Our name, DC SAFE, stands for Survivors and Advocates for Empowerment. There is a very good reason for this. Empowerment is at the core of what we do every day. We are committed to survivor-defined advocacy and understand that survivors are the experts of their own lives. Advocates serve to support survivors’ decisions, not dictate them. We believe the advocate/survivor relationship is a partnership that is successful with mutual trust and respect. Advocacy is a process and at the end, we want survivors to feel that they not only have the agency, but also the support and resources they need to pursue an independent future.

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In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we checked in with some of our advocates and asked them to share what ‘empowerment’ means to them.

Nicole, POWER Program Specialist:

“Empowerment to me means that you are a strong role model to someone else by providing them the tools they need to succeed, while simultaneously showing them how to succeed. Having the tools does not guarantee success if one does not know what to do with them! But having a role model or mentor to be a guide in how to use those tools start help start someone on the path to success. One of the most important parts of empowerment is recognizing when the person knows the path they’re on and no longer needs that guide, and letting independence foster their own self-empowerment.”

Chandler, Lethality Assessment Project Advocate:

“I've come to understand empowerment as a constant ebb and flow, rather than a state of being or a destination. We don't exist in a world where people are "empowered" or not empowered, but in one where we are constantly empowering ourselves, or those around us, to recognize our own strengths, achievements, and goals. Empowering someone is to help them recognize the power that they already have within themselves. It's offering support, it's suspending judgement, and it's accepting that sometimes it takes some trials and errors in order to reach our goals. And finally it's realizing that as much as we feel empowered by others, we are also empowered by ourselves.”    

Alexandria, Supportive Advocacy Services (SAS) Advocate:

“Empowerment for me means helping individuals realize the power, authority, and autonomy they have over their lives. As advocates, it is our duty to empower our clients.”

Joanna, SAS Advocate:

“What empowerment means to me is lifting someone up to their maximum level of capacity. It is communicating with someone who is a co-worker, client, friend, or stranger and telling them that they are stronger than they know. They can accomplish anything they want, through hard work and determination. Empowerment means giving someone a positive outlook on whatever turmoil they are going through. It is being there for someone who is in need of guidance and you always being there for them.”    

This September we are recognizing Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. As many of you already know, COVID-19 has exacerbated public health issues across the board. Hotlines across the country are still overflowing with calls. When the pandemic started, this wasn’t always the case. Some hotlines saw incoming call numbers dramatically sink. Although this wasn’t true for our Response Line, we did experience an initial decline in high risk cases. The world was in a state of confusion. Survivors of all kinds weren’t sure if hotlines were open or if it was safe to call. Opportunities to seek help perhaps seemed diminished. The pandemic and isolation have caused enormous amounts of stress. A sense of ‘lost control’ can unfortunately, turn a bad situation worse. As time progressed and isolation orders started to lift across the states, hotline calls skyrocketed. However, this time the incidents were more destructive and violent in nature.

We are referring to both domestic violence hotlines, like our Crisis Response Line, and suicide prevention hotlines. It is vital that we are all aware of intersections that exist in the public health sector. Although DV and suicide prevention are both high profile issues, they are rarely discussed together. According to the Partnership Against Domestic Violence, research indicates that exposure to violence is directly related to an elevated risk for suicidal behavior in women and children.  In one study, children and young adults who were exposed to intimate partner violence (IPV) were twice as likely to attempt suicide as opposed to their peers. 

Another study suggests that one-third of all women pursuing protection orders have suffered suicidal thoughts or behaviors. The two can also be indirectly linked, exposure to IPV can cause changes to psychological functioning that may then precede suicidal behavior. According to the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, survivors of any type of IPV and domestic violence are at a 3x-4x higher risk of suicide, and even higher for Black women and individuals who are transgender, bisexual, undocumented, and/or on public assistance. Research that examines the correlation between domestic violence and suicidal behavior is still evolving and ongoing; however, research has demonstrated that the connection is significant and worth further exploration.

It is imperative that we all understand the interconnectedness of these two issue. This webinar further discusses the urgent need for domestic violence and suicide prevention hotline advocates to be prepared to answer questions and handle calls that involve the other. Advocates must be equipped with information to all proper resources. Breaking down these barriers is essential to serving all survivors.

In these times of COVID-19, it is especially critical that we all work together as a community. We must look at public health issues like domestic violence and suicide through a bird’s-eye view. We must try to understand the ways they intersect. Of course, this also includes the ways that our identities overlap to create systems of discrimination that privilege some of us more than others in accessing help, establishing safety, and creating personal freedom. At DC SAFE, we are committed to furthering our knowledge and improving in our ability to identify and support survivors navigating co-occuring mental health issues, including suicidal ideation.

We have exciting news! After months of back and forth, the DC Council unanimously passed its FY21 on July 28, 2020. The budget includes $3M for a new domestic violence shelter, which means we are closer than ever to being able to break ground on  the new facility for our SAFE Space Crisis Shelter! 

So many of our supporters participated in the budget advocacy that went into the Council’s decision, and we want to extend our sincerest thanks for your efforts. We are happy to have had the support of the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the DV community at large throughout the budget season to advocate for the needs of survivors, which, as you know, have become even more acute during the pandemic. In addition, we are so grateful for the continued and proactive support of Councilmembers Charles Allen, Brianne Nadeau, and Kenyan McDuffie. 

Amidst increased calls for domestic violence services due to COVID-19, the $3M for a new facility is essential. Since the start of the pandemic, we’ve provided crisis shelter at the existing SAFE Space location for over 100 survivors and their children. But due to limited capacity at the current facility, we’ve also made over 150 emergency hotel placements. 

The new facility will be fundamental in helping us meet the ongoing and escalated need for crisis housing caused by the pandemic. It will double the crisis shelter’s current capacity, offering 30 apartment-style units and on-site support services, such as counseling and childcare. 

As you know, one of the most critical elements of assisting domestic violence survivors is being able to provide safe and accessible housing in a time of crisis. Our Shelter Director, Michelle Sewell, said it best: “The DC Council has demonstrated their commitment to survivors with the approval of these funds. They have positioned DC SAFE to move forward in realizing a much needed resource in the District."

Thank you for your help making the new shelter a reality! We look forward to sharing more milestones as we get even closer to accomplishing this dream. We expect groundbreaking to begin early next year!