Safety Net

Written by Bakersfield Magazine

Domestic violence is a topic most people don’t like to discuss. The same can be said for sexual assault.

It may be because domestic violence takes place within a home and involves family members; friends feel it’s not their place to intrude. Also likely is the fact that people are uncomfortable talking about the ways fellow human beings abuse one another, especially family members.

These may seem like personal, private problems, but they affect the community as a whole. When nearly 20,000 men, women, and children in Kern County are affected by domestic violence and sexual assault in the course of one year, the responsibility to help falls squarely on the community.

Dutifully, the Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault (AAFVSA) has been caring for victims in need since 1979.

“At the time, the organization was just a volunteer hotline,” explained Louis Gill.

Gill is the executive director for AAFVSA and the Bakersfield Homeless Center, two organizations under the management umbrella of Bethany Services, Inc.

The hotline was first created to assess the extent of domestic violence in Kern County and it was immediately discovered that there was a great need for an emergency shelter for victims. In 1980, AAFVSA opened a 7-bed shelter. Just five years later, the shelter was expanded to hold 20 beds.

Then, in 1986, an outreach center was opened to provide counseling services for domestic violence victims and by 1989 services were expanded to include survivors of sexual assault.

The AAFVSA has been at its current location (1921 19th Street) since 1995 and the emergency shelter has 32 beds.

“We run at capacity,” Gill said. “We’re always full because we have a large service area. Our mission is to stop domestic violence and sexual assault in Kern County and assist survivors in reclaiming their lives,” explained Gill.

To do that, AAFVSA provides a 24-hour crisis hotline, 24-hour hospital accompaniment (for victims who need counseling during medical treatment and police investigation), 24-hour emergency shelter (including food and clothing), transitional housing, licensed childcare, individual and group counseling services, case management, legal services, temporary restraining orders, employment and housing placement, job skills training, self-defense classes, and numerous other educational and clinical programs. It may seem like a lot, but there is a lot of need for these services. The shelter gets 90-100 walk-ins every month.

“In the 2010-2011 fiscal year alone we provided care to 1,988 victims of domestic violence and 562 victims of sexual assault,” Gill elaborated. “And, unfortunately, that is still just a small number of the actual victims out there because many won’t report the problem.”

It’s because of the “ick” factor, Gill said. “It’s hard to have a conversation about these subjects. Often, the abuse escalates over time so the victim is already dependent on the abuser and they’re less likely to report any crimes at that point. They won’t go to family or authorities out of fear.”

How can that happen?

“Statistics show that women will go back [to an abusive household/partner] six to seven times before breaking away from the situation permanently. That’s why AAFVSA is here; to give them the assistance they need the first time and encourage them not to go back.”

The fact of the matter is, and as uncomfortable a subject as it is, domestic abuse has a ripple effect on a family. That is a huge reason why AAFVSA includes so many children’s programs.

“If children are watching their caregiver be abused, many times at the hands of their other caregiver, there is a definite psychological impact,” Gill explained. “And, the children may be abused themselves.”

While the 35-person staff works magic, AAFVSA couldn’t do what it does daily without volunteers. On top of volunteers who aid in day-to-day operations, there are also volunteers who want to help out on a more personal level.

“We conduct forty-hour certified domestic violence and sexual assault volunteer training.”

These are the people who will advocate for victims; they’ll be the intermediary between hospital staff, police, and the victim during a sexual assault exam; they’ll be the shoulder to cry on.

“We’re here to fill a critical need,” Gill elaborated. “Not just take care of a family at the time of need, but provide them with the help they deserve to return to their lives after such a horrific event or situation. There is an emotional and physical cost for people in those situations. We have to help. No woman deserves to have her sense of safety taken from her; no child should have to be abused or watch a family member be abused.”

In order to get these families back on their feet, AAFVSA offers transitional housing so that victims can discover how to function on their own.

“A typical shelter stay is ninety days, but you can’t expect that a family can get back on track in as little as three months, so these people can stay with us for two years in transitional housing.”

AAFVSA is able to do a lot with a little. They receive funding from grants and community donations. But they need more.

“We’re always looking for spiral notebooks to give to victims as they come in for counseling—everyone gets one to write in. We also need big, huggable teddy bears; laundry soap; diapers; canned foods; and hygiene items, among many other things,” Gill said. The hygiene items are placed in a kit given to sexual assault victims. Victims are also provided clothing including new sweatpants and shirts because their clothing is taken for evidence.

To find out more about AAFVSA or to discover ways you can help, call (661) 322-0931 or visit www.kernalliance.org. The more we talk about it, the more we can do for our community.

Remember, if you or someone you know is being abused, you have options. Call the AAFVSA 24-Hour Hotline at (661) 327-1091.

Article appeared in our 28-5 Issue - December 2011