Outpost advocate program working well
A $160,000 grant that makes it possible to station two part-time Women’s Resource Center advocates at the Oregon Department of Human Services and County Health Department offices is already making a difference, according to everyone involved.
"I think it is helping to build much better relationships with other agencies," asserts Susan Bush, one of the two TCWRC advocates taking part in the program.
"It is an important way for us to understand each other’s roles and to train each other through our day-to-day teamwork," she added.
And at Tillamook's DHS office, Manager Sandy Kephart agrees.
"It’s been really great to have the advocates on site," she said. "Women’s Resource Center has always been a great partner to work with. But now, with someone on site, our staffs can work together as a team and collaborate on cases and learn from each other."
The 30-month grant is paying to have two TCWRC staff people splitting time between the TCWRC office and the other agency offices to help work with teen mothers, pregnant women and others in need of advocacy and support services around the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault.
"This grant is allowing us to place two part-time advocates, one of whom is bilingual, at DHS and the Health Department to make sure we are screening properly for domestic violence," explained Kathleen Marvin, executive director of the Women’s Resource Center.
"Sometimes, particularly among Spanish-speaking populations, cases of domestic violence are especially difficult to identify due to language and cultural barriers."
Bush, who has been with TCWRC for 13 years, said working in the other offices "has given me more of an understanding of the people in those offices. When you have worked side by side with someone and know them, it is much easier to know who to call when you have a client that needs services. Being on a first-name basis with them is a huge help. It will be really beneficial to the clients we are working with."
She said the program has already had benefits for clients.
"We have been able to help their clients access legal help that they might not otherwise have known about, for instance," she noted. "Also, I believe the women feel safer being able to see us in a different environment that is a place their abusers might not be suspicious of. In a small community, that kind of confidentiality is very important."
Kephart said she has seen the collaboration already making a difference at DHS.
"For instance, there was a case we all worked on together that had multiple issues in the home," she said. "Having a Women’s Resource Center advocate there as part of the team helped the client develop a safety plan much more quickly and helped them get to a safe environment."
Kephart said the cross training that happens through the regular interaction of personnel is also invaluable, particularly for her younger, less experienced staff members.
"I believe it is well worth the money,” she said. “And I think there will be a great long-term benefit from having them with us."
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