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By Savannah Tipton  Victim advocates at Beacon of Hope Crisis Center provide direct assistance to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. We offer programs to help victims complete safety planning, protective orders, employment assistance, and so much more. Safety planning is an important element in maintaining a secure environment as victims seek help and flee violent situations. With an active protective order, a victim advocate can help victims take extra measures to ensure their safety. For example, victim advocates can help victims of domestic violence break a lease in some cases. Ongoing community support and donations helps us provide these resources at no cost to the victims we work with.
“This week I had a client come in to make a safety plan, discuss their options moving forward, and how they were feeling. That very week, the victim’s former partner came into their work and tried to attack, but was stopped by their coworkers and chased off the property. Still visibly stressed and concerned for their safety, we at Beacon of Hope alleviated some of the stress by formulating a detailed safety plan to go along with the PO that was granted the day before. Armed with these documents, the victim talked to their landlord to get out of the lease with no penalties and was expected to return to work the next day.” - Victim Advocate, Beacon of Hope Crisis Center
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By Sandra K. Ziebold October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month
There is a knot of fear that goes along with having experienced being a victim of a frequent, consistent and systematic pattern of domestic violence abuse. Domestic violence is about power and control. Abuse occurs when there is consistent unwanted dominance and control exerted over another. You may be in an intimate partner relationship and thinking to yourself, "What happened, I felt so wonderful and now I feel this horrible ache that won't leave the pit of my stomach. How did I get here and why do I feel so trapped? What can I do better? If I can do things better then he/she will, be okay / be calm / be happy." If you have thoughts like that, then stop for a second and really think about your thought pattern. Can you remember the last time you didn't have that aching knot of fear in your stomach? If you are constantly fearful that your every single breath or action is going to trigger anger and violence in another person exerting control over you, then our advocates can help you. It is domestic violence awareness month and you need to know that you are valued, there is a safe way to get out of your situation and you deserve a life free from the grip of domestic violence. We are here to help. Our crisis line number is (317)731-6140 Victim Advocate - Beacon of Hope Crisis Center  A client had reached out to the police due to violation of privacy. The victim was afraid that given this new violation of privacy, that the abuser will continue to go above and beyond to make the victims life difficult. The detective contacted Beacon of Hope Crisis Center for assistance. I was able to connect with the victim where I discussed the Address Confidentiality Program. The victim was in the process of moving and did not want the abuser to know of a new address considering the latest incident.
Although the victim has an active PO in place, the victim felt that taking every possible necessary step for confidentiality was a must. I was able to assist the victim with completing the Address Confidentiality Program Application and submitted the form on the victim’s behalf. Within 24 hours, the application had been approved. By the following day, the victim had sent an email thanking me for assisting the victim with this application and keeping their new address confidential. By Kristin Scriven  Introducing Savannah Tipton, Beacon of Hope’s newest victim advocate! Savannah is a recent grad from Ball State University with degrees in Criminal Justice and Criminology. She has a passion for helping others and loves the inclusive environment at Beacon of Hope.
As a victim advocate, she works closely with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Savannah loves being able to work one on one with victims while seeing positive changes that result from the work we do here. In addition to victim advocacy, Savannah also manages our social media accounts! Her favorite resource that Beacon of Hope offers is safety planning for our victims. Safety planning is used to keep a victim safe while they may be living in or leaving a violent situation. Having a safety plan in place and being well prepared for the worst-case scenario can make all the difference to a client. Savannah loves criminal justice and found her niche in victim advocacy. A fun fact about Savannah is that she loves hiking and hammocks! She’s also a great cook. Thanks for all you do, Savannah! By Sandra K. Ziebold  Did you know that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month? We're just two weeks away from our fundraising gala! Give Abuse The Boot is on October 5th. Tickets are selling like crazy and we are already expecting over 250 people. The great news is that the venue is expandable and so if you still need a ticket just click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to make your seat or table purchase. ... Check this out! ... Two really great items recently received that will be available for auction bid are:
  By Kristin Scriven  Introducing Tracy Vatne, Beacon of Hope’s Pet Victim Advocate and Foster Pet Program Coordinator! Tracy has been with Beacon of Hope for almost two years heading our foster pet program. Tracy’s favorite part of her job is getting to see a pet reunite with their owner. A fun fact about Tracy is that from 2013 to 2016 she fostered 63 dogs and over 80 cats!
