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Coalition Connection
Your Weekly Source of News, Training Opportunities, and Events
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Through a collective voice, the WCADVSA is committed to provide leadership, education, and systems advocacy to advance social change and end violence. | |
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Welcome to your weekly edition of the Coalition Connection!
Are you having difficulty viewing this e-mail or do you feel like you are missing some of the information in the Connection? If so, click here for help.
We will highlight important information in this section each week in red that requires your action or attention. This week's highlights include:
Opportunities
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2022 Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance Grant Program - Deadline June 27
Our Work
- Advocate Learning and Support Collaborative (Next: June 16)
- Confidentiality: If not us, then who? (June 16)
- Coordinated Community Response and/or Sexual Assault Response Team Intensive Technical Assistance Available
- Program Support Calls (Next: June 7)
- WCADVSA Laramie Office Hours and Program, Board, Staff and DVS List
- Funds to Reduce Education, Employment, and Job Training Barriers for Survivors
- NNEDV Independence Project Available
Policy Updates
In Wyoming
- SHAPE Wyoming: Grassroots Lobbyist Training (Begins June 9)
Trainings, Webinars, and Events
In Wyoming
- Allstate Foundation Moving Ahead Curriculum Virtual Training for Advocates (June 28-July 1)
- Transitional Housing Voluntary Services Training E-Learning
Across the Nation
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Positively Safe: Addressing the Intersection of Domestic Violence and HIV/AIDS - Deadline to Apply: June 8
- How to Move White Women on Reproductive Choice and Critical Race Theory (June 13 and14)
- National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms Webinar (June 16)
Resources
- Gun Violence Resources for Practitioners
- Showing Up in Support of Indigenous 2S+/LGBTQ+ Survivors for Pride Month
- Applying for OVW Funding
Spotlight: NNEDV Commemorates Pride Month
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Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance Grant Program
Closing Date: June 27, 2022
OVC just opened their solicitation for their 2022 Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance Grant Program. This program will provide funding for shelter and transitional housing and other assistance to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their companion animals.
One of the big changes this year is that they're breaking the grants up into 2 funding categories:
- Category 1 (large awards) up to $400k
- Category 2 (mini awards) up to $100k
Learn more: https://ovc.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-ovc-2022-171309.
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Advocate Learning and Support Collaborative
Thursday, June 16, 2022, 1:00 - 2:30 pm MST
Program Advocates are invited to join an opportunity to meet, connect with, and learn alongside fellow advocates!
The Advocate Learning and Support Collaborative will be held every other Thursday, from 1:00pm to 2:30pm over Zoom. All membership program advocates are invited to connect in this space, to meet and provide support to one another, and to engage in a learning community together as we explore and discuss resources provided by national domestic violence and sexual assault organizations.
Please register HERE or contact Susie Markus, Rural Capacity Specialist, at 307-222-3352 or smarkus@wyomingdvsa.org.
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Coordinated Community Response and/or Sexual Assault Response Team Intensive Technical Assistance is Available from the WCADVSA!
This assistance is available for existing teams that may be seeking resources and technical assistance, or communities interested in starting up, revising, or reviving your teams!
Please contact Susie Markus at smarkus@wyomingdvsa.org or 307-222-3352 for more information.
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Program Support Calls
Held first Tuesday of every month
at 1:00 pm via Zoom
Alina from Zenit Journaling will be joining us this year to work on self-care and healing with Program Directors and designated advocates. This will consist of mini journaling sessions the first Tuesday of each month at noon (before our program support call), and in person workshops during our October Membership Meeting.
Here is the Zoom Link for Mini Journaling Sessions.
Program Support Calls are an opportunity for DVSA program directors (or their designee) to connect with other programs and WCADVSA staff about the work being done around Wyoming. Coalition staff will invite others to join the support calls at the request of membership.
Our next Program Support Call is June 7, 2022. Join us by clicking this Zoom link (it will be emailed directly to member program directors).
Contact Kristen at kschwartz@wyomingdvsa.org with any questions or problems connecting.
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Flexible Funds to Reduce Education, Employment, and Job Training Barriers for Survivors
With support from The Allstate Foundation, the WCADVSA has funds to support education, employment, and job training barriers for survivors. These funds can be used to help support survivors in obtaining G.E.D.s, job skills training, certifications, licenses, continuing education, education/job-related supplies such as uniforms, tools, and/or other equipment, transportation-related support, etc.
If your program is offering training on the Allstate Moving Ahead Curriculum or other economic empowerment training, you may request funds to support and encourage survivor participation such as offering food and/or childcare during economic empowerment events or gas gift cards for survivors to get to the training.
Member programs may also inquire about offering scholarships to help support survivor participation in job training programs such as CLIMB Wyoming.
Funds must be spent by June 30, 2022. We have approximately $2,853.00 remaining. Remaining funds will be pledged on a first come first serve basis. To request funds, please submit an Allstate Barrier Reduction Request Form. Once your request has been approved, your program will pay expenses upfront and then you can request reimbursement by submitting an Allstate Barrier Reduction Reimbursement Form.
While it is not required for participants to utilize the Allstate Moving Ahead curriculum to access these funds, financial planning and management is a life-long process and this online curriculum is designed for domestic violence survivors and can help provide the guidance and tools needed to make important financial decisions and work toward gaining long-term financial security.
