Community Education & Prevention Series: Dynamics of Sexual Assault

Are you passionate about supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence? Do you want to learn more about how we can make our communities safer for everyone? Join the Fall 2024 Community Education & Prevention Series!

The CWS Community Education & Prevention Series (previously Domestic Violence Advocacy Training) offers learning opportunities on topics related to domestic and sexual violence, trauma-informed care, and working with survivors.

Appropriate for social service providers, caseworkers, advocates, counselors/therapists, law enforcement, legal professionals, and members of the greater community, this series is designed to build skills in supporting survivors of domestic violence, understanding impacts of trauma, and addressing societal frameworks that normalize violence.

If seeking confidential advocate status in Oregon, these workshops can help fulfill the training requirements as set out in ORS 40.264 (2015) and OAR 137-085.

This training session will be held from 1:00pm-3:15pm in person on Zoom. You will be sent the Zoom link upon registration.

Register for the series by visiting this link: https://forms.gle/4A3zLEH8hrfbCeDo6

Are you passionate about supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence? Do you want to learn more about how we can make our communities safer for everyone? Join the Fall 2024 Community Education & Prevention Series!

The CWS Community Education & Prevention Series (previously Domestic Violence Advocacy Training) offers learning opportunities on topics related to domestic and sexual violence, trauma-informed care, and working with survivors.

Appropriate for social service providers, caseworkers, advocates, counselors/therapists, law enforcement, legal professionals, and members of the greater community, this series is designed to build skills in supporting survivors of domestic violence, understanding impacts of trauma, and addressing societal frameworks that normalize violence.

If seeking confidential advocate status in Oregon, these workshops can help fulfill the training requirements as set out in ORS 40.264 (2015) and OAR 137-085.

This training session will be held from 1:00pm-3:15pm in person on Zoom. You will be sent the Zoom link upon registration.

Register for the series by visiting this link: https://forms.gle/4A3zLEH8hrfbCeDo6

Are you passionate about supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence? Do you want to learn more about how we can make our communities safer for everyone? Join the Fall 2024 Community Education & Prevention Series!

The CWS Community Education & Prevention Series (previously Domestic Violence Advocacy Training) offers learning opportunities on topics related to domestic and sexual violence, trauma-informed care, and working with survivors.

Appropriate for social service providers, caseworkers, advocates, counselors/therapists, law enforcement, legal professionals, and members of the greater community, this series is designed to build skills in supporting survivors of domestic violence, understanding impacts of trauma, and addressing societal frameworks that normalize violence.

If seeking confidential advocate status in Oregon, these workshops can help fulfill the training requirements as set out in ORS 40.264 (2015) and OAR 137-085.

This training session will be held from 1:00pm-3:15pm in person on Zoom. You will be sent the Zoom link upon registration.

Register for the series by visiting this link: https://forms.gle/4A3zLEH8hrfbCeDo6

Are you passionate about supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence? Do you want to learn more about how we can make our communities safer for everyone? Join the Fall 2024 Community Education & Prevention Series!

The CWS Community Education & Prevention Series (previously Domestic Violence Advocacy Training) offers learning opportunities on topics related to domestic and sexual violence, trauma-informed care, and working with survivors.

Appropriate for social service providers, caseworkers, advocates, counselors/therapists, law enforcement, legal professionals, and members of the greater community, this series is designed to build skills in supporting survivors of domestic violence, understanding impacts of trauma, and addressing societal frameworks that normalize violence.

If seeking confidential advocate status in Oregon, these workshops can help fulfill the training requirements as set out in ORS 40.264 (2015) and OAR 137-085.

This training session will be held from 1:00pm-3:15pm in person on Zoom. You will be sent the Zoom link upon registration.

Register for the series by visiting this link: https://forms.gle/4A3zLEH8hrfbCeDo6

Are you passionate about supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence? Do you want to learn more about how we can make our communities safer for everyone? Join the Fall 2024 Community Education & Prevention Series!

The CWS Community Education & Prevention Series (previously Domestic Violence Advocacy Training) offers learning opportunities on topics related to domestic and sexual violence, trauma-informed care, and working with survivors.

Appropriate for social service providers, caseworkers, advocates, counselors/therapists, law enforcement, legal professionals, and members of the greater community, this series is designed to build skills in supporting survivors of domestic violence, understanding impacts of trauma, and addressing societal frameworks that normalize violence.

If seeking confidential advocate status in Oregon, these workshops can help fulfill the training requirements as set out in ORS 40.264 (2015) and OAR 137-085.

This training session will be held from 1:00pm-3:15pm in person on Zoom. You will be sent the Zoom link upon registration.

