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ORANGE COUNTY COMMISSION FOR WOMEN <br />DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER WORK GROUP <br />FINAL REPORT TO: Orange County Board of County Commissioners <br />June 3, 2010 <br />This report from the Orange County Commission for Women (CFW) to the Orange County Board of <br />County Commissioners (BOCC) is submitted pursuant to the Charge to the CFW by the BOCC on June <br />16, 2009, under Action Agenda Item No. 6.e which stated: <br />"The CFW will: <br />• Serve as a facilitator /convener of the Work Group, with guidance and support from the <br />Human Rights & Relations office <br />• Contact nonprofits and other stakeholders and serve as central point of contact in <br />bringing them to the table to discuss the potential for a DV shelter <br />• Serve as intermediary between DV Work Group and the BOCC <br />• Provide update on Work Group activities related to the charge to the BOCC in December <br />2009 <br />• Assist in determining the best use of $1,200 seed money." <br />In proceeding with the work to be accomplished under the Charge members of the Work Group reached <br />consensus that there were multiple issues to be addressed and questions to be explored and answered, <br />including, but not limited to, the following: <br />• Was there a need for a domestic violence shelter services in Orange County? <br />• Should shelter also be provided for victims of sexual violence? <br />• Were there alternatives to construction of a shelter? <br />• Who should/would be responsible for implementation of a program to build a shelter or <br />implement program(s) for alternatives? <br />• What would be the most responsible approach to continued work based on the recommendations? <br />It was agreed that documented research supported the conclusion that, "There is a need for safe `shelter <br />services' for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Orange County. " <br />During FY `08 -`09 Family Violence Prevention Center of Orange County (FVPC) served 733 <br />clients and referred 42 clients to shelter during that time period. <br />Statistics from Orange County Rape Crisis Center (OCRCC) showed that for the period from <br />January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008, there we 17 requests for shelter, 22 referrals to shelter, 2 <br />referrals to hotels, 9 referrals to physical shelter and 7 referrals to "other ". There were more <br />referrals than requests for shelter because sometimes referrals were made without a client <br />requesting shelter. <br />FVPC indicated, and it was agreed by Work Group members, that the magnitude of the issue of <br />building an Orange County Shelter required a "coordinated community response" defined as one <br />that has the support of all stakeholders in the community to achieve the mission/goal. This <br />approach is defined as "best practice." <br />