Agenda - 05-05-2009 - 7a - Laserfiche WebLink

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• Under-reporting: I asked the FVPC Director to give me her professional estimate of the prevalence of unreported DV incidents in Orange County. Here is her reply: "an estimate of the number of unreported DV incidents in Orange County (survivors that do not choose to file police reports or get protective orders). This is a very difficult question to answer with any absolute statistical accuracy. However, based on my past experience in law enforcement, criminal trial practice & victim services I can estimate that between 30-50% of incidents are unreported at least for lst time incidents. I would be interested in the opinion of local law enforcement regarding this question. It is certainly a question with significant merit especially when planning for future victim service needs during the next io-i5 years." • Access to Shelter: Requests for shelter occur on a regular basis. In FY o~- 08 emergency shelter was provided for 27 women and 26 children and "other emergency housing" for 54 clients. These figures have increased for FY o8-09. Referrals are regularly made to shelters in Durham, Chatham, Wake and Alamance counties. When there is no availability at the shelters (as in over half of the cases in FY o~-08), FVPC provides safe housing for a limited period of time at alternative facilities, as their limited funding allows. • Staff estimates that FVPC is unable to find requested emergency housing for approximately i5o people each year. • See Attachment for background information on historical involvement by Inter-Faith Council (IFC) in addressing domestic violence issues through its Homestart division, formerly known as Project Homestart, in Chapel Hil. Additional Thoughts from Local Service Providers Beverly Kennedy, Executive Director of the OC Family Violence Prevention Center, asked me to convey the following additional information in this memo. "To responsibly and accurately plan for more DV-related service funding in Orange County I would look not only to data/numbers but also to what long term research has, or should have, taught us about the effect that witnessing DV has on children [from birth to adulthood]. I quote a former colleague who heads the Child Witness to Violence Project at Boston Medical Center who said, "It was a painful experience to learn that our youngest children's first experiences with violence are at the feet of their adult care givers." While we, as a community, must provide for immediate victim needs it is critical, if we are ever to reduce numbers & the need for services, that we begin to focus on prevention and other services for our children. To do this successfully we must do it collaboratively through victim services, law enforcement, health & hospitals, our schools and any other identified community resources." 3