A local Indianapolis native, Tracy has spent most of her life advocating on the behalf of animals. Tracy works with people in the community who would be willing to foster animals while their owners are leaving an abusive relationship. In abusive relationships, animals often suffer at the hand of an abuser. Pets are also used to control and manipulate victims of domestic violence. Additionally, Tracy gives presentations around the community to raise awareness about how to prevent animal abuse and how animal abuse is directly linked to family violence. Advocating for animal rights is Tracy’s passion. Working for an organization where she can make a tangible difference in the lives of animals and victims is her dream job! Thanks for your passion, Tracy! We’re so glad to have you on our team! By Sandra K. Ziebold Our #DVCounts Census Day is here! We are excited to capture the needs of survivors in our community to show the importance of funding and legislation to address domestic violence. Last year Indiana served 1,769 victims. This year we are counting again for @NNEDV’s annual #DVCounts Census. Follow our Beacon of Hope Crisis Center social media channels to see more about #WhyWeCount  By Savannah Tipton  Victims of domestic violence and sexual assault are regularly in situations where they cannot go home or gain access to basic items. To lift this burden, we are constantly preparing crisis bundles to serve those immediate needs.
Creating a crisis bundle can be geared to the specific needs of a victim seeking services or preemptively prepared for victims with a general stock of commonly used items. It is important to think about a victim’s perspective and unique needs when preparing a crisis bundle. Crisis bundles should be prepared with a demographic and geographic location in mind. When making crisis bundles it is helpful to include items that are relevant to the weather or season. For example, when preparing bundles during a season of rain or faced with cold weather adding items such as hats and gloves may be beneficial. When preparing crisis bundles for hot and sunny weather add sunscreen or sunglasses. Everyday items that are taken for granted could easily benefit victims in need. Other considerations when making crisis bundles might include the variance in victims age, ethnicity, gender, if they have children, etc. Crisis Bundles Include:
Items for the crisis bundle are placed in reusable bags that can also contribute to meeting a victim’s needs. Encouraging items could include cards, notebooks, magnets, etc. with sayings such as “You Are Strong” “Think Positive” “Smile” or “Believe in Yourself.” There is no one size fits all way to make a crisis bundle, you may add or take out items to more effectively meet a victim’s needs. On average, a crisis bundle can be made with a small donation of $25. We need your help! You can provide a crisis bundle for a victim each month by signing up for our easy give monthly membership. Easy give memberships provide ongoing funding for essential programs offered by Beacon of Hope Crisis Center. Your monthly donations will go directly towards assisting victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Sign up for an easy give monthly membership today! By Kristin Scriven  Introducing Tiffany Wilson, Beacon of Hope’s Director of Victim Advocacy! Tiffany has been with Beacon of Hope for a year and a half and truly loves this organization. Her favorite part about working here is the atmosphere and the people; she loves working in such a supportive environment with coworkers who all have the same passion for helping and empowering women.
Tiffany has worked in victim advocacy for the past nine years and has a degree in Criminal Justice from Indiana University. As Director of Victim Advocacy, Tiffany leads the team of advocates and works directly with our CEO/Executive Director on grant writing. She is also responsible for overseeing our informational database of client information for follow ups and data collection. Her favorite service that Beacon of Hope offers is of course our criminal justice team! She loves being able to inform victims of their rights while working with them each step of the way. In such a scary and unsure time, having someone who can provide support and clarity is monumental and Tiffany loves that she can help in that way. This past Spring Tiffany was honored with winning the “Baker One Outstanding Victim Advocate” award! This award is given to an outstanding advocate that demonstrates a consistent excellent effort in the field of domestic violence and sexual assault. Tiffany is a hard worker and a valued member of our team. Thanks for all your hard work, Tiffany! You make us proud! By Jess Counsell and Sandra K. Ziebold  Building community partnerships is an important part of what we do at Beacon of Hope Crisis Center. Attending cultural awareness meetings helps grow our partnerships in the community.
Are you culturally aware? What does that mean? It means the ability of becoming aware of not only ours but other cultural values, beliefs and perceptions. It involves being sensitive to the similarities and differences that exist between ourselves and people from other countries or other backgrounds, especially differences in values and attitudes. Staying informed on the diverse cultures within our community is an important part of maintaining the inclusive environment at Beacon of Hope. Partnering with the Burmese Community has helped us gain a brighter perspective on ways we can better assist victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The South Side Burmese Cultural Awareness Meeting the last week of August was the perfect opportunity to get information and ask questions. One of the greatest needs that was addressed is in regard to a lack of volunteers that can teach English. Recognizing the potential language barrier helped us gain a greater understanding of what we can do to provide services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault within the Burmese Community. Facts To Note:
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