What issue is Women's Resource Center's Empowerment Program designed to address?
Women’s Resource Center's Empowerment Program provides trauma-informed domestic violence services to any individual in, fleeing from or surviving domestic abuse. Domestic violence cases have only continued to increase in the last few years, and the Women's Resource Center's Empowerment Program is here to help. There is always a knowledgeable advocate answering our crisis line 24/7 365 days of the year. Women’s Resource Center's Empowerment Program provides education and prevention services to the community of Racine. All of Women’s Resource Center's Empowerment Program's services are free of charge, confidential and held both virtually and in person. The building is secure and in a safe location.
What does Women's Resource Center's Empowerment Program do (overarchingly and on a daily basis)?
Women’s Resource Center's Empowerment Program provides 24/7 advocacy both in person and via the crisis line. Below are some of the ways that Women's Resource Center's Empowerment Program is carrying out this important work: assisting with safety planning, community resources, referrals to other organizations, crisis intervention, emotional support and basic needs in shelters.
Safety Planning — provides a plan to help someone in a domestic violence situation think clearly and gather the things that they will need to leave the situation, allowing them to discuss what could happen or remember things that may not seem important but are.
Domestic Violence Education — helps victims of domestic violence cope, make decisions, discuss problems, heal from abuse and helps individuals set goals for the future. The Domestic Violence Educator is a positive voice of reason when individuals do not have a support system.
Support Groups — offer peer support with a trained staff member leading the conversation. Connecting with other survivors provides a support system which allows the survivor to be heard and know they are not alone.
Legal Advocacy — provides assistance with filing a restraining order, referrals to community legal services, no-contact lift classes, domestic violence education, safety planning and court accompaniment.
Lap Program — Works with the Racine Police Department to assess the danger level of a domestic violence situation and connects that survivor directly to advocate and domestic violence services.
Family Healing Program — works with the family, protective parent and child/ren to teach positive parenting techniques, family bonding and togetherness and to encourage family activities. Healing the entire family unit after a domestic violence incident is key to returning trust to the relationship. Women’s Resource Center's Empowerment Program works with each family individual to help them develop routines, assure children are properly taken care of and enrolled in school, with transportation arranged. Women’s Resource Center's Empowerment Program works with the protective parent on parenting techniques and assists in finding community resources to assist further.
Safe Start Program — works with 10-18 year olds in Racine County schools. The program's intent is to provide prevention education to preteens and teens, teach red flags and signs of abuse and to educate about healthy relationships, in order to prevent domestic violence situations in the future. The Safe Start program provides groups within the shelter for in-house residents and community members.
What is the impact of Women's Resource Center's Empowerment Program?
Women’s Resource Center's Empowerment Program serves 175-200 individuals through our shelter program and about 300 through community outreach programs. This number is only projected to increase when COVID-19 slows. During 2022 alone Women’s Resource Center's Empowerment Program has been increasing its presence in the community, attending four community events and presenting to well over 300 individuals.
This is a snippet from one survivor’s story written in her own words:
“I had enough. I left when my fear of staying in the relationship was greater than my fear of leaving. I went to the Women's Resource Center. They gave me and the children a place to go when we had no money, no belongings and no idea what to do.
The Women's Resource Center gave me a word to describe what I had been going through. Domestic Abuse. They encouraged me to contact law enforcement and file charges and to seek a restraining order. They advised me to go no contact with my husband and provided a safe place for healing to begin.
I still wasn't convinced I had to leave, but the advocate walked with me on the journey. She taught me how to be safer and helped develop a safety plan. She provided understanding but firm encouragement with specific examples of how myself and the children are being harmed and are not safe. She was with me on the phone the night I left for good. She stayed on the phone with me until I got to the Women's Resource Center and walked with me in my fears.”
This is one impactful account of how the Women's Resource Center's Empowerment Program is supporting domestic violence survivors.
What does the future look like for Women's Resource Center's Empowerment Program?
Women’s Resource Center's Empowerment Program is ever changing. The base of our services remain the same, but how those are presented changes over time, and the agency evolves to meet the needs of who we serve. Women’s Resource Center's Empowerment Program’s services are and have always been survivor driven, receiving survivor feedback and knowing what needs need to be met is key to evolving with the times. Over the last few years Women’s Resource Center's Empowerment Program has made numerous changes in programming to better meet the needs of the individuals we serve. Women’s Resource Center's Empowerment Program is open to feedback and watches current trends in order to provide the best services possible.
Over the upcoming years Women’s Resource Center's Empowerment Program will continue to extend our reach into the community, making our presence known. The Women’s Resource Center's Empowerment Program plans to increase programming and get back into the schools in an attempt to prevent domestic violence.
Pam Handrow is the executive director of Women's Resource Center.
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