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Criminal Justice Advocacy  "I connected with a victim of domestic violence after receiving a police report. The victim had been shot by their abuser and needed assistance with establishing safety and coping with the trauma they experienced. Their abuser has used weapons as a scare tactic throughout their relationship, and the violence has escalated tremendously.
Once connected with the victim, I introduced myself and explained the services provided at BOHCC as well as their rights as a victim. We discussed how they could stay updated on the criminal case. I also gathered additional information about the situation so I could have a complete understanding to better assist the victim. As we were talking, the victim became emotional and started to cry. I immediately stopped asking questions and focused on what the victim needed in that moment. I actively listened to their concerns and how they were feeling. They were frustrated by everything and felt pressured by others. The victim shared with me that they felt as if their feelings were not valid. They were being told how they should feel about the situation and this was causing them to be confused about their own thoughts. I quickly validated their feelings and expressed that they are the only one who went through this experience, so they are the only one who can know what to think about it. I discussed counseling and ensured they had the information for BOHCC’s counselor. The victim started to calm down and felt relieved to hear that their concerns and thoughts are valid. They hadn't been able to be open with someone about the situation, and they were grateful to have someone to talk to about everything. The victim thanked me for listening to them and validating their feelings. They appreciated having someone to talk to without feeling judged. The victim has felt a lot of pressure from various sources and needed to share their thoughts without judgment. I was happy to be a support for the victim and listen actively to their concerns. I will continue to work with the victim as they progress towards safety and self-sufficiency. It feels rewarding to be an outlet that victims can vent to and to be able to provide a comfortable space for them to share their thoughts." Victim Advocate - Beacon of Hope Crisis Center If you or a loved one needs supportive services for domestic violence or sexual assault, call our confidential crisis line at 317-731-6140. In the case of an emergency, contact 9-1-1 immediately. If you would like to learn more about the work we are doing, register and join us during our Virtual Summit on October 26th. #DVAM We Serve Everyone  "I recently assisted a victim of domestic violence with filing a Protection Order against their former intimate partner. The victim had been facing ongoing and escalating harassment from their abuser since they had been granted full legal and physical custody of their shared child. Their abuser would contact them multiple times a day claiming to want to see their child, but when the victim would take their shared child to visitations with the abuser, the abuser would spend the visitation yelling at the victim and has even physically attacked the victim. The victim was fearful of their abuser and stated that they dreaded every visitation with their abuser because they knew their abuser was going to verbally harass them the entire time.
The victim had reported incidents of abuse to law enforcement but never felt comfortable cooperating with further investigations after the reports because they felt guilty and shameful about the abuse. The victim also never felt that they were truly believed by law enforcement because of their gender identity and the fact that they are physically larger than their abuser. The victim stated that during physically violent incidents, they would just try to minimize the harm done to them and get as far away from their abuser as possible as they never wanted to cause harm to their abuser because that was not how they were raised. Even once the victim’s protection order had been granted, and the judge told them that their abuser served a credible threat to their safety, they still felt shameful for having to file. I was able to let the victim know that there are many victims and survivors of domestic violence that identify as their gender and provided them with statistics backing this information up. Together, we discussed various resources geared towards victims of the same gender identity as the victim. The victim thanked me for always offering them a non-judgmental ear to listen and never making them feel bad for reporting these incidents." Victim Advocate - Beacon of Hope Crisis Center To learn more about how Beacon of Hope Crisis Center is making a positive impact in the community, register and join us during our Virtual Summit on October 26th. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or sexual assault, call our confidential crisis line at 317-731-6140 to speak with a Victim Advocate. In the case of an emergency, contact 9-1-1 immediately. Emergency Hotel Stay Assistance  "I received a crisis call from a local shelter advocate late one evening. The shelter advocate let me know that they had a victim of domestic violence that recently fled their abuser and had been staying on the streets with their children. The shelter advocate let me know that the victim had called all local shelters and all shelters in the area were at capacity, leaving the victim with no other safe option. I immediately asked to connect with the victim and began our process of requesting an emergency hotel stay for the victim and their children while they wait for shelter placement to become available.
