Local Domestic Violence Services Face Funding Cuts

By Margo Amelong, Executive Director of the Support Center & Kat Goering, Executive Director at Room One

This year, organizations who support victims of crime, like The Support Center in Okanogan County, are expecting a 23%-30% cut in their funding from the State of Washington. These funding cuts mean fewer resources will be available to all survivors of crime in Okanogan County. Victims Services are critical in our rural areas. Without them, people will need to travel at least 2 hours to get help which means they will likely stay in unsafe situations. 

Families who have experienced domestic violence will be particularly impacted by these funding cuts. Domestic violence is a complex issue with no simple answers and it is present in every corner of Okanogan County. Domestic Violence is not physical violence alone. It's any coercive patterned behavior intended to gain or maintain power and control over a spouse, partner, girlfriend, boyfriend or intimate family member. It's not caused by anger, mental problems, drugs or alcohol or other common excuses. See the National Network to End Domestic Violence to learn more. 

Domestic violence not only affects those who are abused, but has a substantial effect on family members, friends, co-workers, other witnesses, and the community at large. Children who grow up witnessing domestic violence or are abused themselves are among those seriously affected. Growing up in the midst of violence puts people at risk of becoming a victim as an adult or even becoming a perpetrator. Violence of any kind poses significant threats to the health and stability of our communities.  

In Okanogan County, we have two agencies who specialize in crime-victim services, The Support Center and Room One. The Support Center is a nonprofit agency in the town of Okanogan that provides 24-hour crisis intervention, medical and legal advocacy, emergency shelter, food and clothing as well as many other services to survivors of crime including Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and other crimes. Room One is located in Twisp and works with individuals and families experiencing violence by creating safety plans, referring them to resources and providing other wraparound services. Room One relies heavily on the expertise of The Support Center when it comes to the legal aspect of crime victim’s services.

To provide their services, programs like The Support Center receive federal, state and county funding. They partner and coordinate with many other agencies, providing referrals for physical and mental health services for survivors as well as crime victim compensation services provided by the state Department of Labor & Industries. From January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022, The Support Center provided services to 201 survivors of domestic violence, 41 survivors of sexual assault and 73 survivors of other crimes.

A network of Coalitions including the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, The Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs, Office of Civil Legal Aid, Children’s Advocacy Centers of Washington, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and the Washington Sexual Assault Working Group have come together to request $132 million from state lawmakers for regular biennium funding for crime victim’s series.  Please consider joining this effort by reaching out to your legislators and asking them to support this request.

Jan 23-26: Homeless Point-In-Time Count Begins

The Big Picture:

Every day, families, adults, young people, and children are sleeping in cars, on couches, and on the streets in Okanogan County, calling to action our schools, hospitals, social workers, elected leaders, law enforcement, first responders, and others . Once a year, the Point-in-Time (PIT) Count brings an opportunity to better understand this community crisis and set the foundation for more homelessness investment, resources, and coordination, but to be successful, the PIT needs participation from community partners in every corner of Okanogan County.

What is the Point-In-Time Count?

Communities are required by state and federal agencies to conduct a one-day Point-In-Time (PIT) Count that surveys people experiencing homelessness. The PIT Count includes both *sheltered individuals (temporarily living in emergency shelters or transitional housing) and unsheltered individuals (those sleeping outside or living in places that are not meant for human habitation). PIT Counts are one source of data among many that help us understand the situations and characteristics of people living in Okanogan County without a home.

Why Does it Matter?

The PIT Count helps inform priorities for federal, state, and local funding. It also helps identify trends and craft solutions for the needs of vulnerable individuals and families. Knowing approximately how many families with children, unaccompanied youth, unsheltered veterans, etc. are homeless, helps local housing providers and our City and County governments plan for homeless services and measure progress toward goals. The Count is also required by Washington State and federal laws as a condition of receiving financial assistance to fund homeless services.

