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Twenty-six to thirty.
On average 65 women are sheltered for over 3,000 nights, and this number increases each year.
On average 60 children are sheltered with their mothers for 2,000 nights and this number also increases each year.
As long as they need to, provided they are working on moving forward and complying with shelter resident requirements. Each client receives individualized case management services and agrees to work towards accomplishing identified goals. The average length of stay in the shelter varies monthly but on an annual basis is approximately 30 days.
Domestic violence crosses all lines of race, age, and religious, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds. In general our clients are employed Caucasian women 20 -40 years old, who have been or are married, and have on average two children. Thirty percent of our clients are Latina and we employ several bilingual staff to help assist this population.
In general, 95 - 99% of the time, women are victims of abuse inflicted by men. The Advocates cannot shelter men; however, we will provide an abused man with information and referrals.
Funding comes from the following sources: Local government, 3%; federal and state government, 25%; private foundations, 7%; fund raising, 62%; general contributions, 6%; and unsolicited contributions, 10%. Fund raising events include one large annual event, 2-4 smaller events, the sale of the Sun Valley Celebrity and Local Heroes Cookbook, 2nd Edition and an annual donation request to the community.
What is the Advocates doing to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault? We provide prevention and education programs in the schools, community education, services to help women transition to abuse-free lives, and peer and youth mentoring. The goal of these efforts is to end family and sexual violence in our community by providing education and information about the impact of violence and alternatives to violence. The shelter also offers women and children a safe place to live away from abusers and allows them to avoid future violence. We strive to spread the message that domestic and sexual violence are not okay and that everyone needs to take action to prevent these crimes.
At least half of the women we shelter successfully transition to abuse-free lives. This means they do not go back to their abuser after they leave the shelter. Studies show that on average an abused women goes back to her abuser 7-10 times before leaving him forever. Very close to 100% of the women who come into shelter are employed already or become employed at some point during their shelter stay. A shelter stay is also proven to have a positive impact on a woman’s self esteem.
The Wood River Counseling Center offers a batterer’s treatment program called Partner Abuse Counseling and Education (PACE). It is offered in Spanish and English. Specialized treatment is required for batterers. Individual counseling, anger management, and couples counseling are not appropriate treatment options for batterers.
We offer them a safe place to stay with their mothers. The shelter environment is very supportive, healing, and welcoming to children. We provide parenting support and education for their mothers. We offer individual counseling for children. We also offer any child who has or is experiencing domestic violence with the opportunity to have an adult mentor. We also provide access to quality, licensed, nurturing child care.
An endowment was established in 2000 to support ongoing shelter operations. Eighty percent of the initial endowment goal of $1 million has been raised. The final endowment target is $3 million. A substantial endowment will reduce our reliance on unpredictable government funding and our need to continually ask the community for financial support. An endowment of over $1 million will also allow staff to spend less time on fund raising and grant writing and more time on direct services and prevention efforts. |
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