The victim fled their abuser days before with the few belongings they could get out of the home. They and their children had stayed in their car for the past few days, parking in various places due to the abuser stalking them. The victim had nowhere to go and was too fearful to even sleep in their car. After answering all of my questions and telling me their story, the victim began crying. They told me that they were thankful for me even if I was not able to help their family find safe housing that evening because they felt heard. They told me how, in the days since they left, they felt like they were not being treated decently by those they had reached out to for help. I let the victim know I would do everything I could to find them and their children a safe place to stay this evening. When I called the victim less than an hour later to let them know that we booked a hotel room only minutes from where they were, the victim began sobbing. They thanked me profusely and told me I was their "angel." I was very glad to have given the victim and their children a safe place to stay." Victim Advocate - Beacon of Hope Crisis Center To learn more about our Impact on the community, register and join us during our Virtual Summit on October 26th. If you or a loved one needs supportive services for domestic violence or sexual assault, call our confidential crisis line at 317-731-6140. In the case of an emergency, contact 9-1-1 immediately. By: Savannah Archer  We are grateful to have the opportunity to attend the 2022 ICADV Fall Conference focused on centering equity in our work. We look forward to taking what we’ve learned and implementing it in the work we do. #DVAM #DVAM2022 #Every1KnowsSome1
By: Sandra Ziebold  Access has been at the forefront of our business development plan in 2022, so we are incredibly proud to be able to provide Recite Me's innovative assistive technology across our website. 5% of the global population have a disability that can prevent access to online information. Beacon of Hope Crisis Center now provides accessibility tools to enable online visitors to read content barrier-free. Beacon of Hope Crisis Center wants to provide accessibility to everyone. As part of our efforts to make information accessible to all, we have added the Recite Me tool on our website. We want to make sure that every user gets the most out of beaconofhopeindy.org during their visit. Recite Me is an innovative accessibility and language toolbar to make the information on our website easily available and inclusive to allow users to customize our website in the way they need it to work for them and includes text to speech functionality, Dyslexia tools, interactive dictionary, and translations in more than 100 languages. 1 in 10 people speak English as a second language. The Recite Me tool provides people with disabilities a toolbar they can use from any computer or device to better explore our website. Our goal is to ensure that anyone in need of our services can access our services and this website accessibility toolbar is one more step toward helping those who need us find us. To access the Recite Me toolbar on beaconofhopeindy.org, click the accessibility options menu tab near the top of the website or the accessibility icon image on the lower right side of the website. This will engage the Recite Me toolbar which has a range of options for customizing how the website looks and how to access content. Guide To Using Recite Me Screen Reader
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By: Cheyenne Taylor  Beacon of Hope Crisis Center was thrilled to join several other nonprofits to enlist volunteers during the All Aboard! Community Volunteer and Board Fair on Monday, September 19th. Our Volunteer Recruiter was able to speak with several community members in the Johnson County area about our agency, volunteer opportunities, and much more. People of all ages attended looking to learn more about volunteer opportunities in the community. There was free popcorn, plenty of lively conversation, and a plethora of information provided. We are so happy to have had the opportunity to attend and meet so many wonderful new people. Thank you, Bea Northcott and Leadership Johnson County, for inviting us, and thank you to Whiteland Community High School for housing this lovely event. We look forward to attending the next time as well!
By: Becca Panyard  Last month, our Foster Pet Program team attended the Indy Vet Pet Carnival. We are so grateful for our partnership with Indy Vet and we had an incredible experience seeing the annual Dachshund 500! Beacon of Hope Crisis Center and other pet vendors, shelters, and rescues spent the day loving on pets and giving out "pup cups". The Director of Primary Prevention and Foster Pet Program Intern talked with the community about the free and confidential services our agency offers. We educated attendees on the link between domestic violence and pet abuse, the need for the Foster Pet Program, and how our program helps both human and pet victims. We connected with multiple applicants interested in being Foster Pet Caregivers as well. It was such a fun time, and we look forward to attending the event next year!
