Episode 81: "What services are available to survivors of abuse?"
Episode 81: "What services are available to survivors of abuse?"
On today’s episode, we’re answering a question from local teens about what kinds of services survivors of abuse can use.
This is Jessica Skultety, Community Outreach Associate at Safe+Sound Somerset. We are Somerset County, New Jersey's lead domestic and sexual violence response organization, providing services to survivors at no charge for over 40 years.
Today's question from local teens is: “Dear Ava, What services are available to survivors of abuse?”
There are services available all over the world for survivors of domestic and dating abuse, as well as sexual harassment and assault. Some services are completely free of charge. For example, in the state of New Jersey, every county has a domestic violence and sexual violence response organization (or, there are multiple organizations). In Somerset County, that organization is Safe+Sound Somerset.
We offer many services for children, teens, and adults who are witnesses or survivors to domestic and/or sexual violence. Many of these services are like those offered in other places, again, all around the world. So today, we’re talking about what services we offer, in the hopes that anyone who looking for services for themselves or a friend, or in the future, will know what might also be available outside Somerset County, NJ, too.
The Safe+Sound Somerset hotline is the main place where survivors, both teens and adults, connect to us. If people call or text 866-685-1122, they will speak with a trained Hotline Advocate, who can provide supportive listening, information, safety planning, and help in crisis. We’ve published a couple of podcast episodes about what you can expect when calling the hotline, including Episode 73.
If you are in the United States and don’t know your local domestic or sexual violence organization, you can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. If you’re listening outside of the United States, you can Google your local or national hotlines and services. Many of these hotlines, including ours, have websites that have a “safe exit” button that will change the page quickly in case you need to leave.
At Safe+Sound Somerset, one of our main services is our safe house or shelter, which has been operating since 1983. The emergency safe house is a 30-60 day service where Somerset County residents can come if their safety is being immediately threatened. The idea behind safe shelter is that once someone is physically safe, they can then make then decisions that are best for them and their family. There is a process to qualify for the safe house, and people can access that by calling or texting our hotline. If our safe house is full, we reach out to other New Jersey safe houses.
One service we and many other organizations offer, too, is counseling for the victim or survivor of the abuse, and their children who have witnessed domestic violence. We use different forms of therapy to help clients work through their abuse and help them move forward on their healing paths. We also safety plan with clients and treat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (otherwise known as PTSD), in children, teens, and adults.
Another service we offer to survivors is our Domestic Violence Response Teams, or DVRTs. These volunteers are trained with us to work with survivors after a domestic violence incident. They support them virtually while they are at the police station and provide a listening ear, referral to services, and answer questions. We can’t respond to incidents that are occurring in someone’s house – for that situation, call 911 or an emergency service. But we work closely with the police. We also understand and work with survivors who don’t feel comfortable with the police.
The Sexual Assault Response Team, or SART, is another free service offered to survivors. This team works together to assist a victim of sexual violence with whatever they need.
We have legal advocacy for teens and adults who have experienced abuse. Our legal advocates help prepare clients for court, support them in the court room, and work with them individually. They also assist them when applying for restraining orders.
Safe+Sound Somerset has a busy Financial Empowerment Center, where survivors of abuse work to create financial freedom. According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, about 99% of domestic violence cases include financial abuse. Overall, this means that the target of abuse loses the ability to earn, control, or use money in some way because of their partner’s actions. The Financial Empowerment Center coaches survivors individually and offers group workshops on credit building, job skills, and spending.
We also give presentations and create educational resources about domestic and sexual violence in our SPEAK Outreach and Education department. These are just some of the services we offer!
Please know that wherever you go, there are services for survivors of sexual and domestic violence, whether it’s for you or for a friend. If you’re an older teen or young adult who will be heading to a training school or college, many if not all campuses have services available for sexual and dating violence. If you’re heading to a workplace, there are protections for you against sexual harassment and sexual assault. Your human resources representative can give you more information.
To speak with an expert about dating violence, call or text the Safe+Sound Somerset 24/7 confidential hotline at 866-685-1122 for supportive listening, information, and safety planning.
Want to “Ask Ava” a question? Visit our website at www.safe-sound.org/ask-ava. Thank you for listening today. Join us next time here on Ask Ava.