Local agencies assist victims of domestic violence

SANDUSKY — Ten million men and women are victims of domestic violence each year in the United States, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.In Erie County, a number of agencies work every day to assist victims in recovering from their attacks and move forward in their lives.The Erie County Victim Assistance Program, which works out of the county prosecutor's office, provides a phone number of services to all crime victims, including those of domestic violence.Program director Sarah Reynolds said she and other advocates assist victims through the criminal court process — sitting with them in court and sometimes reading victim impact statements on their behalf — and can also provide short-term counseling and give victims information on how to get a civil protection order."We're the voice of the victim at court," Reynolds said.The victim assistance program also makes referrals to other agencies, including the Safe Harbour Domestic Violence Shelter, whose resources include providing shelter for victims and their children shelter along with offering counseling and legal advocacy.Children servicesIf children are involved in, or present for, a domestic violence incident, the county's children services department — which operates out of Erie County Job & Family Services — often become involved.Law enforcement will report such domestic violence incidents to children services, which responds to the home where the assault occurred — sometimes on the same night — to begin work with the family."The biggest thing we look at is the safety of the kid," deputy director of social programs AJ Lill said. "Then what's paramount is that, whoever the victim was, what's their protective capacities?"Children services will work with the family to create a "safety plan," a written agreement, which can be court-ordered, that can stipulate how much contact a child can have with the domestic violence aggressor and what intervention methods and classes the parents must complete.If the child can't be left in the custody of the domestic violence victim, children services can try to place them in the care of a family member, Lill said. In the most extreme cases, children services can file for custody of the child.But the agency's primary goal is to help the family, not separate them."A lot of it is breaking down barriers, letting them know we're not there to remove the kid," Lill said. "(We ask) 'honestly, what can we do to help?'"Effect on childrenWitnessing violence in the home can have a long-term impact on children, Erie County Job & Family Services executive director Karen Balconi Ghezzi said."Someone who's seen abuse is more likely to become an abuser or become a victim of abuse," Balconi Ghezzi said.Lill said he's seen children commit violence against other children, and then cite violence they see in their homes as justification for what they've done."The long-term trauma the child's exposed to watching this kind of violence, I think it's very significant," he said. "You don't truly know the impact it has on a kid until later life.Balconi Ghezzi said their agency is seeing more domestic violence paired with a shift in drug usage."When we started the opioid crisis, we saw more cases of neglect than abuse," she said. "Now with the decline in heroin use, but the increase with cocaine and methamphetamine, we're seeing a lot more domestic violence, especially with meth."Education and resources for victimsJob and family services offers a number of services for domestic violence victims, including assistance with transportation, housing, daycare and help with independent living.The agency can also help people potentially get access to food stamps and Medicaid, Balconi Ghezzi said. Beyond that, the agency can assist people with job training and employment placement.Job and family services also refers crime victims to outside agencies for counseling, mental health assessments, parenting classes and more.Domestic violence task forceBoth the victim assistance program and children services are members of Erie County's domestic violence task force. The task force, which has been active since 1995, meets quarterly and works to bring a number of local agencies and stakeholders together to combat domestic violence in the community.The victim assistance program, children services, the Tri-County Sexual Assault Nurse Examination unit, members of Safe Harbour and Legal Aid of Western Ohio form a "first response team" with the task force, Reynolds said."We all have our own roles but I think all the agency's work very well together to help a victim build their life back," she said. "We're very fortunate to have such great collaboration and teamwork in this county. Many other counties don't have that teamwork to help victims of violent crimes."Local resources for victims• Safe Harbour Domestic Violence Shelter: 419-626-2200 or 1-800-953-2207- Provides shelter, victim advocacy, support groups, legal advocacy• Erie County Children Services: 419-626-5437- Case management, emergency assistance, trained caseworkers who work with child victims.• Erie County Job & Family Services: 419-626-6781- Assistance with employment, child support, quality of family life.• Erie County Victim Assistance: 419-624-6880- Support victims at court and hospitals, assist victims through court processes.• Legal Aid of Western Ohio: 1-888-534-1432- Free legal advice and referrals for low-income residents of northwest and west-central Ohio.Reach reporter Brandon Addeo at brandonaddeo@sanduskyregister.com, follow him on Twitter @BrandonAddeo and follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterPeople walk in high heels during the Walk A Mile in Her Shoes fundraiser at Shoreline Park in this Aug. 5, 2017, file photo. The annual event raises money for the Safe Harbour Domestic Violence Shelter in Sandusky.