Volunteers of America – Greater New York (VOA–GNY) announced on July 13 that it will receive $30 million from the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) over five years to take over the running of two domestic violence shelters in the Bronx starting on Oct. 1. VOA–GNY is an affiliate of VoA, a national, faith-based human services non-profit helping individuals and families in need through social service programs.

 

The two shelters will serve different purposes. The first, Victory I, will be a 120-bed emergency shelter for critical and acute domestic violence situations, and will provide housing to survivors for 180 days. The second, aptly named Victory II, will act as a transitional shelter with 30 beds, and its purpose will be to stabilize domestic violence survivors, help them find a job, housing, and re-enter their community. The location of the shelters is not disclosed to protect survivors.  The shelters will be open to women and children, including trans women, and men with families who are the heads of their households.

 

The Montefiore Bronx Health Collective will provide primary care and mental health services at the shelters through an on-site satellite community health clinic, which will cater not just to parents and the heads of households who attend the clinic, but also to children. Thea Jandzio is a licensed social worker who serves as Vice President of Business Development and Program Services at VOA–GNY. Referring to both the adult and child mental health services, she said, “They really do go hand in hand.”

 

As is the case at the existing shelters it currently manages, VoA-GNY is taking every precaution to ensure social distancing is implemented. Jandzio said the organization has reported very low rates of COVID-19 infection among clients and staff in the past months. “We make sure everyone has food and other necessities they need to stay safe and healthy indoors,” she said. “The public health precautions we’ve been taking – wearing masks, washing hands, frequent sanitizing, social distancing – will be with us for the long haul.”

 

VoA-GNY research shows that one out of every three women and one out of every four men have experienced violence at the hands of an intimate partner in their lifetime.

 

According to a 2019 report by the New York City Domestic Fatality Review Committee, intimate partner homicide in the Bronx increased by 85.7% between 2017 and 2018. “The Bronx has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the city,” Jandzio said. “This [transition to VoA-GNY] comes at a really critical time,” she added, explaining that the pandemic has placed survivors in an unprecedented situation. “There is a fear to enter [a] shelter because of COVID,” Jandzio said. “We have seen that people are trying to weigh which is worse; to stay in their abusive situation, or is it riskier to go into a shelter?”

 

Maureen Curtis is a Norwood native and Vice President of Criminal Justice Programs at Safe Horizons, the largest domestic violence victim services agency in the country. It operates in over 50 locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City and works with VoA-GNY.

 

Curtis said there was a marked decline in domestic violence related calls to their hotline at the beginning of the shutdown. “[It] wasn’t surprising because if you’re told to stay at home, to stay safe, and home is not a safe place for you, and now the person who is abusing you is working from home, that’s going to impact your ability to possibly call the hotline,” she said.

 

Curtis began her career as a domestic violence advocate at the NYPD’s 52nd precinct, one of the first precincts to have a Domestic Violence Police Program. She said that Safe Horizons has seen a city-wide increase in family violence in 2020, and an uptick of people petitioning for orders of protection at the Bronx Family Court office.

 

Curtis described one instance of family violence where the threat of COVID-19 infection was the tactic employed against a victim. “We had one elderly person that we worked with where her son was diagnosed with COVID-19. He was not socially distancing, did not wear a mask, and was threatening to infect her,” she said.

 

Indeed, according to Curtis, the pandemic and shutdown has placed survivors in even more complex situations than before because when perpetrators of domestic violence lose their jobs, the resulting stress can exacerbate their violent tendencies. The downturn in the economy has also made it harder for survivors to find housing and employment.

 

 

One of the ways that VoA-GNY, and other domestic violence shelter groups, conduct outreach is through presentations at schools and to different community groups. However, such outreach has not been possible during the shutdown. Jandzio explained that instead the organization has been reaching out to victims through the District Attorney’s office, getting referrals through the City HRA’s project NoVa (No Violence Again), working with Safe Horizons, and other community providers.

 

Jennifer DeCarli is Assistant Commissioner of Family Justice Center Operations & Programming at the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence. She said since the pandemic, the agency has used virtual town halls and Facebook Live events to conduct outreach. To help victims who may not have access to these platforms, the agency also looked at the areas in the City with high rates of domestic violence incidences and put up flyers in those areas to advertise their services such as the Family Justice Centers and the NYC Hope hotline.

 

The City’s Family Justice Centers offer free legal advice to DV victims who may need court protection or other legal help. They are one of the most meaningful aides to DV victims trying to exit dangerous, domestic situations. Meanwhile, the NYC Hope confidential hotline connects victims to resources to help them or a loved one who may be experiencing dating, domestic, or gender-based violence. “It was really grassroots old-school – just phone calls to laundromats, to bodegas and to [other] essential businesses,” DeCarli said.

 

In fact, most domestic violence organizations and shelters have had to shift their approach over the course of the pandemic from in-person health counseling and legal sessions to virtual ones. “This has been a more accessible way for survivors to go to meetings,” DeCarli said. “We’ve actually heard from survivors that they hope that we continue with our virtual services,” she added.

 

Overall, the two Victory shelters will offer a comprehensive range of services, including trauma-informed care, behavioral health counseling, housing placement, resilience strength training, employment and vocational counseling, and on-site childcare for survivors of domestic violence and their families. In some ways, they encapsulate the moment that both victims and domestic violence organizations are in right now. They’re learning how to adapt and evolve in line with the pandemic.

 

If you are unsafe at home, you can reach out to an advocate from the NYS Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline day or night. All chat, texts, and calls are completely confidential and secure. Text 844.997.2121, call 800.942.6906, or chat at OPDV.NY.GOV.