I assumed the position of Poweshiek County Outreach Coordinator and Victim Advocate at a time of unprecedented opportunity and hope for all Poweshiek citizens affected by domestic violence and sexual abuse (DV/SA). I began my term as have so many other DV/SA workers, a lone worker in an inconspicuous extension office. My first few months were a time of struggle to better understand the needs of the community, to develop effective and locally-appropriate work practices, and to decipher my role in the larger network of Poweshiek County human service providers. However, my fellowship commencement was unique in that I assumed my position with a pre-established spot on the county DSART (Domestic and Sexual Assault Response Team). This team was in the final rounds of modifications and resubmissions of a grant proposal, which, once accepted, would finally provide the county with resources to combat and prevent domestic and sexual abuse on a level commensurate to the seriousness of the problem.
Welcome to the Underground
After two and a half months in position as the local DV/SA worker, I am finally beginning to feel accustomed to my new social position. Through research, volunteer work, and personal connections I had mentally prepared myself with the knowledge and skills needed for the fellowship. Moreover, I had spent the last four years of my life among Grinnellians, who have proved to be an endless source of advice on the benefits and pitfalls of social service work. However, social preparation for this type of work can not be found in books or others' stories. Acculturating oneself to the world of DV/SA advocacy is a process that each individual must experience for themselves.
One of the first projects that I pursued in my new position was to compile a directory of human service providers available to Poweshiek County residents. This activity allowed to me to meet many local professionals whose services will undeniably compliment those that I can offer. It also allowed me a better understanding of the complicated system that individuals and families in-need must navigate to obtain the help they seek. It is this system that I have come to think of as 'The Underground.' We are a network of organizations discretely nestled in community centers, downtown office buildings, and churches that deal with the problems society does not want to see-poverty, drug addiction, child abuse, psychiatric disorders, and, of course, domestic violence and sexual assault. Our budgets are often small and our staff are overworked. Yet these individuals share a profound understanding of life on all levels of Grinnell society, and are experts on the obstacles faced by those who are taught to hide their most dire problems.
Similarly The Underground has its own vernacular and working style. We speak in diplomatic yet purposely vague language about desperate situations, and work in offices with closed doors and shaded windows. These measures are essential for confidentiality in a small town. Everyone I work with from law enforcement, to educators, to crime victims are connected in a way that only citizens of small towns can be. No significant individual act can be perpetrated without its effects reaching multiple disparate segments of the population. Thus on the streets we are unable to acknowledge our clients, in our homes we are unable to discuss much of the work we do during the day, and in professional practice we are known primarily by our first names. (For example, my business cards look curiously lopsided as I was advised for reasons of personal security to list only my first name and pertinent office information.) This was my introduction to The Underground and its unobtrusive, mysterious culture.
While confidentiality is absolutely essential to an individual's healing process; it soon became apparent that social work, especially victim advocacy, can not effectively reach society at large solely from an Underground position. However, in similar organizations, I could observe the typical social service worker's bind-when case loads are high, workers struggle to maintain community education activities and play an active role in shaping public policy, both which may significantly reduce the problem in the future. I feared falling in to this trap and watching our cause become buried deeper Underground. Such a fate would be especially tragic in the case of DV/SA, as I work against a social problem which is frequently dismissed as "a personal problem" or sometimes "no problem at all." I work with women who are suffering intensely from conditions they cannot name. Although we have vocabulary for physical violence and rape, many do not recognize the chronic emotional, psychological, financial, and sexual coercion and manipulation that permeates so many 'romantic' relationships. Without a vocabulary and empathetic civil society, survivors' voices cannot be heard and their plights are not considered. Moreover, history guaranteed that these problems will continue without committed public intervention. Although DVA/SAC has always been dedicated to community education, I am becoming increasingly apprehensive about the upcoming school year, as I have not yet found the time to develop new school awareness programs or community education campaigns.
The Means for Social Change!
Those of you that followed the chronicles of Matt, my predecessor, will remember his work in establishing a spot for a victim advocate on Poweshiek County's DSART (Domestic and Sexual Assault Response Team), created in 2003 by the County Attorney's office and local law enforcement agencies and in collaboration with DVA/SAC. Among other activities, he assisted the team through the lengthy application process for federal grant money to be used specifically for the treatment and prevention of domestic abuse and sexual assault. This past August 3rd, the hard work paid off. The U.S. Justice Department awarded $185,304 to the Poweshiek County DSART! While a generous portion of the money is allotted to the improvement of trainings and technologies to aid investigation and prosecution of abuse crimes, another significant amount will be used proactively. DSART with the help of DVA/SAC hopes to facilitate community-wide education programs aimed at preventing future domestic violence and sexual assault and preparing citizens to help those in crisis. One of the most exciting events on my horizon is a First Responder Training program scheduled in October. This is comprised of intensive training courses for law enforcement officers, first response teams, and dispatchers on the complexities and procedures involved in assisting DV/SA victims in emergency situations. Other plans for raising awareness include training seminars with 'community cooperators,' such as teachers, ministers, and other public figures who encounter victims of abuse and assault in their practices.
Finally the grant money provides for two new salaried positions which will greatly augment the quality of Poweshiek County's victim services. Currently my job is a juggling act between three interrelated fields: 1.) direct service (individual peer-counseling, personal advocacy to social, legal, and medical professionals in the area, and fielding Poweshiek County crisis line calls), 2.) court service (helping victims through the legal system either through pro se petitions or criminal prosecution), and 3.) community education (helping facilitate trainings and seminars, establishing support groups, taking part in relevant community organizations to better services for victims, and creating and disseminating informative handouts, pamphlets, and articles to create awareness about our services and social cause). However grant money will now support a full-time Victim-Witness coordinator (or a local expert at court services) and a part-time advocate to work with me to meet direct service and community education needs. With the help of 1.5 more employees dedicated to the direct application of the goals DVA/SAC employees have always worked towards in this county, Poweshiek survivors and communities will finally receive the support and education they deserve.
The secret scourge of domestic violence and sexual assault are by no means incurable social ills. They are fostered by aggression and violence that resides in our national culture and are perpetrated through unhealthy and unequal gender relations. Although I know one grant will not eradicate the problem, I believe the means to foster discussion about a traditionally unmentionable topic will open the doors to community involvement, community support, and community solutions. As with any social problem, service workers do what they can to heal the wounds of those in need, yet only when our work is accompanied by community commitment and proactive prevention programming can sustainable social change transpire.
Thank You
Before I conclude my update, I would like to take the time to publicly thank all those who have taken the time to mentor me over the past few months. Personally, I would like to thank the ladies at DVA/SAC: Billie Dall, Dottie Thompson, Lynn Kock, Pam Romaine, Sue Tufte, Hayley Robinson, and Melanie Schettler for their continuing support and advice. I would also like to thank the Assistant County Attorney, Becky Petig, Deputy Sheriff Lawrence McNaul, and Investigator Jeff Hughes for all the time and effort they have put into DSART; and Sergeant Randy Hanssen for his sensitivity and professionalism in investing domestic and sexual assault crimes.
