Innovations in Domestic Violence Response: Creating New Options for Survivors

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Innovations in Domestic Violence Response
Creating New Options for Survivors

• Volunteers of America, Oregon
• Home Free
• Kris Billhardt
• kbillhardt_at_voaor.org

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Caveats and Disclaimers

• Development of new response models does not
  negate the need for programs that provide
  immediate safety for DV survivors.
• This is not a prescription or a miracle solution
  simply our experience of change and its benefits.
• Consider our programs story as to whether or how
  it may be applicable in your community to add to
  options available to DV survivors.

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• Background Home Free History
• 1926 VOA established the Mothers and Childrens
  Home to serve abandoned women and children
• DV became focal in the 70s
• Family Center/
• Transition House, 1989

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Background Home Free History II 1998
Expanding Beyond Shelter Outreach services and
mobile advocacy methods are added to residential
service elements
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Discoveries

• We were reaching a different sub-group of
  survivors
• Motel vouchering served as a bridge to shelter,
  or AS shelter
• Mobile advocacy removed many barriers to
  survivors engaging in services
• Advocates mobility made an astounding difference
  in how they could assist
• Flexible funds were instrumental in survivors
  successful outcomes

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and the ensuing musing

• With 1FTE and 50,000, weve stabilized 35
  families in safe housing...
• The cost of 2 shelter nights for a family of four
  is equivalent to a months rent for the same
  family
• If we had more advocates not tied to the shelter
• With most of the systems funding going to
  residential services, how many survivors and
  children have no access to help?

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• Home Frees Big Change
• October, 2003
• Closed Shelter
• Hotline reduced to 8AM to 6PM M-F
• Expanded motel vouchering
• Expanded housing-focused services
• Expanded outstationed services and mobile
  advocacy

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Steps to Change I

• Program Assessment
• Fit with Mission How are our current services
  moving us toward our goal to end DV?
• Constituent Expertise What are survivors telling
  us about their needs?
• Demographic Trends Who are we not seeing in our
  program, and what can we change to increase
  access?

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Steps to Change II

• Piloting Try New Ideas on a Small Scale
• Identify projects/funding
• HUD Horizons
• VOCA Project Grants
• Foundation funds
• AmeriCorps
• Cultivate key partnerships/agreements
• Develop necessary expertise, policies, and
  practices

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Steps to Change III

• Assess Pilot Programs
• High utilization of piloted services obviated
  need
• Services are cost efficient
• Services could be expanded with no new money if
  resources were reallocated
• Positive impact on system reduce service
  duplication, fill gaps in our system
• Services did indeed improve our communitys
  response to underserved needs of survivors

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Steps to Change IV

• Clarifying Our Aims to Inform Our Redesign
• Reduce need for survivors to delay leaving abuse
  because shelter beds are full
• Provide housing options for those excluded from
  shelters or not served by prevailing model
• Increase availability of non-residentially-based
  support and community-based advocacy
• Focus on post-crisis stabilization and economic
  barriers implicated in decision to return to
  abuser
• Offer services that are actively interventionist,
  flexible, survivor-driven, and get people farther

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Steps to Change V

• Environmental Scan How Will Our Idea for Bigger
  Change Affect the Landscape?
• Community partners
• Systems Plan/Vision
• Underserved Populations
• Underserved Needs
• Funding Trends

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Steps to Change VI

• Floating Your Idea Dialog, Dialog, Dialog!
• Staff (early and ongoing)
• Agency Administration (early buy-in critical)
• Community partners
• Funders
• Constituents
• Volunteers and other supporters

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Steps to Change VII

• Locking In What Should Be in Place
• Timeline (ramping down and ramping up)
• Program site
• Funding commitments
• Partner agreements
• Staffing patterns (re-assignment/hiring)
• Job descriptions, training plan
• Program design, Policies and procedures
• Budget and cost center redesign

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Home Free Program Design
Emergency Services
Out-stationed Services
Childrens Services
Transitional and Housing Services
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Challenges

• Little in the way of a blueprint to follow
• Community gets shelter
• Remaining shelter programs wary
• Some staff initially skeptical
• Learning curve many new skills required
• Facilities and equipment needs very different

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Successes

• Serving 4 times as many families with emergency
  vouchers than we could house in our shelter
• 80-100 families achieve permanent housing
  annually with expanded intensive housing services
• 3,000 survivors receive brief in-person services
• Expanded ability to provide outstationed advocacy
  has increased access
• Substantial increase in underserved populations
• Enhanced participation in coordinated community
  response