NCJ Number
94516
Editor(s)
I Kiebert,
S Schechter
Date Published
1980
Length
125 pages
Annotation
This manual provides guidelines for establishing a community-based program for battered women and their families, based on the experiences of the Park Slope Safe Homes Project (Brooklyn, N.Y.), which is a community-based effort to coordinate formal and informal supports for emergency and short-term services to battered women, their children, and abusing partners.
Abstract
The project uses trained volunteers, who staff a hotline; provide emergency, 3-day shelter for battered women and their children; and offer ongoing community outreach and education. Extensive referrals are made to health, law enforcement, court, and social service systems. Services are monitored to ensure that the needed help is provided. Following an introductory history and overview of the project, a section is devoted to the use of volunteers in the program, including personal statements by volunteers, volunteer selection and screening, and the monthly meetings of volunteers. A sample volunteer interview sheet is provided. Another section explores project community links, with particular attention to cooperation with the community police and the pastoral care department of the local hospital. A diagram portrays links with other community agencies. Detailed guidance is provided for the development of specific services, namely, the hotline, the operation of the shelter, emergency hotel shelter and financial aid, counseling, and referrals. Other major sections of the manual address staffing and budget, community education, evaluation research, and the future of such programs. A selected bibliography contains 45 listings.