In a small state like Vermont, and with a relatively small number of victim assistance programs, we are able to make programs aware of their obligation to inform victims about and assist them to apply for victim compensation.  We do see pockets of the state where victim assistance advocates are more proactive about assisting victims with the application process.  Though quite simple and straight forward we know that victims benefit from this kind of assistance, especially early in the aftermath of victimization.  We also hear from the domestic and sexual violence advocates that many of the women they work with do not decide to report crimes to law enforcement and are therefore not eligible for compensation.  We recently printed thousands of new applications and have distributed these to many of our programs.

The Center provides leadership on innumerable projects throughout the year to provide systemic improvements, innovative training opportunities, and services to victims of crime within Vermont's communities.





For the past six years the Center has convened a Leadership Group to identify and address gaps in services to older victims and victims with disabilities.  The group has recently decided to apply for a grant through the Office on Violence Against Women to improve training and services for women over 50.  We are proposing to work in the Northeast Kingdom of the state in partnership with the Area Agency on Aging, local police, State's Attorney and the local domestic and sexual violence program.  The project would strengthen a coalition similar to a domestic violence task force to focus on the needs of women over 50 who are victims of violence and abuse.  And we are excited about creating an advocacy position that will join the skills and knowledge of those serving older Vermonters with those of victim service providers.





The Special Projects Coordinator at the Center continued her liaison position with the Center's Survivors of Crime Council until this past July. This past fall, the Survivor of Crime Council was reorganized into a Crime Victim Advisors group, which will participate with and offer advice to the Center?s departments, such as Training, Special Projects, Education and Outreach, and Legislative Advocacy.





The Advocate Coordinator here at the Center supports the work of the Victim Advocates in the State's Attorney's offices across the state with technical assistance, case consultation and provides opportunities for the advocates to meet quarterly.  This support has proven to be very constructive and highly valued, as Victim Advocates are often working with people who are under extreme stress in the aftermath of a violent crime.  The Coordinator also plans, in conjunction with the Center?s Training Director, an annual Advocate Retreat to feature a training opportunity on a topic the advocates agree is a priority for enhancing their professional skills.





The Center funds three statewide projects for underserved communities in Vermont.  One of the programs serves the Deaf and hard of hearing communities, the other provides services to victims from the lesbian, gay, queer, bisexual and questioning communities in Vermont.  In addition, we support the Disability Law Project at Vermont Legal Aid to help people with disabilities access services and orders of protection.

Center staff members, including the Special Project Coordinator, the Victims Compensation Claims Specialists and our Public Education Coordinator work very closely with the Victims Advocate in our US Attorney's office.  We are committed partners in public education efforts, training endeavors and special projects designed to increase access to local services during and after federal prosecution.  This partnership has recently completed the third update of the Vermont Victim Services Resource Directory for all crime victims.  This joint project has proven to be very helpful to all victim service providers, our statewide 211 service centers and many others who come into contact with crime victims.





During National Crime Victims Rights Week in April of 2008, the US Attorney's Office collaborated with our Public Education Coordinator to provide underwriting for a traveling theater performance about the victimization of the underserved populations of elders, teens and people with disabilities.  They also provided funding for the production of a poster addressing the services that the Center's Victims Compensation Program provides to victims of domestic and sexual violence.

Training, especially in a rural state like Vermont, is important to the quality of victim services.  Victim service providers are often isolated and due to the small number of staff at most program, getting away to national conferences can be very difficult.  Vermont continues to have a thriving Victims Assistance Academy that enrolls close to one hundred new participants each year.  The three, 2-day segments are always at capacity and the training is very high quality with support and coordination by the Center?s Training Director and Training Specialist.  This on-going inclusion of partners from all agencies of state government, schools, non-profits and others has a large and growing impact on victim services and victim safety in a growing number of settings.





The Center staff in collaboration with the Vermont Domestic Violence Fatality Review Commission and the Council on Domestic Violence provided a day-long conference about Bystanders and Domestic Violence.  We also brought DNA experts to Vermont to present at the State?s Attorney's Annual Retreat.  The training department staff once again worked with counterparts in New Hampshire and Maine to coordinate the 6th annual Tri-State conference on the topics of Leadership and Ethical Decision-making.


 


The Center's Grants Manager visited many of our VOCA sub-grantees this year for grant monitoring.  After several site visits and recommendations for program improvements the Center was faced with finding a new service provider in the most northeast corner of the state.  Though this was a difficult decision, we were convinced that another, more victim- focused provider would increase victim safety and return important community confidence to the delivery of services to victims of domestic and sexual violence.  In the five months since a sister program assumed this responsibility to serve Orleans County, we have been very relieved and pleased with the results.

Children's Programming 


The Children's Program advocates for the rights and needs of children in the shelter and in the community who have experienced domestic violence. Services provided by the children's program include: Age appropriate play groups in shelter and in schools; one-on-one advocacy and support for children and youth; assistance in enrollment in day care, school, summer programs, parenting support, educational, referral and skills development; and a holiday program through which members of the community are invited to sponsor children by purchasing gifts requested by their mothers. A highlight of the children's program this year has been the creation of Laura's Kits which include supplies and the curriculum for a school-based group. These kits are enabling school social workers to run children's groups in elementary schools across the county.  The Children's program was able to consult on several new collaborations this year including participating as members of the Advisory board for the Supervised Visitation center In total, the Children's program provided services to 275 children.





