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7 <br /> Shannon Jackson read a prepared statement. <br /> "Hello and good evening County Commissioners. On behalf of the Orange County <br /> Commission for Women, I am speaking on the issue of obtaining a Domestic Violence Shelter <br /> in Orange County. <br /> Last year we came before the Board with the Family Violence Prevention Center to shed <br /> light and awareness on the issue of domestic violence and the need for a shelter. Since that <br /> time, the Commission for Women has met to discuss the issue with Representative Verla lnsko <br /> and Senator Ellie Kinnaird, both of whom have expressed their support for the establishment of <br /> a Domestic Violence shelter in Orange County. <br /> Additionally, at a recent Commission for Women retreat, the Commission set as one of <br /> its goals, the development of a partnership with local organizations such as the Family <br /> Violence Prevention Center, The Women's Center, The Orange County Rape Crisis Center, <br /> The Inter-Faith Council, The Carolina Women's Center and other organizations that need to be <br /> involved in the conversation about the Domestic Violence shelter. Our first step is educating <br /> ourselves more about domestic violence. We are having Domestic Violence training <br /> conducted by the Family Violence Prevention Center at our June 11 meeting, and we have <br /> invited members of the Human Relations Commission to join us for that training and we would <br /> like to invite all of you — members of the Board as well. From there, our next step is a face to <br /> face meeting with all the stakeholders. <br /> Building a Task Force with local organizations and existing resources will make it <br /> possible to identify the gaps in more detail as well as identify the resources that each <br /> organization provides so that there is no overlapping of resources in the community. We will <br /> then be able to make a more informed recommendation on possible solutions to the issue of a <br /> Domestic Violence Shelter. <br /> It is important to have the Board of County Commissioners' support for this issue so that <br /> we can move forward with viable backing from County Government officials. We can seek <br /> assistance from UNC, Federal Government, State, etc., but it would be hard to move forward <br /> without an official stamp of approval from the Orange County Commissioners. I would like to <br /> quote Rita Anita Linger, Director of the North Carolina Coalition for Domestic Violence: The <br /> need for a shelter in Orange County is at the critical stages now. The coalition works with <br /> shelter programs that are full with no room in the surrounding counties and women find <br /> themselves sleeping in the streets in harm's way within Orange County. I am constantly <br /> hearing from victims and programs who can't accommodate Orange County residents into their <br /> shelters because they are at capacity.' <br /> We all know that we are facing challenging economic times. In some ways, however, <br /> that is even more reason to move forward with a Domestic Violence shelter in Orange County <br /> — economic hardship is one of the many issues that victims of domestic violence face and can <br /> also be the cause of Domestic Violence. Without sufficient income of their own or a safe place <br /> to go, so many women are likely to stay with their abuser and have no other choice but to have <br /> their children live in environments of domestic violence as well. <br /> Please consider moving forward on this issue and help us find a solution for a Domestic <br /> Violence Shelter in Orange County, and show that this County is truly one of the most <br /> "progressive" counties in North Carolina. <br /> Thank you for your time and consideration." <br /> Beverly Kennedy, Executive Director of the Family Violence Prevention Center, said that <br /> there is definitely a need for a domestic violent shelter in Orange County. She said that she <br /> spent five years as the Director of a battered women's shelter in Massachusetts. She said that <br /> it is imperative that a study group be commissioned to discuss all of the considerations of <br />