{"id":89009,"date":"2020-04-27T11:03:09","date_gmt":"2020-04-27T17:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/domestic-violence-service-providers-adapt-to-face-coronavirus\/"},"modified":"2020-04-27T11:03:09","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T17:03:09","slug":"domestic-violence-service-providers-adapt-to-face-coronavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/domestic-violence-service-providers-adapt-to-face-coronavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"Domestic violence service providers adapt to face coronavirus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Carrisa,
Carrisa, last name omitted because of Volunteers of America\u2019s policy, left, a VOA residential advocate, and Rachel Bauske, Southwest Colorado division director for VOA, look over personal protective equipment items and disinfectants Friday at the Durango VOA Shelter.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The Volunteers of America Southwest Safehouse in Durango is designed to be a secret, safe place where anyone fleeing household violence can find refuge at any time. The coronavirus has changed that.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause children, women and men are sometimes having to flee domestic violence situations in the middle of the night, we\u2019ve always strived to never turn somebody away,\u201d said Rachel Bauske, VOA division director. \u201cWe don\u2019t have the ability to do that right now in order to adhere to social-distancing guidelines.\u201d<\/p>\n

While domestic violence calls have nearly doubled<\/a> since Colorado\u2019s first coronavirus case March 5, local service agencies have been forced to cut capacity and adapt services because of the virus.<\/p>\n

As states imposed stay-at-home orders in response to the growing outbreak, domestic violence and child-abuse service providers expressed concerns<\/a> that stay-at-home orders might be trapping some people in violent situations without support. As the state prepares to reopen, and victims have more opportunities to leave the house, service providers feel like they might get an influx of calls.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur domestic violence and domestic disturbance calls have gone up quite a bit,\u201d said Cmdr. Ray Shupe, spokesperson for Durango Police Department. It\u2019s not just violence between adult couples, but between siblings, and between parents and children, he said.<\/p>\n

Southwest Safehouse saw a lull in new guests during the winter, but once March and April arrived, the Safehouse saw a \u201cbig spike,\u201d Bauske said. Those calls weren\u2019t just coming from Durango. They were coming from across the state.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany other shelters got to the point of having to put a pause on their own intakes and some winter-only shelters were closing,\u201d Bauske said. \u201cThat\u2019s when we had to make the decision as an agency.\u201d<\/p>\n

The safehouse cut its intake capacity from 26 beds to 12 to open up quarantine areas and allow for social distancing. It turned away 16 people in April, two because of capacity issues and one because the person had COVID-19 symptoms.<\/p>\n

Volunteers of America, which also operates the Durango Community Shelter for people experiencing homelessness, began to reorganize. It restructured rooms so people could sleep 6 feet apart. Staff transferred two women from the shelter to the safehouse so it could move half of the men\u2019s population to the female dorm and shift beds farther apart.<\/p>\n

The organization paused intakes for a weekend in early April. Staff required everyone at the safehouse and the shelter to wear masks. It also began screening intakes for COVID-19 symptoms.<\/p>\n

Community members were apprehensive about going to a communal living environment \u2013 nervous about catching the virus. Once people left the safehouse, staff members could not enforce social-distancing restrictions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe as providers can give the best advice that we can give, but we weren\u2019t able to enforce anything,\u201d Bauske said. \u201cI think that was challenging and concerning for both our staff and guests.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other organizations are also facing virus-related challenges.<\/p>\n

\"Jessica
Jessica Dalla-Cundiff, a case worker for La Plata County Human Services, sits in one of the children\u2019s interview rooms Friday that the county has at its office. Human Services shifted most of its services online or via phone in response to the coronavirus but still sees families in its office if necessary.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

At La Plata County Human Services, the number of calls in March and April were similar to the same time period in 2019. Most services were already available online or through phone services before the coronavirus arrived. But staff members still have to visit people\u2019s homes during the outbreak if they receive a report about alleged child abuse or neglect. That means donning face masks, grabbing hand sanitizer and screening families for symptoms before arriving at the home, said Director Martha Johnson. When, on the rare occasion, a family needs to come into the office, staff members prepare specific rooms for the visit.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of calls don\u2019t necessarily meet the criteria for child abuse or neglect,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cIt feels like we\u2019re getting more of those kinds of calls now than we did a year ago as families are under increased stress.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the so-called safer-at-home period begins Monday, Johnson\u2019s main concern is child care, particularly for 7 to 10 year olds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe businesses will open, but the schools will not,\u201d she said. \u201cA concern we have is, what kind of child care arrangements will parents be able to make?\u201d<\/p>\n

Alternative Horizons offers counseling, currently through video platforms, a crisis line and other services for people experiencing violence at home. Staff has begun placing business cards in liquor stores, pharmacies and grocery stores \u2013 all open during the stay-at-home order.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur concern has been that survivors have had no ability or time to make a call or request help because of the isolation and the stay-at-home order,\u201d said Kim Zook, executive director.<\/p>\n

Overall, Zook said the organization\u2019s call volume remained steady, but clients needed more mental health services.<\/p>\n

People experiencing domestic violence are isolated from family and friends in normal times. During the stay-at-home order, that isolation became more pronounced.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose past traumas are coming up, and in talking about those, we\u2019re also reminding clients of their strengths and resiliency in what they\u2019ve been through,\u201d Zook said.<\/p>\n

Now that Colorado is transitioning into its safer-at-home order, Zook expects a shift in services.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of the agencies in Colorado are feeling that, now that things might be opening up a bit, we will have an uptick in cases,\u201d Zook said. \u201cI don\u2019t have any proof of that, that\u2019s just the feeling across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

smullane@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Domestic violence resources<\/h4>\n

Orders to stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic could lead to higher household stress and rates of domestic violence, child abuse and neglect.
\n These resources are available for help:
\n Women\u2019s Resource Center, 247-1242.
\n SASO, Sexual Assault Services Organization, 247-5400.
\n Southwest Safehouse, 259-5443.
\n Alternative Horizons, 247-9619.
\n Archuleta County Domestic Violence Hotline: Rise Above Violence, 264-9075.
\n Axis Health System Crisis Care Hotline: 247-5245, for mental health or substance abuse crisis situations.
\n Farmington: Family Crisis Center Domestic Violence Hotline, (505) 564-9192 or toll-free (888) 440-9192.
\n Farmington: Family Crisis Center Protective Shelter, (505) 564-9192.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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