the commitment to enhance their support for survivors of sexual violence. WHAT ARE PROJECT SITES WORKING ON NOW? Sites are hard at work in the individual response plan phases of the Initiative As part of the SADI, each Project Site has developed an Individual Response Plan (IRP) to enhance the range of sexual assault services available to survivors and to enhance the skills and knowledge of advocates working with survivors. These IRPs will guide the Project Sites’ work in building infrastructure for sexual assault services, developing outreach to underserved sexual violence survivors, and building individual advocates’ capacity for working with a range of sexual violence survivors. The tools and strategies developed in each IRP will inform strategies shared with the field. Support from Technical Assistance (TA) Providers To support the growth of the Project Sites and create tools that will be useful to the field, the SADI TA Providers at the RSP and NSVRC--with our partners at MIWSAC, NAPIESV, and SCESA--have been working hard on developing training modules, tools, and strategies. We know advocates and programs need and want training and technical assistance on thoughtful, measured change. Many programs, including the SADI Project Sites have embarked on various attempts to improve sexual assault services over the years. However, programs and advocates report that these efforts often fail or fizzle out because they do not have the organizational capacity for sustaining the change. True organizational growth requires shared vision, careful strategy, strong organizational structures, and sound evaluation. TA Providers provide Project Sites guidance on sustaining organizational and individual growth through training and TA on developing multiple strategies that support strong sexual assault services. Our broad training and TA menu covers: • training on systems advocacy • trauma-informed service delivery methods and philosophy • innovative outreach for diverse communities • crisis line support for survivors • adult survivors of child sexual abuse, teens, and other specific populations of survivors • Board of Directors development • building community relationships • serving survivors of sexual assault in the context of domestic violence We’re making the SADI Site-specific TA into lessons and tools for the field, too. Please see the resources section for links to some helpful tools. For more information, visit The National Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative Overview www.nsvrc.org/projects/SADI FAQ sheet www.ovw.usdoj.gov/docs/faq-sadi.pdf SADI PROJECT PHASES What it looks like As part of the SADI, each Project Site has developed an Individual Response Plan (IRP) to enhance the range of sexual assault services available to survivors and to enhance the skills and knowledge of advocates working with survivors. These IRPs will guide the Project Sites’ work in building infrastructure for sexual assault services, developing outreach to underserved sexual violence survivors, and building individual advocates’ capacity for working with a range of sexual violence survivors. The tools and strategies developed in each IRP will inform strategies shared with the field. (diagram of circles) 1st Large Circle • New grantee kick-off • Documentation begins • On-site orientation 2nd Large Circle • Strength-based assessments • Individual Response Plan (IRP) development • Budget development • Documentation continues 3rd Large Circle • IRP implementation • IRP assessment & adjustment • Documentation concludes Medium Circle • Make long-term recommendations Founded by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape in 2000, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) identifies, develops and disseminates resources regarding all aspects of sexual violence prevention and intervention. NSVRC activities include training and technical assistance, referrals, consultation, systems advocacy, resource library, capacity-building, integrating research findings with community-based projects, coordinating Sexual Assault Awareness Month, co-sponsoring national conferences and events, and creating Web-based and social networking resources. The National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project (RSP), a collaborative project of Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault, North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, works to end sexual violence and increase services available to sexual violence survivors by developing tools, providing technical assistance and training, and otherwise assisting rape crisis centers and state, tribal and territorial sexual assault coalitions. The RSP provides technical assistance, support, and the dissemination of peer-driven resources for all state and territorial sexual assault coalitions, SASP administrators, and Rural Grantees that are dual/multi-service advocacy agencies. Through deep connections to coalitions, service providers, and survivors, the RSP is at the cutting edge of identifying emerging issues, advancing promising practices, and synthesizing the voices and experiences across the nation into coherent best practice models. National Organization of Asian Pacific Islander Ending Sexual Violence (NAPIESV) is a national organization established by Asian and Pacific Islander anti-sexual assault advocates to give voice to the experiences of Asian and Pacific Islander women and girls who are victims of sexual assault. NAPIESV’s goal is to provide technical assistance to culturally and linguistically specific organizations that are currently serving or attempting to serve victims of sexual assault in Asians and Pacific Islander communities. The Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition is a statewide membership tribal coalition, and a national technical assistance provider; working to end sexual violence against Native women and children. Our membership is comprised of advocates and others who are working to end violence in Native communities in Minnesota, and include Native and non-Native; male and female, individual and organizational members. We provide technical assistance to the Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program grantees nationwide to develop, enhance, or strengthen their sexual assault services. Our vision is to: Create Safety and Justice Through the Teachings of Our Grandmothers.