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violence victims
free themselves from abuse. We educate our community
about domestic violence. We also provide specialized
training to law enforcement, medical organizations and
businesses.
  24
Hour Crisis Line
The
gateway to all EDVP services, the crisis line is staffed
24 hours a day by trained volunteers and staff. If
you are a victim of abuse or think you might be, if
you want to provide support to a friend who may be
a victim, or if you need information about local resources,
call the crisis line at 425-746-1940.
Your call will be answered by an advocate who will
listen closely without making judgments, whether you're
in crisis or just want to talk. In 1999, crisis
line advocates answered 5,312 calls.
Housing
Programs
EDVP
housing programs provide a confidential place to stay
when home isn't safe. Along with housing, victims
are offered extensive support services including domestic
violence education, information about community resources,
legal advocacy and support groups for women and children.
 My
Sister's Home - provides safe, emergency confidential
shelter for victims facing serious and potentially
lethal threats of physical violence from their abusers.
The shelter comfortably houses up to eight women plus
their children. The Eastside's first confidential
shelter for domestic violence victims, My Sister's
Home opened in 1992. In 1999 alone, the shelter
served 109 women and children with 5,480 bednights,
at an average stay of 50.3 nights.
My
Friend's Place - an innovative transitional housing
program for families dealing with both domestic violence
and substance abuse. The only program of its kind,
My Friend's Place recognizes that domestic violence
can lead to and be compounded by substance abuse.
The shelter opened in 1998 and in 1999 provided 43
women and children with 4,789 bednights of
safe shelter. Services for residents are provided
in conjunction with Eastside Recovery Center, with
program goals of safety, sobriety and self-sufficiency.
My Friend's Place houses five to six families for
three to six months.
Safe
Inn East & Safehome Community Network - a network
of safe places for victims to stay for a short period
of time in non-shelter facilities. While in safe housing,
victims meet with Community Advocates who provide
education, information and access to resources. In
1999, 101 women and children were housed through Safe
Inn East and Safehome Community Network. This
program has enabled us to dramatically reduce our
housing turnaway rate (the number of women turned
away due to lack of space for every woman accepted)
from 18:1 to 6:1.
Outreach
Programs
EDVP
outreach programs provide victims with support, education
and skills to end the violence in their lives and
also help educate the community as a whole about domestic
violence.
Community
Advocacy - Created by EDVP, this program provides
links to 50 different doors through which victims
can come to us, including police departments, hospitals,
social service agencies and more. Our
goal is to be there--wherever victims are. Community
advocates meet one-on-one with victims who are not
staying at a shelter to educate them about domestic
violence, discuss safety planning and provide counseling.
Advocates coordinate with the criminal justice system
and other service providers at the request of victims.
They work closely with 17 different Police Departments
on the Eastside, making follow-up calls to any victim
in a domestic violence police case who releases her
name. In 1999, the Community Advocacy Program served
677 domestic violence victims.
Women's
Support Groups - weekly peer support groups for
women facilitated by experienced advocates. These
groups are a safe space where women can share their
experiences, explore solutions and, above all, learn
that they are not alone. EDVP runs eight Support Groups
weekly in various locations throughout the community.
Children's
Support Groups - for children who accompany their
mothers to Support Groups. In a supportive, safe environment,
children who have witnessed and/or been victims of
abuse develop skills to help them better cope with
their experiences and just be kids again. Through
exercises and structured play-- and just ordinary
play--children learn appropriate ways to express anger,
deal with their fears and stay safe. Children who
grow up in abusive families are far more likely to
become abusers or become victims as adults. In
Children's Groups, we work to break that cycle.
Community
Education and Training - EDVP helps to raise awareness
about domestic violence and build relationships with
community service providers through presentations
and trainings to health care professionals, the criminal
justice system, business associations, government
officials, corporations, schools, congregations and
more. In the past four years, we have trained over
4,000 health care workers, including the staffs
of Overlake and Evergreen Hospitals, to recognize
signs of domestic violence and privately ask patients
whether they are safe in their relationships. We regularly
train Redmond and Bellevue Police Officers to understand
the dynamics of domestic violence. And, through our
program When Domestic Violence Comes to Work,
we offer information to help businesses deal with
the effects of domestic violence in the workplace. Over
25,000 individuals were reached through the
Community Education Program in 1999.
© 2000-2003 Eastside Domestic Violence
Program
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