Domestic abuse on the rise

The pandemic has taken its toll in countless ways, some of them hidden behind closed doors. Over the last year, Crook County Family Violence and Sexual Assault Services (CCFV) has seen its caseload double.

"Since the pandemic hit, we are seeing more and more cases of domestic violence and sexual assault. It's because of the stress and the being shut in, and people's coping mechanisms are turning towards drugs and alcohol," says Sandy Steven, CCFV Director.

"Extra stress can cause mental health issues, and the reaction to stress can be through violence and other means, such as physical abuse or turning to drugs and alcohol."

But the pandemic hasn't just affected the victims – it's also making things more difficult for the agency whose job is to support them as they reestablish their lives.

"We're finding that the people we're working with have a lot more barriers because of the pandemic," she says.

To honor Domestic Violence Awareness Month this October, purple lights have been placed around Sundance Square to raise awareness and show survivors they are not alone. Purple is associated with the Purple Heart and viewed as a symbol of peace, courage and survival, Stevens says.

But for CCFV, the work to overcome barriers continues all year round.

Influx of Clients

Since this time last year, CCFV has seen its caseload increase from 32 clients to almost 60. While many of the agency's new clients are local, Stevens says, "We're also seeing a lot of our clients move in from out of state. After they've been here for just a couple of months, they become a client of ours because of the violence in their current relationship."

In Stevens' opinion, the pandemic has spurred a lot of people to move to Wyoming because of the lack of strict mandates and restrictions, as well as for the more affordable lifestyle. Some new clients are transferring from agencies in other states, while CCFV connects with others through the intervention of law enforcement.

"I've got to give credit to our law enforcement officers," Stevens says. "They are the ones who are out there on the scene when a victim calls 911 for help or when a neighbor calls for assistance."

Bringing Down Barriers

It's up to CCFV to find ways around the barriers, Stevens says, because any one of them can deter a victim from coming forward. The problem-solving skills of CCFV and the support of the community are of equal importance when it comes to overcoming those obstacles.

"Things that may seem simple to you and I may not be simple to them," Stevens says, giving the example of obtaining a driver's license.

Under normal circumstances, this would be a simple matter of visiting the WYDOT office with the appropriate documents in hand. That's not necessarily the case for a victim of domestic abuse, she says.

One possibility is that a victim may not have the forms of ID needed to apply. They may have fled a violent situation in too much of a hurry to collect all the belongings they need, for example, or had their papers taken away by an abusive partner as a form of control.

CCFV has found ways to work around these problems by, for example, helping a victim apply for a copy of their birth certificate or arranging an escort for them to pick up items that were left behind.

Another stumbling block is that a person must have an address in order to apply for a driver's license, and a victim leaving an abusive situation may not have a current, stable residence. Again, CCFV has had to look for innovative ways to get past this hurdle.

"What we've had to do in some cases is utilize our agency address for our client," Stevens says.

Housing Options

The price of homes in Crook County has skyrocketed since the pandemic began, Stevens says, and that makes it hard to find housing for clients, whether rental or for purchase.

"There are hardly any rental houses available, and the houses that are available are out of our price range for a lot of our clients," she says.

Luckily, the tight-knit nature of the community has made it possible to find options, says Stevens, "Through word of mouth and having connections with some of the landlords."

Landlords giving victims of domestic abuse the chance to begin anew has been crucial, she says, and she deeply appreciates any landlord who has done so, or who in the future might be willing to let CCFV know they have a vacancy.

"The other thing that has helped us has been that, when we do go in front of the judge for a family violence protection order, a lot of times the judge awards the home to our victim, which means our victim is allowed to stay in their home," Stevens adds.

Gender

Domestic violence isn't always directed towards women, but Stevens says male victims can be more reluctant to reach out for help.

"Men are welcome here at our agency, but there's a stigma that if a man comes to our agency for services then they're not man enough to take it," she says. "That's not the case at all, we want to open up our agency to everyone."

Fortunately, more male victims are finding it possible to step past the taboo.

"We have been seeing quite a few males," she says.

Transport

A victim who flees from an abusive situation may not have access to a vehicle of their own – and in a place like Crook County, that's a problem.

"We're so rural," she says. While many of the essentials can be found in town, there are still some things that require driving to a larger town.

"One of the biggest barriers we have right now is clients who don't have any transportation, so if anyone has an old vehicle that's still running that they would like to donate to the agency, that would be fantastic," she says.

CCFV is also hoping to raise $15,000 to replace its 21-year-old agency van.

"We call her Bertha because she's a beast, but the beast is no longer safe for us to drive. Just since July, we've provided 91 transports with clients, so we need a van," Stevens says. "We have an individual who donated some money to be applied towards the van, but we are still in need of donations."

CCFV uses this van to provide transport when a client has no vehicle of their own. Trips range from doctor's appointments to court dates, counseling sessions to house viewings, relocations to grocery shopping, or even just to get the victim to their job.

Contact the agency if you would like to contribute.

