Definition of domestic violence

Domestic violence is a pattern of

abusive behavior where one partner
in an intimate relationship controls
another through force, intimidation,
or the threat of violence

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Dynamics of domestic violence
 Nearly one in four women in the United States reports
experiencing violence by a current or former spouse or
boyfriend at some point in her life.
-Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008

Women of all ages are at risk for domestic and sexual

violence, and those age 20 to 24 are at the greatest risk
of experiencing nonfatal intimate partner violence
-U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2007

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Dynamics of domestic violence
(cont’d)

One in five adolescent girls become the
victims of physical or sexual violence, or
both
Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001


“It’s time for all of us to recognize the
impact that violence in the home has on our
children--we must let them know that is not
OK to be hurt or hurt a loved one.”
Lisa Breen Strickland
Women of Silicon Valley Fund

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Who are the unintended victims?
 15.5 million children in the United States live in
families in which partner violence occurred at least
once in the past year, and seven million children live
in families in which severe partner violence occurred
Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2003

 Approximately one in five female high school

students reports being physically and/or sexually
abused by a dating partner.
Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001

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Victims of domestic violence
may experience other
problems

They can face other serious issues:

Homelessness

Drug abuse

Child abuse

Teenage pregnancy

Juvenile delinquency

Theft

Poor academic performance

Unemployment and absenteeism at work

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Breaking the stereotypes

The myths or illusions

“It only happens to poor people.”

“Not in my neighborhood.”

“Never hear about it. Can’t be that big of a
problem.”


The truth

“Domestic violence affects everyone, rich and
poor, old and young, throughout Santa Clara
County.”
Kathleen Krenek, Executive Director, Next
Door

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One day in the news….

Headlines of The San Jose Mercury News articles

Many victims
Police say dozen
reject Study people
mandatory shows watched
reports of
teens face Calif. gang rape.
domestic
threat of
violence
abuse. abuse.

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Domestic violence in Santa Clara
County

More than 25,000 hotline calls were made to
the five domestic violence hotlines in 2008.


County domestic violence agencies provided
more than 19,000 emergency shelter bed
nights.


The County District Attorney counted 8,595
domestic violence cases in 2006 and 2007
with many more unreported.

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 Next Door’s Mission
The mission of Next Door Solutions to Domestic
Violence is to end domestic violence in the moment
and for all time so that it may save and rebuild lives
damaged by abusive relationships.
Next Door provides innovative prevention and
intervention services to women, men, children and
teens in Santa Clara County. We affirm that all aspects
of domestic violence must be addressed in order to
reduce the incidence of this pervasive problem.

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 Next Door’s History
•
1971 WOMA (Women’s Alliance) opens,
operates out of Bea Anderson’s garage
and home.
•
An official shelter is opened. It is the first
bilingual English-Spanish domestic
violence shelter in the country.
•
1989 the program is expanded and
renamed Next Door Solutions to
Domestic Violence.

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 Our Programs
•
24-hour emergency hotline and shelter;
•
48 transitional housing units and supportive services at the
HomeSafes in San Jose and Santa Clara;
•
Peer counseling and support groups;
•
Legal advocacy;
•
Walk-in crisis counseling and advocacy at its Community Office;
•
Immigrant victim services;
•
The Language Bank, which provides access to services in over 35
languages;
•
Dating violence education and support groups for teens;
•
Children's programming for cultivating emotional resiliency; The
MAVEN program for older adults;
•
Advocacy teams for victims at the Family Violence Center, Dept. of
Family and Children's Services and CalWORKS;
•
Community outreach at schools and businesses.

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 Emergency Shelter
“I had been living with the man for 25 years. When he hurt me I
would sleep in my car or my friends house. …I was taken to the
shelter at Next Door. …I didn’t have a friend in the world, was
very unsure of myself and looked like death warmed over.”

The Shelter Next Door is a 24-hour emergency shelter that

provides safe housing and crisis counseling for women and their
children. The shelter provides safety for approximately 20
people per night and is one of the few shelters accepting boys
up to age 18 when accompanying their moms. If the shelter is
full, no one is turned away without an alternative housing
solution.

“I was taught what verbal and mental abuse is. It was what I was
going through and never knew it until now. …I feel like I am a
women and to be treated like one. I am a human being.”

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 Hotline
“He came home drunk and began calling me vicious names
because his dinner was cold. …He finally passed out. I
sat and sobbed, feeling so alone. I was ashamed. I
remember seeing a flyer about a hotline…I picked up the
phone and called.”
Next Door’s 24 Hour Hotline is answered 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week and provides crisis counseling,
information and referrals in English and Spanish. Last
fiscal year the Hotline answered over 12,000 calls.
“The hotline phone rang…I was tempted to hang up. Then
a woman answered and welcomed me to talk about
anything I wanted to say. During that conversation and
after, I knew I wasn’t alone. Someone would be there to
help me figure things out.”

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 Family Violence Center
“He ripped the phone off the wall and choked me with the
chord. I called the police because I got scared. I didn’t
want him arrested. What will happen to my family? Will
he lose his job? How will I feed my kids?”
The Family Violence Center–a collaboration with the San
Jose Police Department that offers victims of domestic
violence “one-stop shopping” for help. Two embedded
advocates provide safety planning and referrals to
individuals and their children.
“At first when the advocate from the Family Violence
Center called I resented her contacting me. Then she
told me what would happen, that my husband would be
going to counseling where he would learn how to control
himself. She told me what happened wasn’t my fault…
Maybe there was hope.”

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 Legal Advocacy
The FBI reports that over 80% of women who are killed
by their abusive partners are killed while attempting
to leave or after having left the relationship.
“It felt so weird that here I was after being told I was a
worthless piece of dirt that couldn’t do anything on
my own, listening to a judge telling him that what he
had done to me was wrong…My advocate explained
everything to me and shielded me from his hateful
gaze. For the first time in my memory, I felt a sense
of pride in myself.”

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Mature Alternatives to Violent
Environments Now
“I always thought I would leave him when the kids
were grown. Of course, I thought of myself as
young and able to stand on my own. I didn’t
imagine being old with a bad hip and no income of
my own. But that’s where I am now.”
•
MAVEN provides emergency and long-term
solutions for senior victims of domestic violence
and elder abuse, providing emergency shelter,
hotline services, support groups, and home visits.
“After 40 years and for the first time I realized my
strength as a woman. I am aware of the
possibilities and after living at the shelter I know
what I am capable of. I’ve got my own apartment
now and I’m sure I will continue receiving support
from Next Door.”

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 Teen Services

“Jes told me he loved me and couldn’t stand it

that we had different class schedules. He
hated me talking to my friends or trying out
for the swim team. Last Friday, he slapped
me and threw my books to the ground. I
think I love him, but this feels rotten.”
“Seeing D.A.T.E scared me because I saw
myself. I thought only older people got beat
up by their boyfriends. I don’t want my life
to be like this anymore.”

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 HomeSafe
“In an emergency shelter, I read the Domestic Violence Cycle poster on the
wall. It was like shining a lamp on my life. I read the poster again and
again and realized that was my life. I was abused. I was angry. I knew I
was dying but didn’t have the courage to walk away.”

• HomeSafe is long-term transitional housing where families can stay for

• HomeSafe, a collaborative of Santa Clara County nonprofit agencies

“My case manager at the shelter referred me to HomeSafe. I was happy to

be at HomeSafe because there was the time I needed to recover.”

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 Ending Domestic
Violence…
…Creating Safe
Communities