March 10, 2022
As Spring continues to unfold, members of the Idaho Coalition staff have started traveling across the state to visit dv/sa programs. Last week Kelly, Micaela, and Kailey visited Advocates Against Family Violence in Caldwell. It was so exciting and fulfilling to hear program staff speak about all of the wonderful services they are providing to survivors in Caldwell. We are excited to get to know program staff & gain a better understanding of what each program offers survivors in Idaho. Over the next year, we would also like to give Directors & program staff an opportunity to share all the amazing work they do in their communities.
Next up is an update from Bea Black, CEO of Women’s & Children’s Alliance, in Boise.
How have you and your program staff been managing during COVID? What challenges have you faced when providing services to survivors?
We were very fortunate in that we had just hired an IT Manager several months before Covid hit. Once Covid hit he was able to facilitate our transition to offering all our services virtually. For example, when the Ada County Courthouse decided to close its doors to in person hearings on a Friday afternoon, by Monday we were operational and able to provide support at our downtown location to those needing to file a civil protection order. Our clinicians, case managers and court advocates were able to continue their appointments virtually using a HIPAA compliant software package as we implemented Zoom Pro. Using DocuServe allowed us to obtain permissions in a much more efficient and timely manner. The addition of these tools has allowed us to expand the manner in which we offer our services which is an advantage that we will take advantage of as we move forward. The flexibility these tools provide to both our clients and our staff provide benefits for many reasons.
Do you have any new or innovative programs or service delivery methods you would like to talk about?
We were able to add a full-time attorney during this past year through a contract with Idaho Legal Aid. Being able to refer clients to this dedicated resource has been a huge help to our court advocacy team as well as an amazing resource for clients who would not be able to afford legal counsel for any number of issues.
Can you tell us about some program successes?
Learning how to use more tools and being able to use those tools to provide more flexibility in how we deliver services is something I consider a success. So is the increased awareness of the prevalence of domestic abuse and sexual assault that has resulted from the coverage done during the pandemic. As a result of this increased awareness, our community has been supporting the work we do more than ever. They heard about the need, and they want to do what they can to provide support.
What are the biggest barriers survivors are facing in your community?
Without a doubt – housing. Not being able to find something affordable is a huge issue and I am afraid will keep many from taking advantage of services as they know at the end of the day, they will not be able to find a place to live.
What are your hopes for this year?
My hope is that we can return to some level of decency in our community – the fact that our public officials can’t serve without being faced with hatred and being personally harassed not only at work but also at home – saddens and disgusts me. My hope is that we can allow each other to hold differing opinions, be able to discuss and argue about those differing opinions, but still feel connected in our appreciation for the freedom we have to be able to express those different opinions.
Bea Black
Women’s & Children’s Alliance
Click here to learn more about Women’s & Children’s Alliance.
As Programs that serve women, girls, and gender-oppressed communities, we especially recognize the power behind March + Women’s History Month.
We honor the elders & ancestors who paved our way towards women’s liberation, and we continue to forge forward until every woman can be whole, safe, and thriving.
Too often—like many accounts in history—we center the narratives of white supremacy in history. For this Women’s History Month, we are challenging that, & instead, we are uplifting some of the many suffragists who fought to protect & serve all women at a time where many feminists (like Susan B. Anthony) only worked to liberate white women. For example, we choose to amplify Harriet Tubman (pictured in the image above)—a Black disabled woman who defied all odds while leveraging her power to liberate countless other people. If you want to lean a bit more about these people, check out this Instagram post. We would love to provide more context & more examples of excellence in Women’s History.
Three Things to reach out to me for:
Announcement: 2022 Idaho Youth for Change Mini-Grants!
The deadline is just over a month away, so we want to remind you to apply for Idaho’s Youth 4 Change Mini-Grant. The Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence is searching for bold, creative young people to co-create solutions to sexual violence in Idaho. Focusing on young people from communities most impacted by violence, we seek to provide community-level funding for projects and initiatives created and led by young people between 15 and 20 years old and supported by adult mentors and allies.
We will provide mini-grant awards up to $1,500 to young people in partnership with adults, who have a strong passion for ending sexual violence in their schools and communities. The Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence will provide guidance for funded projects and work to create a community of support for each project to learn from others.
If you are connected to young people in your community who you want to support, please pass this opportunity along. Or if you are interested in engaging young people, please reach out to us and we are happy to support you. Anyone interested in the Idaho Youth for Change Mini-Grants just needs to send an email to bryan@engagingvoices.org by April 15th with “Mini-Grants” in the subject line and the names of who is involved in the project. We will provide additional support for the application process once we are connected.
For more information please contact:
Bryan Lyda
Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence
bryan@engagingvoices.org(208) 284-1622
Bryan Lyda
bryan@engagingvoices.org
Three Things to reach out to me for:
Program Advocate & Staff Training: Children Exposed to Violence |Part I: Wednesday, March 23, 2022, 12:00pm-1:00pm MT |Part II: Wednesday, March 30, 2022, 12:00pm-1:30pm MT
The Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence is beginning the 2022 Program Advocate & Staff Training with a two part Children Exposed to Violence webinar series. Part I will be a webinar presented by Futures Without Violence followed the next week with an Advocate Watercooler discussion about topics covered in the webinar. Please keep an eye out for more information coming soon!
We changed the way we work to end violence in our Indigenous communities in the face of a dire pandemic. We learned to advocate policy, create awareness, and search for our loved ones despite insurmountable circumstances and with virtual restrictions.
Those of you who joined us for the virtual MMIWP conference in October, we have deep gratitude for you. We call on you to attend in-person the Next Steps Conference on Missing & Murdered Indigenous People. The Coeur d’Alene Tribe STOP Violence invites you to this working conference to move our collective vision forward. We are scholars, advocates, educators, law enforcement officers, attorneys, justices, and so much more. The sum of our collective efforts is the much needed pivot in our work to end violence in Indian country.
What is Systemic Racism?| 8-part Video Series
Race Forward presents, “What Is Systemic Racism?” an 8-part video series that shows how racism shows up in our lives across institutions and society: Wealth Gap, Employment, Housing Discrimination, Government Surveillance, Incarceration, Drug Arrests, Immigration Arrests, Infant Mortality… yes, systemic racism is really a thing. View the series here!
Reminder that shipping for all material orders made by Programs on the Idaho Coalition website store is FREE of cost, please use the below coupon for all orders.
Visit the online store to view current Idaho Coalition materials available for order. For store questions, please contact Amy York.
Membership
