It Ends Here

Did you know that October is Domestic Violence Awareness month?  Unfortunately, domestic violence is much more common than you might expect.  The statistics are absolutely gut-wrenching.  According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, more than 12 million people in the United States suffer from abuse every year at the hands of an intimate partner.  That means that every minute, 24 people experience intimate partner violence in the US.  Astoundingly, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 41% of all the women in the US have experienced domestic violence at some point in their lifetime.    

It's absolutely heartbreaking.  Many of our residents here at City Mission have experienced domestic violence.  Many actually came to the Mission to escape violent relationships.

“The recent statistics regarding the correlation between domestic violence and homelessness are staggering,” said City Mission’s Manager of Women’s Services, Lisa Rotello.  “It was reported that 38% of domestic violence survivors become homeless at some point in their lives. More disturbing is that 90% of homeless women have experienced severe physical or sexual abuse at some point in their lives.”  

Here at City Mission, we’re intentionally developing partnerships with local resources to help our residents build strong and healthy relationships.  

Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern PA (DVSSP) is a local nonprofit organization whose mission is to end domestic violence by empowering survivors, raising awareness, and creating safer communities.  They are finding new and creative ways to support men and women in the community who need their services.  

Allison Weakland, DVSSP’s Director of Mobile Advocacy and Empowerment, recently came to City Mission to teach a domestic violence class for our residents.  The thoughtfully-prepared and engaging class met once a week for six weeks.  The class averaged between 15-20 women.  

The six sessions covered the following topics:

1. 5 Types of Abuse

2. Warning Signs

3. Barriers to Leaving

4. Tactics people use to Make you Stay in Abusive Relationships

5. What Healthy Relationships Look Like

6. Self-worth and Self-care

“The staff and volunteers at DVSSP are truly the experts in the field,” said Leah Dietrich, City Mission’s Director of Residential Programs.  “It’s powerful to see what they’re doing to stop the cycle of abuse.  They are doing the “It Ends Here” work.”

“Healthy relationships are so important for City Mission residents in their recovery,” she added.  “So what DVSSP is doing for us is so crucial.  We are very pleased with how everything is coming together.”

DVSSP started 40 years ago with one person answering one phone.  Today, they have two safe houses and serve residents in three counties.  They are helping domestic violence survivors make the turn from surviving to thriving.  

“We try to give them the opportunity to live their best life now that they don’t have someone trying to pull them down,” said Weakland.  

Weakland and her Mobile Advocacy and Empowerment team provide free and confidential services to community members who have experienced domestic violence.  They do awareness classes, one-on-one empowerment sessions, medical advocacy, and other services in person or virtually.  They help create safety plans, gather financial resources, connect people with housing case management and trauma therapy, and help navigate through all the barriers holding people back from escaping abusive relationships or restoring their lives after experiencing abuse.  

DVSSP will return to City Mission regularly to conduct more 6-week classes as new residents enter our program.  They are also conducting a class specifically for our male residents.  The class provides an overview of domestic violence but also provides strategies for how men can get involved in preventing and ending domestic violence in their communities.  

“These classes,” said Rotello, “offer a direct application of tools, provide a support network, encourage the utilization of additional community services, and allow for a place of refuge and validation for people who are desperately in need of spiritual and emotional repair.”

We believe that City Mission’s ongoing partnership with DVSSP will continue to produce life-change and will continue to uplift those who have survived abuse.  

“The classes provided by DVSSP have proven to be an integral part of our resident’s ability to build a foundation of safety, education, empowerment and resiliency,” explained Rotello.  “With safety as a primary concern for our population, in general, we need to continue demonstrating the availability of compassion, support and acceptance, without discrimination, to those who experience this extremely damaging dynamic.”

You can change a life.  You can make a difference.  Visit www.citymission.org/donate to learn how you can help the homeless and the hurting today.

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