COVID lockdown has led to rise in domestic violence in SLO County. Here’s how you can help
Stand Strong, formerly known as the Women’s Shelter Program of SLO County, knows all too well that the pandemic has dramatically increased incidents of domestic violence in our community.
Victims and children are trapped with abusers and unable to de-escalate or escape by leaving for safe places like school or work. We are working hard to meet the increased need.
Results from the newest restrictions are not in, but we anticipate another big increase. Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Tony Cipolla said that in the past nine months, there has been more than a 10% increase in calls, with the highest increase occurring in April, May and July after the first stay-at-home order. The number of calls increased by 65% in April and 61% in May.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports, “In the case of COVID-19, isolation, restricted movement and stay-at-home measures to contain the spread of the infection have a particularly acute impact on women. The chances of women and their children being exposed to violence is dramatically increased, as family members spend more time in close contact and household stress intensifies, and the risk grows even greater when families also have to cope with economic or job losses.”
Stand Strong confirms our clients are suffering financially as they have recently lost jobs due to the economic downturn. This makes it even more difficult to leave their abusers. They face economic barriers to services and safe housing. Due to the lack of affordable housing, most are faced with the terrible decision of staying with an abuser or immediately becoming homeless.
Most of our clients require additional assistance to afford basic necessities, such as food, transportation and work uniforms if they are still employed. Their children are at increased risk because of the loss of school. Teachers offer support and encouragement to children, and are ‘mandated reporters’ if they suspect a child is being abused in a domestic violence situation, or traumatized by witnessing abuse.
Stand Strong services include an emergency safe house, safety planning for victims, transitional housing, legal services, individual and group counseling, trauma-informed therapies for children, and Spanish services for monolingual Latinx clients. Currently, 51% of our clients are adults and 49% are children.
Even now, our services to victims continue without interruption. The initial shut-down in March caused us to implement HIPAA-compliant tele-health services by adopting work-from-home practices for staff, and adapting to new technologies that extend our program capabilities.
We are now in urgent need of monetary donations and gift cards for grocery stores, gas stations and stores like Target and Walmart. Compared to the same time last year, our client assistance needs have tripled. You can help by spreading the word about us, and by donating.
Contactless donations of gift cards and checks can be dropped off in our secure Lobby at 50 Zaca Lane, Suite 150, open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Online donations may be made at standstrongnow.org/give.
Our 24-hour confidential crisis line, which offers translation services, including ASL, is available for SLO County residents in crisis at (805) 781-6400. Our website has a “safety exit” feature, so an abuser could not find it in a victim’s browser history. For more information about our services, all of which are offered at no cost to clients, please call (805) 781-6401 or visit www.standstrongnow.org.
Jennifer Adams has spent the past 25 years working in the gender-based violence field. She currently serves as interim executive director of Stand Strong.
This story was originally published December 23, 2020 at 1:53 PM.