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Archive for domestic violence – Page 2

Haven Hills Welcomes Men and the LGBTQ Community to our Shelters

 

June 22, 2015

Earlier this month Haven Hills entered into a partnership with the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Haven Hills will be included in the Center’s directory of referral shelters and hotlines, and identified as an LGBT-Sensitive Shelter.  Studies show that domestic violence is prevalent in the LGBTQ community as it is among heterosexual couples.

Through this partnership Haven Hills will expand its counseling, support groups, advocacy services, and most notably the Crisis Shelter and Transitional Housing Program to heterosexual men and LGBTQ-identified women and men. Similarly, Haven Hills will refer LGBTQ-identified clients to the Center should they choose to meet with LGBT-domestic violence specialists. Haven Hill’s staff will also participate in LGBTQ-sensitive training to ensure clients are served respectfully.

This partnership marks a great leap forward in addressing the needs of all victims of domestic violence, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

For more information about the Los Angeles LGBT Center and its domestic violence services, click here.

Your Support, Your Impact

During fiscal year 2013-2014 Haven Hills continued to be a critical source of support for over 3,700 women, men, and children in Los Angeles. The importance of Haven Hills’ programs and services cannot be overstated. Your support has a significant impact on every victim who calls or stays at our shelters – thank you for your continued support.

During fiscal year 2013-2014:

  • 8,708 calls were logged through our Crisis Hotline
  • 1,126 individual counseling sessions were provided to victims of domestic violence.
  • 186 women and children were provided shelter, food, and clothing for 4,821 nights at our Crisis Shelter.
  • 546 victims of domestic violence were referred out because our crisis shelter was full.
  • 63 school age children attended our onsite Crisis Shelter School, during their stay at our shelter.
  •  91% of our clients exiting our shelters entered into long-term supporting housing or permanent housing without their batterer; making significant steps toward breaking the cycle of domestic violence.

A Letter from Joanna M. a former resident of our Crisis Shelter

Dear Haven Hills Staff,

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! Every last one of you have been more than helpful to me and my son. You have given me a platform from which I can launch my plans and goals for a new and better life for us. I have gained so much in just the short time I have been here, and so has my son. Jackie and Miss. Garcia have worked nothing short of a miracle in turning my son’s attitude about school completely around and preparing him for 9th grade; Diana, for being a friend and confidant – someone he could talk to and trust. Thank you, Lexington, for working so hard and getting me set up with all these appointments to help point me in the right direction. Your time and effort are priceless!

Maria, there are no words to give justice and proper meaning to the depths of help you have given me – you are truly one of God’s Angels! You showed me, on a piece of paper – in black and white – why I felt this hole in my heart, why I had this empty feeling; and then started me on a path to healing. I felt like a whole new person when I left Haven Hills! I’m sure I will have a day here and there, while I reflect and heal, that I will feel low, but you have given me such wonderful words of wisdom which will stick with me and lift me right back up. You helped me learn why, and now I can let it go and heal.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

To everyone else, you have been so kind and courteous, so understanding, and respectful and supportive. I thank you all for the time to regroup, redirect, and start moving forward with my plans and goals. I would like very much to share milestones with all of you, as I reach team, I would like to send you a picture with a letter to share with everyone as I move forward.

Thank you for all that you do and the time that you give!

Yours very truly,

Joanna M.

(Names have been changed to protect privacy)

Haven Hills Welcomes Pets into our Shelters

Beginning MaHaven Hills welcomes pets into LA Domestic Violence Sheltery 1st Haven Hills will accept pets into our Haven Two Transitional Housing Program. Our intention is to shelter animals that victims have already created a bond with and avoid the loss that is associated with losing a pet in addition to all the trauma a victim is experiencing. Family pets will be considered on a case by case basis, considering the client’s ability to care for the pet, the animal’s history of behavior, the ability to safely and comfortably shelter the animal at our shelter, and the risk to any damage to our facility.

Haven Hills has partnered with Pet Vet Animal Hospital in Canoga Park. Dr. Brown has graciously offered his veterinary services pro bono to our clients’ pets while they reside at our transitional housing complex. And Canoga Park Pet Resort has offered to provide pet daycare for our client’s pets if they are out for extended periods of time for job interviews or appointments.  Thank you Dr. Brown and Canoga Pet Resort!

Strong Field Comes to Haven Hills

Last December Ivy Panlilio, Interim Executive Director and Katie Tyler, Clinical Director, attended The Strong Field Leadership Project to End Domestic Violence (SLP). It was Ivy’s closing session of an eighteen-month project and Katie’s kickoff retreat to start her eighteen-month journey. SLP has brought valuable change to Haven Hills and the improvements continue.

The program emphasizes shared leadership and teaches skills to engage all employees and create a larger impact. Research shows that the techniques taught through the program result in a significant decrease in turnover and improve organizational culture. Turnover is one of the highest costs a company has to mitigate and a decrease in turnover saves valuable time and expense.

 The project has also provided organization wide trainings that benefit all the staff. These trainings help to integrate a strengths based approach. Research reveals that it’s a much more productive use of time to build on the strengths that we have rather than focusing solely on weaknesses. Each staff member was able to take a strength finder assessment test to identify their top five strengths. The tests revealed that we have many valuable strengths within our organization including, empathy, connection, strategic, achiever and learner.   Helping staff to understand individual strengths contributes to an increase in staff self-awareness and emotional intelligence.

With Katie accepted into the program and starting the eighteen-months, Haven Hills will continue to receive funding for organizational improvements. The program is competitive and Ivy and Katie’s back to back acceptance allows them to integrate a full three years of learning and trainings into the Haven Hills culture. They plan to join forces and integrate all the cutting edge knowledge about domestic violence into the Haven Hills programs.