Register for the series by visiting this link: https://forms.gle/4A3zLEH8hrfbCeDo6

Are you passionate about supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence? Do you want to learn more about how we can make our communities safer for everyone? Join the Fall 2024 Community Education & Prevention Series!

The CWS Community Education & Prevention Series (previously Domestic Violence Advocacy Training) offers learning opportunities on topics related to domestic and sexual violence, trauma-informed care, and working with survivors.

Appropriate for social service providers, caseworkers, advocates, counselors/therapists, law enforcement, legal professionals, and members of the greater community, this series is designed to build skills in supporting survivors of domestic violence, understanding impacts of trauma, and addressing societal frameworks that normalize violence.

If seeking confidential advocate status in Oregon, these workshops can help fulfill the training requirements as set out in ORS 40.264 (2015) and OAR 137-085.

This training session will be held from 1:00pm-3:15pm in person on Zoom. You will be sent the Zoom link upon registration.

Register for the series by visiting this link: https://forms.gle/4A3zLEH8hrfbCeDo6

It was a full agenda for this year’s long session in Salem. CWS continues to be at the seat of many tables to ensure that the nuanced and complex issues that relate to survivors of domestic and sexual violence are better understood in the context of policy and the potential implications, both intended and unintended, that occur. Here’s a recap of our engagement as well as some of the specific bills we want to highlight.

CWS Participation

Our public policy efforts are primarily done in coalition with The Oregon DVSA Legislative Alliance to End Violence Against Women, as well as others such as Our Children Oregon, Stable Homes Coalition

We started a CWS Staff Public Policy Workgroup this year and members from that group provided testimony and went to the Capital participating in meetings with elected officials. The Board is also engaged in our policy work through a Public Policy Committee. Both the workgroup and committee give input, weigh the pros and cons of legislative work, and engage in advocacy. We are grateful for this participation because public policy is best shaped with input and engagement from multiple perspectives.

Our agency has participated in policy and ballot measure campaigns (like HereTogether, Safe Kids Coalition), speakers’ events, reaching out to elected officials, and more.

  • Some of the ways that we participate:
    • Action Alerts
    • Lobbying and direct advocacy
    • Testimony
    • Campaign engagement
    • Awareness raising
    • Education
    • Defend survivor rights and the policies that protect them
    • Conduct policy analysis
    • Collect and analyze data
    • Meet with implementers and decision-makers
    • Conduct study tours—giving tours to elected officials, policy makers, and legislative staff
    • Evaluate outcomes
    • Policy monitoring and tracking

Our Executive Director also sits on various workgroups and engages with elected officials for them to learn more about the issue of domestic violence and our work, including:

Bills and Policy

We want to highlight and celebrate a few of our successes from Oregon’s 2023 legislative session:

  • This year, the focus was on continuing critical ODSVS and SHF funding (SB 5506).
    • Oregon Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (ODSVS) received $10M and helps fund 60 community-based organizations and Tribal communities across the state for basic domestic and sexual violence and trafficking services.The Survivor Housing Fund (SHF) received $6M and is highly flexible general funding for housing.CWS hosted education sessions for lawmakers and participated in lobby days. ODSVS funds help us fund Latina services, outreach and education, prevention programming, and youth services. SHF funds support survivors to meet housing needs in a variety of ways. We are glad these were approved!
    • Passing these crucial funding bills was a bipartisan effort, and there are many more who helped make this happen than we can thank here. A few we want to highlight are: Sen. Sara Gelser Blouin, Sen. Kathleen Taylor, Sen. Wlnsvey Campos, Rep. Jason Kropf, Rep. Lily Morgan, Rep. Bobby Levy, and Dacia Grayber, as well as Gov. Kotek who included the funding in her budget.

  • Campus DVSA Response (HB 3456): Requires college campuses to conduct a climate survey of students to understand sexual misconduct taking place in addition to schools being required to have confidential advocates on campus or partner with a local victim advocacy organization. This was a huge win and gratitude goes to Rep. Annessa Hartman for her unwavering commitment to survivors in addition to Rep. Mark Gamba, Sen. Dembrow, the Oregon Sexual Assault Task Force and Every Voice Coalition for ensuring the passage of this bill.

  • Crime Victim’s Compensation Bill (HB 2676): Crime victims of all types can mitigate the cost of experiencing a crime (like lost wages or medical bills).
    • Some important changes were made with this bill, including:
      • Eliminates the requirement that victims and survivors cooperate with law enforcement investigations and prosecutions in order to receive compensation; they can apply directly through the DOJ
      • Provides access to S-KITS (Strangulation Kits)
      • Access to benefits were expanded
  • FAPA Expansion (SB 816A) extended restraining orders from one to two years; this will go in effect January 1st, 2024. A big thank you to Senator Thatcher and others who championed this bill.

