Domestic violence survivors and community-based providers called for more resources Thursday, Oct. 19, as the Board of County Commissioners proclaimed October 2023 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Multnomah County.
This year’s proclamation comes at a juncture, with $1.5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding scheduled to sunset. Alix Sanchez, who directs the County’s Domestic and Sexual Violence Coordination Office, said the funding has provided rent assistance, and peer recovery, housing support and crisis response services.
“This funding has been critical to our ability to navigate the increased demand for services and the growing costs associated with survivors’ basic needs,” Sanchez told the Board. “We deeply appreciate the attention the Board can bring to those critical services.”
Domestic violence affects millions each year
According to the National Institutes of Health, an estimated 10 million people each year experience domestic or family violence. About 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men report experiencing domestic violence during their lifetime.
“Domestic violence is something that we have to continue to bring more awareness about,” Commissioner Lori Stegmann said. “Those with lived experience are the ones that can best tell us what the challenges are and provide a light out of some of these horrific environments that many of our community members still live in.”
Domestic violence can take many forms and often includes physical abuse, intimidation, emotional or psychological abuse, sexual abuse, financial abuse, or other abusive behavior. It’s often part of a pattern of control by one intimate partner against another.
Jazmyn Ortiz, deputy district attorney for the Domestic Violence Unit, recently shared an educational message emphasizing the public health crisis of domestic violence.
The Domestic and Sexual Violence Coordination Office provides a range of trauma-informed and culturally responsive services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence and other community members. In 2022, the office provided crisis services to about 250 families.
Advocates say survivors and their children need access to safe housing, flexible economic resources, and other support to promote stability. The coordination office connects survivors with advocates, survivor support groups, economic empowerment programs, credit remediation assistance, housing, legal services and other supportive services.
“We need to walk alongside individuals who are experiencing domestic violence and listen to them and let them lead in this,” Chair Jessica Vega Pederson said. “I also think that we need to make sure that people can find the help and support they need, as they’re transitioning from an abusive situation into a space of health, a space of abundance, a space of growth for themselves, for their children, for their families.”
Unmet need persists for survivors of domestic violence
As a coordinator for domestic violence support services at the YWCA of Greater Portland, Brooke Golden frequently encounters domestic violence survivors who are fleeing with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Her goal: help them regain their voice and independence.
For Golden, representation is essential when it comes to serving domestic violence survivors. Combating community violence, she says, requires “survivor leadership” — representing people with lived experience who are able to understand what survivors need on their healing journey.
“Engaging in the day-to-day requests and needs of survivors is what takes priority,” Golden told the Board. “Financial resources are essential to establishing connections to the community, as survivors flee to our housing program.”
But a lack of funding for resources is preventing survivors from accessing what they need, Golden said. Last year, she said, the YWCA recorded 80 instances of “unmet needs.” That can range from basic items to the financial means to obtain permanent housing.
Golden urged the Board to commit more funding to help survivors on their path to healing.
“I’ve been truly humbled by the engagement I’ve had with survivors around the incredible voice they bring to the work, and the incredible advocacy and work they’re doing in the community,” said Commissioner Sharon Meieran, the Board’s liaison for issues of domestic violence, sexual violence and assault. “This board is uniquely positioned to take action and not just talk the talk, but put our money where our mouth is and invest.”
New recommendations for supporting survivors
Madrona Piper serves on Multnomah County Community Advisory Board for sexual assault and domestic violence. Piper, who is a survivor of domestic abuse, draws on her lived experience to provide input on how to improve the domestic violence services system.
“Survivors deserve the highest level of compassion and understanding and support as we access tools and resources set in place to help us process and heal from one of the hardest things we will ever live through,” she said.
Over the last year, the advisory board has met monthly to discuss how to shape state legislation to promote the safety and comfort of survivors. They recently produced numerous recommendations for the Oregon State Legislature to adopt.
The recommendations include broadening survivor-centered training for first responders; legal protections for crimes committed by survivors when those crimes committed under coercion and force from abusers; and compensating survivors fairly for their expertise and lived experience while in leadership roles.
“I’m looking forward to learning more about (the recommendations) and ways in which the county can help support or advocate for the recommendations where it’s appropriate for us to do so,” Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards said.
In Multnomah County, help and support is available at the Call to Safety Crisis line at 1-888-235-5333, and the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.