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7 <br />UNC Student Research Conducted by: <br />Dave Wylie, Jeff Johnson and Mary Margaret Morris <br />"Engaged Scholarship Project with the Orange County Domestic Violence Shelter Work Group" <br />May 3, 2010 <br />ABSTRACT <br />The impact of domestic abuse is a consistent problem facing communities in North Carolina. Women's <br />shelters have been erected in communities as a means for protection and guidance for abused <br />individuals. These shelters provide a myriad of services to victims of domestic abuse, such as clothing <br />and food, childcare, education and transitional services. This project discusses models of domestic <br />abuse shelters in various communities as brought forth by nonprofit organizations. The primary local <br />shelter reviewed for case study was the Interact of Wake County in North Carolina; two other <br />nonprofits, the Safehouse Alliance for Nonviolence of Boulder, Colorado and the Family Justice Center <br />Alliance of San Diego, California were reviewed as focus studies of various shelters in nonlocal <br />parameters. Due to the growing concerns of domestic violence in Orange County and the lack of <br />necessary shelter for abused women, the Orange County Commission for Women (OCCW) have set to <br />motion the creation of a domestic violence shelter within the borders of Orange County. The goal of <br />this research was to provide the OCCW with preliminary data on what allowed these shelters to be <br />erected, also know as a best practices model. Such research consisted of number of rooms within the <br />shelter, and other essential information pertinent to OCCW's concerns. This research was then <br />collected and brought forth to the OCCW and other Orange County government officials for further <br />review. <br />*** <br />"Synopsis of UNC Student Research" <br />Best Practices from Wylie, et al. (2010), Reyno and Johnson: <br />• Domestic/relationship/interpersonal violence is a community issue <br />o DV, sexual assault, sex trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation <br />• Need to identify key stakeholders <br />• Involve survivors in planning process in some way <br />• Funding is a continual challenge <br />• Coordinated community response is necessary <br />o Need to synchronize multiple agency polices and practices <br />o One stop/wrap-around services <br />• Build in evaluation/assessment processes from the beginning <br />o Self reflection, continuous improvement <br />• Shelters must have zero tolerance for any forms of violence <br />6 <br />