  • Shelter Pet Assistance Bill (HB 23395 & 5511): This bill provides funds for companion pets, in addition to policies to reduce barriers to access shelter programs. It established an emergency grant program ($1M). Thank you to Senator Patterson for bringing this bill forward and Senator Jama for ensuring it passed.

  • Traumatic Brain Injury Bill (SB 420): More research/investment in human services statewide to help people with traumatic brain injuries and how it impacts Oregonians; has component of it that is specific to DVSA. Read more here

  • Trafficking Education (SB 473): Adds trafficking education to Erin’s Law. Thank you to the Sexual Assault Task Force for their work.

  • OHA Public Health Funding:
    • Community Health Equity Coalition is an ad hoc advocacy group comprised of CBOs advocating for OHA funding (CWS is a member). This funding supports our work in school-based health centers. We are pleased that current statewide funding levels were maintained and increased some. Domestic and sexual violence are public health issues, and these funds are important for the work we do.

  • Our Children Oregon
    • Several wins for children in Oregon:
      • Oregon Kids’ Credit: A tax credit for every child aged 0 to 5 to qualifying low-income families.
      • Investments in early learning and care infrastructure and facilities (SB 599, HB 2727, HB 3005, HB 2991).
      • Elevating Student Voice Act (HB 2656).
      • Racism is a Public Health Crisis Task Force (HB 2925): Funds a task force to develop strategies.
      • Child Advocacy Center Funding (HB 2732): Supports centers across the state, including our partner agency Children’s Center.
  • Stable Homes Coalition
    • Governor’s Emergency Order and Housing Package: $200M invested to build more affordable housing, rehousing, and homelessness prevention.
    • Eviction Reform and Reduction (HB 2001 & HB 5019)
    • Stable Homes Reasonable Rent (SB 611)
    • Funding in OHCS Budget (HB 511)

A family bedroom at CWS’ Emergency Shelter

The growing number of women experiencing homelessness in the Portland area recently received some well-deserved attention from the Oregonian. In her article, “Our Homeless Crisis: For women, few services and plenty of danger,” Anna Griffin explains that women living on the streets experience increased risks of being targeted by an abuser or being exploited.

In addition to the increased vulnerability to domestic and sexual violence that women face while experiencing homelessness, abuse is also a root cause of homelessness for women. “Abusers in pursuit of power and control limit survivors’ financial options and isolate them from support people, which increases their vulnerability to homelessness if they are to leave the relationship.” Amy Doud, Program Director at Clackamas Women’s Services said.

Survivors’ vulnerability to homelessness is also negatively impacted by rising home prices and a historically tight rental market in the Portland area. “Survivors, even when provided with a voucher or subsidy, are having a lot of trouble finding housing,” Amy Doud told us.

Difficulties stemming from abuse, such as an abuser systematically destroying their partner’s credit history, screen many survivors out of an increasingly selective rental process. This can leave survivors with a terrible choice between returning to abusive relationships and facing homelessness, an issue that Street Roots covered in November. And as survivors find it more difficult to transition into long-term housing, shelter stays lengthen, which affects every aspect of domestic violence services since beds are limited and in extremely high demand.

At Clackamas Women’s Services, our 30-year history of offering wrap-around services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault has provided a clear picture of the direct, two-way connection between homelessness and abuse. We encourage community members to advocate for affordable housing and inclusionary zoning, to sensitively consider the context when encountering people who may be experiencing homelessness, and to support safe shelter spaces and housing resources. Together, we can address the interconnected issues of homelessness and domestic violence.

Clackamas County Resource for those experiencing homelessness or housing crisis: Coordinated Housing Access

Phone: 503-655-8575

Cindy Becker, Clackamas County H3S Director, addresses Open House attendees

Cindy Becker, Clackamas County H3S Director, addresses Open House attendees

On Tuesday, October 14th, several groups throughout Clackamas County co-hosted an Open House at the Estacada Outreach Office. The Estacada Outreach Office is a partnership between various agencies that provide services to survivors of domestic and sexual violence, including Clackamas Women’s Services, Clackamas County Children, Youth, and Families Division, Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office Victim Assistance Program and Catholic Charities El Programa Hispano Project UNICA.

Survivors in the rural areas of Clackamas County, who traditionally had less access to support, can now visit the Estacada Outreach Office where they can meet with advocates, seek counseling, and receive referrals for agency services. For those who are not able to travel to Estacada, advocates will also make home visits.

Cindy Becker, Clackamas County Health, Housing and Human Services Director, pointed out that until now service providers were far flung and travel time was extensive, especially for survivors with children. For her, the demands of accessing separate agencies underscore the value of serving survivors under one roof.

Clackamas Women’s Services is proud to be part of a coordinated effort to make domestic violence services more accessible to all communities.

 

 

 

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