Print
E-mail
Comment
Help for domestic violence victims
By Norma Engelberg
Where can a victim of domestic violence go for help in Teller County?
One source is the Teller County Victim Assistance Program. It is a nonprofit, volunteer-based agency that provides services to all victims of crime, not just for victims of domestic violence.
The program provides:
Information and referrals to available community resources, including 24-hour hotlines, translation services, legal assistance, child care and suicide intervention.
Assistance with emergency services such as food, shelter, clothing, financial aid, crime scene clean-up, emergency transportation, medical and mental health needs and a safe house in Colorado Springs.
“Unfortunately, Teller County doesn’t have a safe house, yet,” said Jan McKamy, program director. “We’ve been working on getting one for the past four years.”
She said to build or acquire a safe house, the program needs to make people aware of the issue and about $500,000.
“The message we get is that there are not enough cases in Teller County and that the cost per individual [for having a safe house] is too high,” she said. “The cost of doing nothing is even higher.”
As part of its mission to combat domestic violence, the program provides the “Handbook for Domestic Violence Victims in Teller County,” which offers information about creating safety plans for the victim and his or her children that are customized either for staying in the relationship or when the victim leaves. It includes safety during an explosive situation, how to prepare and what items to take when escaping a situation, finding emergency assistance and shelter and understanding the legal system.
There also are brochures that offer information to family and friends about helping a battered woman and programs designed to help batterers break the pattern of violence.
“Counseling can help if the batterer really wants to be helped,” McKamy said, adding that couples counseling is not an ethical approach to family violence. “It doesn’t correct the problem and it can make things worse.”
One approach McKamy takes is to help people see what a nonviolent family is like.
“We help people recognize a healthy relationship,” she said. “It isn’t a negative but a positive message. Some people don’t even know they’re being abused or abusive.”
A complete list of victim assistance services is available at http://www.geocities.com/ doc-coroner/VAP.html or by calling the victim advocate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, through Woodland Park Police Department dispatch, 719-687-9262.
For help after hours, on weekends or holidays, contact local dispatch — Cripple Creek, 719-689-2655; Victor, 719-689-2284; Woodland Park, 719-687-9262 and Teller County, 719-687-9652 — and ask for the on-call volunteer advocate.
Another source of help is TESSA, an organization based in Colorado Springs which provides help to victims of rape and family violence in Teller and El Paso counties. The organization provides links to social services, intervention, safety and accountability education, counseling for both adults and children, a safe house, a place for victims to keep their pets safe and advocacy to help victims through the legal system and gain independence. All TESSA programs and services are confidential.
If the situation is a life-threatening emergency, call 911 but for general information about TESSA and its programs, visit www.tessacs.org or call the main office at 719-633-1462. TESSA also maintains a 24/7 crisis line, 719-633-3819, for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. TESSA’s Cripple Creek office is in the Aspen Mine Center, 166 E. Bennett, 719-689-3584, ext. 118.
There also are a number of programs that train first responders, including police officers, on how recognize domestic violence and to help victims. Many of these programs are offered without cost. Both Teller County Victim Assistance and TESSA can provide training information.
One source is the Teller County Victim Assistance Program. It is a nonprofit, volunteer-based agency that provides services to all victims of crime, not just for victims of domestic violence.
The program provides:
Information and referrals to available community resources, including 24-hour hotlines, translation services, legal assistance, child care and suicide intervention.
Assistance with emergency services such as food, shelter, clothing, financial aid, crime scene clean-up, emergency transportation, medical and mental health needs and a safe house in Colorado Springs.
“Unfortunately, Teller County doesn’t have a safe house, yet,” said Jan McKamy, program director. “We’ve been working on getting one for the past four years.”
She said to build or acquire a safe house, the program needs to make people aware of the issue and about $500,000.
“The message we get is that there are not enough cases in Teller County and that the cost per individual [for having a safe house] is too high,” she said. “The cost of doing nothing is even higher.”
As part of its mission to combat domestic violence, the program provides the “Handbook for Domestic Violence Victims in Teller County,” which offers information about creating safety plans for the victim and his or her children that are customized either for staying in the relationship or when the victim leaves. It includes safety during an explosive situation, how to prepare and what items to take when escaping a situation, finding emergency assistance and shelter and understanding the legal system.
There also are brochures that offer information to family and friends about helping a battered woman and programs designed to help batterers break the pattern of violence.
“Counseling can help if the batterer really wants to be helped,” McKamy said, adding that couples counseling is not an ethical approach to family violence. “It doesn’t correct the problem and it can make things worse.”
One approach McKamy takes is to help people see what a nonviolent family is like.
“We help people recognize a healthy relationship,” she said. “It isn’t a negative but a positive message. Some people don’t even know they’re being abused or abusive.”
A complete list of victim assistance services is available at http://www.geocities.com/ doc-coroner/VAP.html or by calling the victim advocate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, through Woodland Park Police Department dispatch, 719-687-9262.
For help after hours, on weekends or holidays, contact local dispatch — Cripple Creek, 719-689-2655; Victor, 719-689-2284; Woodland Park, 719-687-9262 and Teller County, 719-687-9652 — and ask for the on-call volunteer advocate.
Another source of help is TESSA, an organization based in Colorado Springs which provides help to victims of rape and family violence in Teller and El Paso counties. The organization provides links to social services, intervention, safety and accountability education, counseling for both adults and children, a safe house, a place for victims to keep their pets safe and advocacy to help victims through the legal system and gain independence. All TESSA programs and services are confidential.
If the situation is a life-threatening emergency, call 911 but for general information about TESSA and its programs, visit www.tessacs.org or call the main office at 719-633-1462. TESSA also maintains a 24/7 crisis line, 719-633-3819, for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. TESSA’s Cripple Creek office is in the Aspen Mine Center, 166 E. Bennett, 719-689-3584, ext. 118.
There also are a number of programs that train first responders, including police officers, on how recognize domestic violence and to help victims. Many of these programs are offered without cost. Both Teller County Victim Assistance and TESSA can provide training information.
Submit a Comment
|
You must be logged in to post a comment.
|
Not yet a registered member?
Click here to become one. |
