Dear Friend of STAND!,
What you’re hearing in the national news is true! Domestic violence survivors are among the hardest hit by the current health and economic crisis. This past year STAND! partnered with UCSF to study our incoming Crisis Line caller data and learned that:
Celebrating a birthday at shelter.
- The health pandemic has had a deep financial impact on over 45% of our callers;
- Nearly 40% of callers in crisis had also lost their child-care – creating substantial barriers to attending work and participating in critical legal and medical appointments;
- 27% identified housing as their primary concern when trying to exit a violent relationship;
- Nearly 70% reported their mental health was worse than before the pandemic;
- 20% told us they were unable to use their prevention or escape strategies (personal safety planning work done with our staff before leaving a dangerous environment) to avoid conflict with their violent partner during the pandemic period;
- 62% of those we served reported significant loss of income;
- 20% of our crisis callers reported no access to basic survival supplies – such as food and water for themselves and their children at the time of their call;
And, STAND! has seen a dramatic INCREASE in high-risk and high-lethality incidents, and it hasn’t let up!
The pandemic has changed us all – how we conduct our personal lives, our relationships, our school and work lives. But most dramatically for those we serve, the pandemic has changed the options for so many families – it has intensified the violence in their homes at a time is hasn’t been safe to leave.
What hasn’t changed is the need for STAND!’s services in Contra Costa County – services for all impacted by domestic violence, and we are asking for your support today. Please consider a gift of support today – to help STAND! save lives, rebuild families, and create real futures for domestic violence survivors and their children. Because of amazing donors like you, STAND! turned NO ONE away during the pandemic crisis. Please help us continue.
With gratitude,
Rhonda James, MA, LMFT
Chief Executive Officer
STAND! For Families Free of Violence