MAVEN Says Goodbye

For almost ten years Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence has offered older adults in our community the MAVEN program, Mature Alternatives for Violent Environments Now.  With this program we have reached out to and helped over 745 women over the age of 50 in the last five years.  The MAVEN program has offered one-on-one counseling and case management, a support group, home visits and field trips, as well as outreach and education to community organizations.

In addition, collaborative efforts between MAVEN and various community agencies have increased awareness about domestic violence, elder abuse, and the resources available for individuals.  Through the MAVEN support group and individual counseling, many women have developed the necessary coping skills and support systems in order to continue to thrive.

Therefore, it is with great sadness that we have to inform you that the MAVEN program will end as of June 1st, 2011 due to a loss of integral grant funding.  Like many community-based organizations, Next Door has not been able to weather the current economic difficulties without some losses to its programs.  Even so, Next Door will continue to offer services for mature adults by providing the following:

• 24 hour crisis intervention hotline available for victims of domestic violence, their relatives and adults that interact with victims.  Our hotline number is (408) 279-2962.
• 24-hour Emergency Shelter available for victims of domestic violence.  Please call (408) 279-2962 for more information.
• Walk-in emergency services Monday through Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at our community office.  Our address is 234 E. Gish Road. Suite 200, San Jose, 95112.
• Individual Advocacy services available by appointment at our community office.  Please call (408)501-7550.
• Legal support (e.g. restraining orders, court accompaniment, etc.).  Please call (408) 501-7550 for an appointment to receive these services.
• Support groups Monday and Tuesday nights from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  Spanish language support groups are available.  Support groups take place at Next Door’s community office and other locations in the community.
• Self Sufficiency workshops Wednesday nights from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m..
• Yoga and Quilting classes are offered on Wednesday nights from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

As always, please feel free to call our community office for more information regarding all the services and programs Next Door provides.  Our telephone number is (408) 501-7550.  Our web address is www.nextdoor.org.

We hope that the Santa Clara County community will continue to support Next Door by providing assistance for older adult victims of domestic violence.  We are grateful for your efforts and we thank you for your assistance in ending domestic violence in the moment and for all time.

New Support Group Offered

In this support group, you will learn how to

• Communicate effectively
• Create and participate in healthy relationships
• Recognize abusive behaviors
• Recognize the signs of trauma in yourself and your children
• Build self-acceptance and self-confidence
• Develop a safety plan
• Create a better life for you and your family
• Gain value from the experiences of other women who are handling intimate partner issues similar to your own

Location:  Palo Alto Medical Foundation

701, East El Camino Real

Mountain View, CA-94040

Fee:  No Fee. Donations are welcome

Dates: Weekly on Saturdays, ongoing. Starts May 21, 2011

Time:  2.00pm-4.00pm

Facilitator:   Nicole Valentine, MFT

To participate in the group or for more information, please call Aparna Dhoraje, with Next Door Soltutions : 408-501-7546.

 

 

 

 

Domestic Violence Was The Cause of SJSU Murders

The recent murder-suicide at San Jose State was a case of domestic violence.  Here is the story as reported by ABC7 in San Francisco, which includes an interview with Next Door’s Patty Bennett:

 

And here is the story as reported by NBC Bay Area, which includes an interview with Next Door’s Kathleen Krenek:

Rape is Rape. Period.

Slut.

Yes. You read that correctly.

Slut.

Recently, the founders of mass global protests explained just how defeating and painfully segregating that word can be. Luckily, they are also attempting to re-define it:

Historically, the term “slut” has carried a predominantly negative connotation. Aimed at those who are sexually promiscuous, be it for work or pleasure, it has primarily been women who have suffered under the burden of this label. And whether dished out as a serious indictment of one’s character or merely as a flippant insult, the intent behind the word is always to wound, so we’re taking it back. “Slut” is being re-appropriated. We are tired of being oppressed by slut-shaming; of being judged by our sexuality and feeling unsafe as a result.

To drive the point of how disconnected many in society are from the harms of derogatory terms like this, we need look no further than our neighbors to the north.  In January of 2011, a Canadian police officer was speaking to University students about community safety following a series of sexual assaults on campus. His advice to young women? If they didn’t want to get raped, they should just “avoid dressing like sluts”.

Oh – ok. So if I don’t dress like a slut, I won’t be raped or assaulted.

Check.

