Written by April, Stepping Stones Advocate
For 45 years, Stepping Stones has been an essential part of the community in providing emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence. While our shelter is a huge part of our mission, many don’t know that our services extend to the community beyond the shelter as well. Our Community-Based Advocacy (or CBA) program covers a wide range of domestic violence related services. Over the past 12 months, we have assisted 123 people with shelter and 63 people with CBA services.
Domestic violence can affect anyone; it does not discriminate by age, race, gender, financial status, religion, or level of support in one’s life. While many victims of domestic violence are in need of emergency shelter for safety purposes, many others do have support from family and friends when it comes to shelter. They may simply need assistance in navigating the process of getting out of that relationship. Our advocates are available for support throughout that journey.
Sometimes we get calls from local victims of domestic violence who have family in another area. After verifying that the person has a safe place to go, we can help them get there by providing shuttle, bus, or train tickets. A person’s partner may have just been incarcerated and left them without food, formula, or diapers for their babies.
We are able to provide some of these items and limited financial assistance. Other times, the caller just needs to spend time debriefing with an advocate to talk through their experience and create an action plan for next steps. This can involve Safety Planning, providing resources for therapy and support groups, and providing resources for housing in the area.
One of the biggest pieces of our CBA program is legal advocacy. A caller may need an Order of Protection but is unsure of the process. We will meet with them, fill out the petition together, and attend court together. We also assist with filling out paperwork for Emergency Temporary Orders, Dissolution, Parenting Time, and Legal Decision Making when the courts need to become involved to untangle the situation. We continue to provide support through the process by attending hearings and meeting to discuss next steps.
If you or someone you care about is experiencing domestic violence, don’t hesitate to reach out to Stepping Stones. We are here in a variety of ways to support victims and we’re just a phone call away.
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