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Domestic Violence
Advocate
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Victim Assistance Div. of Erie County
Victims of Domestic Violence: 419-624-6875
Victims of Felony Crime: 419-627-7699
Victims of Juvenile Crime: 419-624-6885
Victims of Misdemeanor Crime: 419-624-6880
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The domestic violence advocacy program is funded by the Office of Criminal Justice Services with VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) funds. It is this funding source that dictates the sex of the victims this advocate serves. The funding enables us to provide two primary services: advocacy to victims and community awareness.
The Domestic Violence Advocate provides legal advocacy services (notification of and accompaniment to court hearings, education regarding the court system and domestic violence, assistance with obtaining of protective orders, and, liaison with prosecutors, probation officers, and court personnel as well as safety planning). Safety Planning is an important component to empowering victims. Victims are educated as to the purpose of safety plans.
The community awareness is conducted by providing information about domestic violence to the general public to inform them of the severity of the problem. The PR Campaign includes distributing brochures to agencies and at public events; posting billboards in highly visible areas; and, airing PSA's during October and November on local cable channels. Partnerships will continue with the Erie County Care-A-Van (a mobile resource unit) and with Safe Harbour Domestic Violence Shelter (419-626-2200) to promote community awareness.
The Office of Criminal Justice has mandated a coordination of agencies in order to receive funds. With this funding, the Program Director chairs the Domestic Violence Task Force. DV Task Force participants have been committed to combating the issues relating to domestic violence. Many issues have been addressed, such as batterer's programs vs. anger management, dual charging, difficulty in determining the primary aggressor, and the need for on-going training. 36 participants, representing numerous agencies have participated in the Task Force.
Additional External Resources
National
National Coalition
Against Domestic Violence
State & Local
State Legal
Services Association Ohio State Legal Services Association's Ohio DV Resource Center
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