Outreach to Underserved Victims


Using the short movie The Dance we have begun regular outreach to seniors at Senior Meal Sites.  This is a collaborative endeavor with our Area Agency on Aging.  We are also actively participating in the newly formed Northeast Kingdom Vulnerable Adult Action Coalition, an interdisciplinary group focused on the needs of underserved older and disabled victims of violence.


The Advocacy Program continues to provide support to survivors, outreach, education and awareness on the campus of Lyndon State College.  The PEACE Program also utilizes several interns each semester allowing us to mentor new advocates and further build support for anti-domestic and sexual violence work.





Evaluation and Shelter Services





For the past two years, BWSS has dedicated time and energy to evaluating and improving upon its existing shelter program. Feedback from community partners, other shelters throughout the state, and most importantly from the residents, led us in the direction of offering both an emergency shelter stay of 8 weeks in addition to a possible extended stay of up to five months. 


	During the 2008 fiscal year, BWSS was able to offer shelter to 23 women and 27 children, with an average stay of 85 nights. The majority of families in our shelter during this period did choose to access the extended stay program, and actively participated in on-going shelter groups such as our weekly Domestic Violence Support Group (DV101) and weekly house meetings.





Long Term Advocacy


This victim was a service user for more than two years after being referred to New Beginnings by an Economic Services caseworker.  After disclosing that she and her two year old daughter were victims of emotional and physical abuse, having left her partner six months earlier after he cut her head and broke her finger by intentionally slamming a door into her.  She hoped that it would be safer, and affordable, for her and her daughter to move in with her mother.  Unfortunately, due to her mother's alcohol abuse and controlling behaviors, the woman remained hopeless that she could live free from abuse.  She was stuck in her mother's household.  Though she had a job, her wages were so low that she was unable to find an apartment she could afford.    





At our first meeting with this victim, an advocate from New Beginnings assisted her in filling out an application for Section 8 Housing for filing with the Vermont State Housing Authority.  Additionally the advocate connected her to the Springfield Supported Housing Program, a service-enriched housing program established by many area service providers at our local Springfield Family Center (New Beginnings remains a member and chairs the monthly community meetings of said group).  During the search for an affordable apartment, the victim?s former abusive partner began breaking the windows in her residence and making verbal threats of violence and death.  At this point the victim decided to move in with another male friend.  Soon after moving in with him however, she found he was just as abusive as the prior partner.  She now had a second child.  As she was participating in a survivor support group offered by New Beginnings, she was able to quickly identify the signs of an unhealthy relationship and she left the second partner upon obtaining an abuse prevention order with the support of a New Beginning's advocate.  In lieu of shelter, the victim decided to move into a campground temporarily and subsequently from one friend's couch to another.  Though it took approximately 2.5 years and coordination with many social service providers and other peer and mental health supports, the woman was able to find a project-based Section 8 apartment and she has now enrolled in college.  





The woman credits New Beginnings in guiding her to find economic independence and freedom from her abusers.  Without the benefit of a collaboration of social services and emotional supports, this victim's story of pain and suffering might continue.  Instead, she has reached her immediate goal for peace, stability, and safety for her family.?

Vermont is seeing an increasing influx of refugees and immigrants, particularly in Chittenden County.  Our domestic and sexual violence programs in Burlington have addressed this need by hiring bilingual staff and/or coordinating with local refugee assistance programs for help finding housing, translation services, and other culturally appropriate responses to victimization.  The Center and other local victim service providers are producing public service announcements in other languages, and working with services such as Language Line, a telephone translation service that can assist people with limited English proficiency with crime-related needs.





One issue that is offering a unique set of issues is the growing number of undocumented immigrant dairy farm workers living and working in Vermont.  A few law enforcement entities have publicly declared that they will not require proof of immigration status of crime victims.  This has been in response to a growing number of farm workers who are being victimized by people thinking that the crime would not be reported due to fears of deportation.  Since people cannot use banks they often have cash and are becoming vulnerable to thieves.  We are discussing ways that we can provide services to these victims without increasing their vulnerability or visibility with officials who would deport them.

We have not changed how we use the VOCA administrative funds from last year.





VOCA funds are used, in part, to support the positions of the Executive Director, the Grants Manager and the Financial Manager at the Center.  These positions provide us with the resources to administer the VOCA funds and in turn support the efforts of the more than 40 VOCA-funded advocates providing direct services to victims across the state in non-profit agencies and in the State's Attorneys? offices.





As in past years, the Center has again committed VOCA funds for the position of Victim Advocate Coordinator.  This role offers support and consultation to the Victim Advocates working in the 14 State's Attorneys? offices.  The Victim Advocates help victims with the majority of our Victims Compensation claims.  They are working with people who have met the criteria of reporting the crime to police and probable cause has been established.  In addition, they work within the criminal justice system to support victims through the process of prosecuting the crimes committed against them and dealing with the outcomes of that process.


  


VOCA Administrative funds are also a resource for our Special Projects Coordinator.  This role collaborates with many project partnerships during the year and supports Center staff working on leadership and other systemic victim service projects.  VOCA Training funds assist with the Victims Assistance Academy.