Iowa West Foundation: Belonging in the Bluffs
Interviews with Iowa West Foundation staff and nonprofit partners
Iowa West Foundation: Belonging in the Bluffs
Belonging in the Bluffs - Iowa Victims Call Center
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Welcome, Boomer Listeners. I'm Peggy Sweet, and this is Belonging in the Bluffs, brought to you by the Iowa West Foundation. I'm joined in studio once again with my good friend Daisy. She is the advocacy supervisor for the Iowa Victims Crisis Center. Welcome, Daisy. How are you today? Good. How about you? I am great. I'm excited to talk about what's going on with your organization. So where would you like to start today?
SPEAKER_01Um, just remind everyone if you need someone to talk to, you're not sure if what you're going through is abuse, starting with us is always going to be a good option. Family Crisis Center walks with people facing violence and harm. We offer free confidential support to help those people who are going through this tough situation regain safety and stability over time.
SPEAKER_00Okay. So it's a very important organization. And if you need some help and again, you're questioning whether what you're going through is right or not, we need to be giving you a call. And what number can we reach you at?
SPEAKER_01Our phone number is 1-800-770-1650. But we also have a text line. If you don't feel safe calling in, you can text in to 20121. I will help one word. Okay.
SPEAKER_00Is there a website we can reach out to and get this information also? Yeah, it would be familycrisiscenters.org. Perfect. Okay. Tell me a little bit more about the organization. How did it get started and all the things that you do?
SPEAKER_01So Family Crisis Centers started because they saw a need in domestic violence victims. They wanted to be able to help victims navigate different situations. So we first started the domestic violence, then they added the call center, which is statewide. From there, we have something called Wish, which is HOVC. That probably doesn't mean much, but basically it's for violent crime victims. We also have advocates at different clinic locations to be able to help them walk through whatever it might be that they're facing, if they need a protection order, if they need resources, if they're needing safety planning, a shelter. We're here to help them navigate all that.
SPEAKER_00That's exactly what I was gonna say. Your organization helps people navigate the steps through a very difficult situation to begin with. It's hard to feel like you're not alone in this. And it sounds like your organization helps pick people up where they're at and helps them move forward.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, our advocates are great and they will do whatever they can to help you navigate whatever whatever it is that you're going through. And what is the call center number again? It's gonna be 1-800-770-1650. And the you can also text. You mentioned something about texting. Yes, you can text to 20121 Iowa Help OneWord. And what do we say when we text? We will send you a prompt and then from there you can say whatever it is that you're needing. Some people start off by just saying that what they are calling or texting about, they aren't sure if it's something that we can help with. Others just go straight into whatever it is that they're needing, if it's a protection order, if it's them needing to find shelter, if they're needing transportation, if they're needing resources for their local food pantry. It'll vary by each person that calls in.
SPEAKER_00Okay. So if you or someone you know is going through domestic violence right now, I would encourage you to give Daisy a call. Uh, or you can text her or you can reach out on Facebook or the website. Yes, that's correct. And the website is familycrisiscenter.org. Yes. Daisy, thank you so much for your time. I really appreciate it. I'll see you back here real soon. Thank you. This has been Belonging in the Bluffs, brought to you by the Iowa West Foundation.