While this is undoubtedly an ignorant and uninformed thing for a member of the law enforcement community to say, the fact of the matter is that he is not the only person who sincerely believes that to be true. Had it been only one man’s mistake, the reaction that followed wouldn’t have united thousands of women across the globe as they participate in protests now known as “SlutWalks”.

Despite the fact that the marches occur on different continents, participants share one very important conviction: sluts don’t cause rape, rapists do and no woman deserves to be assaulted, regardless of what she is wearing. A comment like the police officer’s is far too common and reflects the beliefs of many. It has been demonstrated time and time again that our first reaction is to blame the victim (remember this story?) rather than the perpetrator themselves.

Critics of the protests have had a difficult time looking past the word “slut” and don’t understand how it can be used as a tool of empowerment. The word slut can be difficult to embrace for this purpose, but proponents of the walks are trying.

Whatever your view of using the word to promote these protests, we can all agree that the word is an inappropriate excuse for rape and only attempts to validate society’s embarrassing tradition of victim blaming.

The bottom line is that no means no. No woman should ever be asked what she was wearing or how she was acting if she reports being on the receiving end of sexual assault.

Ever.

Would you participate in a SlutWalk if one ever occurred near you? Do you appreciate the organizer’s use of the word or is it unnecessarily offensive?

We’d like to hear from you.

Next Door Thanks the Association of Silicon Valley Brokers

 

This week, Next Door had the honor of being the recipient of a wonderful gift given by the Association of Silicon Valley Brokers. ASVB has supported Next Door for nearly a decade and their continued generosity has allowed us to serve our clients in the very best way possible. Thank you from all of us at Next Door!

 

 

“It’s Your Time”

The Office of Women’s Health, within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has named this week as National Women’s Health Week. National Women’s Health Week, which is  observed from Mother’s Day to May 14th, is a nationwide event that calls attention to the importance of women’s health. The theme for this year’s week is “It’s Your Time”, which encourages women to take action to live healthier lives.

Some of the greatest threats to women’s health includes, and stems from, sexual and domestic violence. In addition to the immediate trauma caused by physical abuse, domestic violence contributes to a number of health problems, including arthritis, neck and back pain, vision problems, chronic pelvic pain, ulcers, and eating problems.

It has been shown that there are significant obstetric risk factors associated with domestic violence. Abused women are more likely to have a history of sexually transmitted disease infections, vaginal and cervical infections, kidney infections and bleeding during pregnancy, all of which are risk factors for pregnant women. Abused women are more likely to delay prenatal care and are less likely to receive antenatal care. In fact, intimate partner abuse during pregnancy may be a more significant risk factor for pregnancy complications than other conditions for which pregnant women are routinely screened, such as hypertension and diabetes.

While primary care and immediate attention for many people is the physical injury suffered by victims, the emotional and psychological abuse inflicted by batterers likely has longer term impacts and may be more costly to treat than physical injury. Depression remains the most common psychological impact of domestic violence, with nearly 60% of battered women reporting experiencing depression. Additionally, domestic violence victims may also experience Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, which is characterized by symptoms such as flashbacks, intrusive imagery, nightmares, anxiety, insomnia, and avoidance of traumatic triggers.

Hospitals and health care professionals can play a key early intervention role for victims of domestic violence. When they recognize signs of abuse, they can connect survivors with local resources and advocates but unfortunately, many professionals aren’t trained to correctly identify the signs of abuse when they see it.

In an effort to correct that problem, which in-turn will reduce health-care spending, Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY) has introduced the Violence Against Women Health Initiative Act (HR 1578). The bill will provide funding for health care providers in order to assist them in identifying and preventing domestic violence.

Violence against women, and the quality of their health, truly does affect us all. Please sign Next Door’s petition and encourage your Representatives to pass HR 1578 and help eradicate violence against women and girls.

Cheerleader Refuses to Cheer for Her Rapist… And Punished For It.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court refused to hear the case of a Texas cheerleader who was suspended from her team for refusing to cheer for the player who raped her.

The young woman, known only as H.S., was 16 years old when she said that she was raped by Rakheem Bolton, the star of her high school’s football and basketball team. He was not charged for the rape but eventually pleaded guilty in September 2010 to a misdemeanor assault charge and received a suspended sentence.