Financial insecurity

If the abusive partner is the breadwinner, a victim may wonder how they would afford necessities or support their children. A single person often needs to earn more than they would as one half of a couple, because one salary needs to pay for all the necessary expenses.

"It seems that we've got quite a few job openings, but are they going to be high enough wages to support a client as a single person or a client that has a couple of children?" she says.

"If you're not getting child support, that compounds it."

Part of CCFV's function is to help victims through the process of securing child support from the abusive partner, which can help to offset this problem.

"We have coalition attorneys who can help with divorces, child custody and so on," Stevens says.

"We also have a volunteer who is a retired attorney and does pro bono cases for us, helping out with protection and stalking orders when we have really complicated ones."

Childcare

Childcare is one of the few barriers for a victim that CCFV has not yet been able to figure out. One client was recently obliged to move out of state to have access to more resources of this kind.

"It's really hard to find childcare here in Crook County," Stevens says.

To get past this barrier, the agency is actively looking for assistance from the community. CCFV would love to hear from certified childcare professionals who would be willing to assist the children of domestic violence victims.

Being Believed

A barrier for some victims may be the fear that their story will not be believed if they come forward, but Stevens says it's rarer than it may seem for a victim to make a false report. We hear about fake cases precisely because they are unusual, she says. Anomalies grab our attention more than the norm.

"I've never come across one where we didn't believe the victim and I think it's the same with law enforcement because they do such a good job of assessing," she says. "We can pretty much get to the root of it."

Of the hundreds of people who have been helped by CCFV, only in two cases that Stevens can recall has the apparent victim turned out to have been lying. In both, she says, the supposed victim turned out to be the offender.

"We ceased working with that person and then worked with the true victim," she says.

Isolation

Living in the middle of nowhere with no other houses as far as the eye can see is a luxury many of us in Crook County enjoy, but it's unfortunately also appealing to abusers.

"I remember one case where the offender brought the family in from out of state and moved them way, way out of town," Stevens says. "They had a support system where they came from, but they were isolated away from that support system – and isolated from any type of resources."

A victim in an isolated part of the county may have no cell service, no phone line, no internet and no regular access to other people in order to seek help. In the incident Stevens mentions, "When an incident happened, the victim had to run quite a few miles to get to the nearest neighbor to call law enforcement."

The vigilance of the community can be important in such cases, Stevens says, advocating that everyone should know the signs of abusive behavior and be prepared to stand up for and help those who are being abused. She recommends asking the person what you can do to help, as it's critical for victims to regain a sense of control and agency; validating their experiences; and listening without judgement.

Never pressure a victim into leaving if they are not ready, she says, and tread carefully around suspected abusers. It's important to know where to point someone for help, she adds; on that note, the crisis hotline for CCFV is available 24/7 at 283-2415.

"Offer options and services for them to reach out to, but leave them the space to decide where to go," Stevens says. "Don't give up hope, it takes up to seven times for a victim to leave their offender."

The Value of Community Support

It takes a village, as the old saying goes, and CCFV benefits from the support of this community in numerous ways, not all of them financial. The donations are certainly a help though, Stevens says.

"We've been really fortunate in our funding this year. We've had a lot of people donate to our agency and that's helped us provide our services and get our victims what they are needing," she says.

A client can spend a significant amount of time with the agency, seeking assistance with everything from legal assistance to obtain a protection or stalking order to getting set up with the Department of Family Services to access benefits. CCFV is able to provide advocates for victims through community volunteers.

"We're always recruiting, so if anyone would like to take the 40-hour training to become a volunteer, we would love for them to get in contact," Stevens says.

Volunteer assistance also allows CCFV to connect victims with a counselor.

"We have a volunteer who is a counselor, and she works with a lot of our clients for us," Stevens says.

Help comes in many forms. For example, the agency benefits from the kindness of a volunteer who makes backpacks for the kids involved in domestic abuse situations, containing toys and treats to keep children occupied while the agency is working with their parent.

Stevens says she is endlessly grateful to the community of Crook County for all these contributions, and is always open to hearing new ideas.

"Sometimes I think when you've been working in this job for a while, you can get complacent and not think of anything new, because what we have right now seems to work," she says.

To offer ideas, assistance or to find out more, contact the CCFV office at 283-2415.

A lifetime of standing against abuse

After 17 years of serving her community as director of CCFV, Sandy Stevens was awarded the Lifetime Contribution Award earlier this month from the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. The award recognized her service to more than 800 victims and survivors over the last two decades – but also her other contributions to the cause.

For example, Stevens provides law enforcement training at Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy four times a year, teaching new officers about the dynamics of domestic violence, and has facilitated several dozen training classes and seminars in recent years in topics ranging from strangulation to preparation of protection orders.

She was also established in 2018 by the Wyoming Supreme Court as an expert witness in cases of domestic violence and has served in this capacity in 15 trials across the state so far.

"We in Crook County are proud to have Sandra as the local expert on advocacy for victims of violence," said the CCFV Board of Directors in its letter of nomination.

"We are perhaps even more proud to share Sandra, our expert, with the rest of Wyoming, to train, educate, mentor and foster a culture of understanding and working to end violence."