In 2022, the Okanogan County PIT Count identified just 57 homeless individuals and zero unaccompanied homeless youth, a number that many community partners think substantially underrepresents the total homeless population in our county. Like all surveys, the PIT Count has limitations and factors that affect the count results in any given year (like weather and volunteer participation).  But if we come together to collect better data, we can tell a critical story about homelessness in our county and position ourselves for real and lasting solutions.

How Does it Work?

Nationally, the annual PIT Count happens on January 26th and is carried out by volunteers and community partners who gather information directly from homeless individuals about their housing situation. In Okanogan County, PIT surveyors gather information for a full five days the week of January 23-27.

Okanogan County needs to reach as much of the county as possible. Right now, PIT Count organizers are calling on community partners to help with the following:

1. Rally more volunteers

2. Identify places where homeless individuals are living in sheltered and unsheltered areas (*see definition above)

3. Lead or work with current leads to help organize and manage volunteer groups in communities throughout the county

4. If an agency uses Homeless Management Information System (HMIS), help with data entry of the paper survey forms

5. Put the PIT Count on agendas for big meetings to explain the PIT and encourage volunteers

How to Get Involved?

For more information about the PIT Count in Okanogan County, go to www.occac.com/PIT

• For general volunteer or agency participation: Miranda Maple at Okanogan County Community Action Council, 509-422-4041

• In the Methow Valley: Erin or Kat at Room One, 509-997-2050

• In the Oroville area: Ashley Range at the Oroville Housing Authority, 509-991-0396 

• For unaccompanied youth: Foundation for Youth Resiliency and Engagement (FYRE), info@okfyre.org

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Winning Policy: Learning from (and about) the Working Families Tax Credit

Our July CHI Meeting focused on the Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC). Check out the entire meeting recording here!

The Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC) is a new state program that will provide 1 in 6 households in Washington State( many in Okanogan County) with up to $1200 a year to pay for things like food, gas, and childcare.

A great model Coalition model to move legislation:

The WFTC was brought forward by a coalition of partners, including food banks, domestic violence organizations, and anti-poverty groups, and approved with bi-partisan support. Take a look at the key components of how the WFTC was won:

See all the slides about how a Coalition won WFTC legislation here.

4,000 families in Okanogan County could benefit from the Tax Credit:

The tax credit will not be live until 2023, but partners are focusing on how to ensure rural communities like ours know about the cash-back opportunity. The need for our CHI network to understand the tax credit is high: 20% of families who qualified for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit miss out because of confusing eligibility process and access barriers.

To see a recording of the Okanogan CHI’s WFTC meeting:

Okanogan County Candidates Respond to CHI Issues

In the June, 2022 the Okanogan CHI held a forum for Okanogan County candidates for Sheriff, County Commissioner, and State Representative. Community health leaders talked with candidates about Housing, COVID-19, Smoke Readiness, Substance Use, At-Risk Youth, Community Health Workforce, Childcare and Mental Health, check out the recordings below.

Okanogan County Commissioner Candidates talk Housing, COVID-19, and Smoke Readiness

Okanogan County Sheriff Candidates talk Substance Use and Overdose, At-risk Youth, Partnerships with Community Health Networks

State Representative Candidates talk Community Health Workforce, Childcare, and Mental Health

[CHI Meeting Announcement] 2/24/22: Community Health Policies in the Legislature

Policy advocacy is a key community health strategy, it can have broad impact and bring essential funds and public resources to our community. As many of you know, Washington State is in the final month of its legislative session and many new community health policies have been introduced this year. At this month's CHI meeting, we'll be lifting up some of the active policy proposals that could influence our CHI members’ work and the health of our Okanogan community. We'll cover legislation that directly relates to topics of our 2021 CHI meetings, including....

• Long-term solutions to address capacity in the healthcare and child care workforce

• Funding reimbursement rate increases for childcare provider (promised in the Fair Start for Kids Act)

• Expanded approach to substance abuse response and prevention

This is a great opportunity to learn how policy advocacy works from our CHI partners and hear about bills that may affect our collective work this year.