During a basketball game in February 2009, Bolton was shooting a free throw and H.S. was instructed to cheer “2, 4, 6, 8, 10, come on Rakheem, put it in”. The young woman refused to cheer for her assailant and instead, crossed her arms and remained silent. At halftime, H.S. was told to cheer for Bolton or go home. She refused, her parents drove her home and as a result, she was dismissed from the squad.

H.S. and her parents sued school officials and the district for punishing the teenager for exercising her right to free expression. An appeals court ruled against her because cheerleaders are a “mouthpiece” for the school and that her protest was a “disruption to the educational process”.

The Supreme Court’s decision to not hear this case means that the lower court’s decision stands. It also means that the cheerleader’s family now owes the district over $45,000 for the costs of “defending a frivolous suit”. Their decision has severe negative consequences for students’ rights to speak out against their perpetrator  and reaffirms a rape culture that punishes victims rather than the offender.

The school had a responsibility to tell their student body that violence is unacceptable but instead, they allowed Rakheem Bolton to represent them in extra curricular activities. Removing Bolton from the team would have given the school the opportunity to take a stand against violence and support the young woman by commending her decision to come forward. Students are kicked off high school teams for far less serious offenses and yet Rakheem Bolton pleads guilty to assault and the school does nothing except force his victim to cheer for him on the sidelines. Not only has he evaded punishment, but he has essentially been rewarded with cartwheels and cheers.

Take a minute to look at the message the school, and now the court, is sending. To victims, the crimes committed against them aren’t worth punishing. For perpetrators, crimes have no real consequences- especially if you’re a talented young sports star. Apparently the school is okay with a rapist on their basketball team, but they are not okay with a young woman taking a stance against sexual violence. Nice priorities.

And people wonder why so many rape victims don’t report the crimes committed against them…

Proposed Bill Will Provide Victims With Improved Medical Care

One in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. Each year, that abuse costs the United States health-care system an estimated $8.3 billion.

In an attempt to put an end to intimate partner abuse, thus reducing national health-care spending, Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY) has introduced the Violence Against Women Health Initiative Act (HR 1578). If passed by Congress, the bill will fund training for health care providers in identifying and preventing domestic violence.

Rep. Louise Slaughter states:

Domestic and sexual violence is all too common in the United States. This legislation is specifically designed to help health-care providers recognize victims of violence and take action to prevent these women from being harmed again.

The health care system is uniquely positioned to take a leading role in fighting and responding to intimate partner violence. By training our future doctors, nurses and other health care professionals to recognize and help us prevent future domestic attacks, we will be able to save some of the $8.3 billion domestic violence costs our health care system each year. Most importantly we can save women from repeated attacks.

The training that this bill will fund is much needed. In March 2011, the Society of General Internal Medicine released a report which revealed some disturbing statistics. Of the 785 cases of domestic violence surveyed, only 27% were identified as victims of intimate partner abuse in the emergency room. Of the 73% that went unidentified, 29% eventually died at the hands of their abusers.

Violence against women affects us all. Please sign this petition and encourage your Representatives to pass HR 1578 in order to help eradicate violence against women and girls.

The 1st Annual Unity Day for Street Peace

“Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore. We have seen the future, and the future is ours.” – Cesar Chavez

WHO:

“Community Con Corazon” is a county sponsored effort comprised of faith based and other non-governmental agencies.

The mission of the “Community Con Corazon” is to strengthen neighborhoods by uniting community based organizations into coalitions, in order to address community concerns in a strategic manner and empower local youth to be the next generation of compassionate leaders.

WHAT:

On May 7th, there will be a “Weapons Turn-In Day”. There is a strict “No Questions Asked” policy so this is a safe way to turn in any weapons without any consequences. In addition to the free food that will be provided, free gift cards will be awarded to the:

1st 50 adults to turn in unloaded guns and unloaded rifles.

1st 50 teenagers and children who turn in their own: pocket knives, toy guns, and violent video games.

1st 20 teenagers to turn in their own red/maroon/burgundy/navy blue sweaters, jackets, shirts, hats, “red rags”, “blue rags”, or black and white “Cortezes” shoes or black & white “Adidas” shoes with “3 stripes”.

WHEN & WHERE:

Saturday, May 7th @ 12-4pm: Most Holy Trinity Church at 2040 Nassau Drive. San Jose, CA. 95112

For questions, please contact: Enrique Flores enrique_essj@hotmail.com or Supervisor Dave Cortese’s Office (408) 299-5030.