STAND! For Families Free of Violence
2011 was a landmark year for STAND! For Families Free of Violence. With the July 2010 merger of the Family Stress Center and STAND! Against Domestic Violence — two agencies known in the community for their success in addressing abuse in the home — we began a new journey. Over the past year, it has become clear that our new agency is much more than merely the sum of its parts. The expertise of our staff and our integrated approach to domestic violence and child abuse services uniquely situate us to take the lead in addressing the complex dynamics of violence within families.
As a merged agency, we are able to provide more complete services to all members of families experiencing violence even as the need for these services increased:
* The number of women in our individual counseling program more than doubled, as did the number of women served by STAND!’s Vocational Services Program.
* 369 victims were able to seek help close to home as a result of our expanded presence at community sites across the county.
* More than 215 children and youth abused and/or exposed to violence in their homes received much needed counseling.
* The Bay Point First 5 Center provided parenting skills workshops, social support, and early childhood classes to 264 families.
* Kinship Support Services supported nearly 500 children who had been removed from their parent(s) and placed with relatives.
* Our Emergency Shelter and Transitional Housing programs provided a safe haven to more than 300 women and children.
* Counselors and volunteers answered over 16,000 calls to the Crisis Line.
We believe that if we don’t solve the problem of violence within individual families, nothing else in our communities can be solved. Left unresolved, trauma and post-traumatic responses to domestic violence have a lifelong impact on both adults and children. Victims often become involved with gangs, weapons, drugs and alcohol. They suffer from depression and a myriad of other mental and physical disorders. Children who witness violence often become the next generation of victims and offenders. With these connections between violence in the home and violence on the street in mind, core safety net services to victims and our work on behalf of children and youth remain our highest priorities.
Financially, STAND! emerged stronger than ever, doubling our assets and maximizing efficiencies. Though combining staffs and facilities has increased our ability to do more with less, we continue to face challenges. Unemployment and underemployment continue to plague Contra Costa County, increasing the financial stress on families and the potential for violent conflicts. Government funding for safety net programs continues to be cut, and foundation grants are beginning to reflect the drop in assets they experienced in 2008. Through all of this, STAND! continues to find innovative ways to provide crucial services to Contra Costa families – due to support from individuals like you. Your generosity is a critical element of our success, and on behalf of STAND! and the families we serve, we thank you.
Our commitment to family strength is paramount; surrounding families with a broad range of services from promoting positive parenting to counseling and assisting foster and kinship families who nurture vulnerable youth. We strive to confront family violence as a single issue with many facets that may require different approaches.The challenges and opportunities of today bolster our commitment to the families of our community. Please STAND! with us as we move forward on this important work!
