COVID-19 may trap victims home with their abusers. KC area groups are still helping
As stay-at-home orders in the Kansas City area went into effect this week, domestic violence shelters and advocates made adjustments and braced for change.
Social distancing flipped the lives of thousands on their heads. For victims of domestic violence, however, it has the potential to make a bad situation worse.
“The abuser has the perfect opportunity to keep someone isolated, which is one of the ways domestic violence happens in the first place,” said Mary Anne Metheny, CEO of Hope House, a domestic violence shelter and support organization.
“It’s about power and control.”
Furthermore, domestic violence tends to increase in times of economic hardship, she said.
“We know that domestic violence will increase and some of the things that we’re hearing from people is that it is, and the violence and the way that abusers are trying to control is getting more serious,” she said.
Calls to the emergency hotlines have not increased this month. But agencies said the phone is still ringing and that isn’t an indication of less need. Often, it is just an indication that people have fewer opportunities to make a call if they are stuck at home with their abuser.
“It’s harder for people to reach out,” Metheny said.
Courtney Thomas, CEO of Newhouse Shelter, said the intensity of the calls received have increased.
“It is heartbreaking to imagine these children and individuals —people stuck in an environment filled with constant fear and abuse,” Thomas said.
Thomas said that, in an ideal situation, the shelter would like to place victims in hotels if shelters are full, but additional funding would be needed.
Services available
As Hope House and similar organizations shift their services to remote options, navigate court closures, and operate shelters amid an outbreak, they are also intent on ensuring that survivors know they are still available.
“I think for us our biggest concern is that a victim or survivor would receive the message that domestic violence services are closed for services,” said Scott Mason, spokesman for Rose Brooks, another shelter and advocacy organization.
They’re not. Rose Brooks, Hope House, Newhouse, Safehome, the Kansas City Anti Violence Project, the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault and others are continuing to provide services amid increased safety concerns.
Crisis hotlines across the region are still staffed 24 hours a day. Shelters are still operating, though some have had to alter or halt admittance of new clients. Counseling and therapy sessions are held over the phone. And agencies are searching for creative ways to serve victims and survivors while maintaining social distancing.
“Our job has always been to try and remove as many barriers as possible,” Mason said. “This is another barrier.”
Because the most dangerous time for a domestic violence victim is when they leave their abuser, Mason said, much of the work is already done remotely through a crisis hotline.
If victims can find a safe way to make a phone call, he said domestic violence experts and hotline staffers can provide remote resources and work with survivors to develop safety plans.
“There are still ways to plan for an escape when and if that’s best for a victim,” he said.
Although courts have shut down, he said, protection orders can still be filed and Rose Brooks still has advocates available to help victims navigate the legal system.
However, he said, Rose Brooks currently is not able to bring new clients into the shelter.
Metheny of Hope House and Safehome CEO Heidi Wooten said they’ve had to make adjustments at their shelters to follow social distancing guidelines and keep everyone healthy.
This has included changing visiting policies or, at Safehome, placing residents who may have come in contact with the virus or experienced symptoms in quarantine for 14 days.
The Kansas City Anti Violence Project, which serves LGBTQ residents who experience violence, has seen an increased number of requests for support and resources, said CiCi Glasgow, director of communications and outreach.
Each request, Glasgow said, is handled on a case by case basis and they encourage people to do what’s best for them and reach out to people they trust.
“We still have ways of keeping ourselves safe without having to come in direct contact with one another,” Glasgow said.
Victoria Pickering, director of advocacy at the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault, said it is too early to say whether requests for help will increase with COVID-19.
She said survivors should be aware that counseling services, a crisis line, support for sexual assault exams and legal advocacy is still available.
Much of that support, however, will just be provided over the phone.
Reach out
As social distancing makes it more difficult for a victim to ask for help, area agencies are encouraging the general public to keep tabs on their family members, friends and neighbors who could be in danger.
“Domestic violence does not discriminate and it can happen anywhere anytime, and it’s a really hard subject to talk about, but reach into the inner voice and be vulnerable to ask somebody ‘Are you OK?’,” Wooten, the Safehome CEO, said.
One strategy, she said, is to decide on a safe word to use in conversations if you’re in danger.
In an abusive situation it may be easier for a victim to text or call a family member without raising red flags than it is for them to contact an abuse hotline.
Resources
If you or a loved one are in need of help these resources are available. You do not need to have an emergency to call the crisis hotlines.
- Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault: Crisis hotline, 816-531-0233 or 913-642-0233
- Safehome: 24 hour hotline, 913-262-2868
- Kansas City Anti Violence Project: Crisis hotline, available by text, call or email, 816-348-3665 or 913-802-4014 or info@kcavp.org
- Rose Brooks Center: Crisis hotline, 816-861-6100
- Hope House: Crisis hotline, 816-461-4673
- Newhouse: Crisis hotline, 816-471-5800
- Synergy Services: Crisis hotline, 816-321-7050 or 800-491-1114
Any of the six Kansas City area metro shelters can be reached at 816-468-5463.
If you are outside the Kansas City area the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233.
The Star’s Bob Cronkleton contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 27, 2020 at 9:55 AM.