By: Savannah Archer  Beacon of Hope Crisis Center had the opportunity to send advocates to National Night Out events with our partnering law enforcement departments last night. It was a great success and an incredible opportunity to connect with the community. Thank you to everyone that planned these incredible events that brought everyone together. We truly appreciate your efforts and it was clear the kids did as well by the huge smiles on their faces. There was live music, activity bags for kids, delicious food, and a variety of vendors! We are so thankful to have law enforcement partners that value the neighborhoods they serve. Your hard work does not go unnoticed. We look forward to attending again next year!
By: Jenna Krathwohl  Domestic violence is extremely common even though it is still seen as a private matter. Domestic violence is more common than diabetes. In fact, it is estimated that 42.5% of Indiana women and 27.9% of Indiana men experience intimate partner physical violence, intimate partner sexual violence, and/or intimate partner stalking in their lifetimes (1). Despite its prevalence, it can be difficult to know how to recognize abuse and what to do if it happens. There is no typical personality of an abuser. In fact, abusers can come in all genders, sexualities, nationalities, abilities, and ages. Anyone can be an abuser, just as anyone can be a victim. However, there are some common traits listed below that domestic abusers may have in common (2).
There are other warning signs that a person may be an abuser. It is important to understand that that these are potential warning signs and it does not imply someone may be an abuser. These are just some of the traits (2).
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence and/or sexual assault, call our confidential hotline at (317) 731-6140. Victim advocates are trained to provide free help, referrals, and resources for those in need. There is hope for survivors. In the case of an emergency, please call 9-1-1. (1) National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (2019). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010-2012 State Report. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/NISVS-StateReportBook.pdf (2) National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (N.D.). Signs of Abuse. National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Retrieved from https://ncadv.org/signs-of-abuse By: Jenna Krathwohl  PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a condition that affects many survivors of abuse. PTSD first became a mental health diagnosis in 1980, thanks to the influence of many social movements including feminist, veteran, and Holocaust advocacy groups [1]. Although PTSD is often associated with war, PTSD can be caused by any traumatic event, including sexual assault and domestic violence. In fact, according to the National Center for PTSD, about 7 or 8 of every 100 people will experience PTSD at some point in their lives [2]. Because PTSD is so common, it is important that we understand how PTSD can appear in victims. PTSD symptoms do not always occur right after the traumatic event. In fact, they can occur many months or even years after the event.
There are two main types of symptoms that occur with PTSD. The first is re-experiencing symptoms. These symptoms involve the victim experiencing the traumatic event again in some fashion. This can look like flashbacks, bad dreams, and frightening thoughts. Often, physical side effects, such as sweating, hives, and/or heart palpitations, can accompany these symptoms. The second type of symptom includes avoidance symptoms. A person may want to avoid a thing, place, event, or object that reminds them of the event. For example, if a certain song played while a victim was being abused, they may take extreme action to avoid hearing that song again. They may also avoid thoughts or feelings related to the event, such as talking about the event. Other PTSD symptoms include arousal and reactivity symptoms and cognition and mood symptoms. Arousal and reactivity symptoms include being easily startled, feeling tense or “on edge”, difficulty sleeping, and angry outbursts. Cognition and mood symptoms include trouble recalling the traumatic event, negative feelings towards oneself or the world, feelings of guilt or blame, and loss of interest in enjoyable activities. If you suspect that you or someone you know is experiencing PTSD, there is hope. There are many treatment options, including talk therapy and medications, that help survivors heal and live happy lives. Also, Beacon of Hope Crisis Center is here to help. We work with survivors to help them move towards healing. If you need support, take the first step, and call our confidential crisis line at (317) 731-6140 today. Sources: [1] https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/what/history_ptsd.asp [2] https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd |
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