If you have any questions, please connect with Trish Worley
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NNEDV Independence Project Available
Credit Building through Micro-Lending
Just a reminder that NNEDV is able to provide $00 credit-building, micro-loans to survivors. Through the Independence Project, advocates and local domestic violence programs across the nation can support survivors of domestic violence in improving their credit scores through micro-lending. Through the Independence Project, a survivor can apply for a credit building micro-loan of $100 and to repay this loan over the subsequent 10 months with no interest.
To apply please register at the following link: Independence Project Application Sign Up.
Thanks to the generous and continued support of The Allstate Foundation, which makes many of these loans possible! Click here to learn more.
If you have any questions, please connect with Trish Worley or contact the NNEDV team.
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All year long, you can visit our website to review the most recent legislative sessions and what we have worked on, as well as archived previous years.
Follow this link, or you can always get to that page in the "Get Involved" drop-down menu and then "Public Policy". Please share with staff and board members. We'll work on getting our regular public policy zoom calls on that webpage, too.
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Wyoming Webinars, Training and Events | |
Allstate Foundation Moving Ahead Curriculum Virtual Training for Advocates
June 29 - July 1, 2022 1:00 - 4:30 PM MST
Economic abuse is present in 99%, if not all, intimate partner relationships. Long after the physical bruises of domestic violence fade, the often overlooked aspect of financial abuse lingers. Financial abuse is a common tactic used by harm-doers to control their victim. It involves a range of behaviors including controlling their access to money, destroying their credit, and interfering with their employment.
The Moving Ahead Curriculum is an educational resource designed to help domestic violence survivors address their finances. It is a five-module curriculum that offers a range of information, from basic money and financial management principles to advanced long-term financial planning. This training is meant to help advocates get a better understanding of the curriculum and how to make it accessible to the survivors they serve.
This course will provide advocates with the following:
- Strategies to address financial and safety challenges—whether someone is currently in an abusive relationship, planning to leave, or has left the abusive environment and is building their future;
- Resources to help with quality-of-life changes that may happen when starting over;
- Ways to address challenges if an abusive partner or former partner misuses your personal information; and
- Methods to manage your finances, including budgeting, saving, building or improving credit, and managing debt.
This curriculum was developed in partnership with the National Network to End Domestic Violence and The Allstate Foundation. There are many financial literacy curriculums available; however, what’s unique about this curriculum is that it recognizes the unique challenges that survivors face while keeping their safety in mind.
Money and finances aren’t always easy topics to talk about but this work is transformative. Advocates who have embraced this work themselves report having a lot of fun teaching the curriculum and working with survivors. And, the benefits to survivors are huge. Survivors report less hardship, less financial strain, and an increase in quality of life. They also report being less stressed and having more confidence to manage their financial lives.
The training will be facilitated by Trish Worley, Economic Justice Specialist. This will be an interactive session so please come prepared to actively participate.
You may preview or download the Moving Ahead Curriculum at any time.
Learn more here.
Please register or contact Trish for more information.
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Transitional Housing Voluntary Services Training E-Learning
The NNEDV Voluntary Services Training will be completed through an e-learning module. WCADVSA member programs are encouraged to participate in the e-learning module if they are providing direct services. There is no limit on the number of staff who can take this e-learning course. But at least one person needs to complete the courses for the agency.
There are 8 lessons available. In total, you'll need to view 6 lessons to complete the training requirement. There are 5 mandatory lessons in Track A and 3 elective lessons in Track B. At least 1 lesson from Track B must be completed to meet the minimum lesson requirement.
Click this link to find the registration page. When you register, you will automatically be registered for both Tracks A and B and you will have access to all eight lessons. When you register, you'll be asked to create a username and password that is unique for you. Each person, who wants to take the course, should enroll separately.
Please email a copy of your certificate to Trish Worley, Economic Justice Specialist
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National Webinars, Training and Events | |
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Positively Safe: Addressing the Intersection of Domestic Violence and HIV/AIDS
Date: July 20, 11:00 - 2:30 MST
July 21, 11:00 - 3:00 MST
Application Deadline: June 8
Developed in 2010, the Positively Safe project addresses the intersection of HIV/AIDS and domestic violence. Together with the National Domestic Violence & HIV/AIDS Advisory Committee, NNEDV has developed a curriculum to train service providers in both fields. The curriculum has a large focus on building collaboration to address the intersection and prevent HIV and domestic violence.
NNEDV’s Positively Safe project, in partnership with the Gilead Foundation, proposes to systematically address the unique challenges and barriers facing victims and survivors of domestic violence living with HIV/AIDS by:
- Partnering and collaborating with national, state and local HIV/AIDS and domestic violence organizations to explore the intersection of domestic violence and HIV/AIDS;
- Providing technical assistance & training opportunities to both domestic violence and HIV/AIDS service providers to share best practices, lessons learned, and model programs that address HIV/AIDS and domestic violence; and
- Developing and disseminating critical resources to both fields on the co-occurrence of HIV/AIDS and domestic violence, including strategies to best address challenges and barriers when both are present in the lives of women.
The NNEDV’s Positively Safe Project upcoming Training-of-Trainers (ToT) is in partnership with Black Women’s Blueprint (BWB), and SisterLove, Inc. The July ToT will focus on the intersection of domestic violence and HIV/AIDS. Attendees will learn about the intersection, racial equity and diversity, and delivery of content.
For this round, the ToT is asking that individuals apply as partners of 2; one partner being a domestic violence organization and the other partner being an HIV organization, both within the same state. The ToT has capacity for 4 groups (8 individuals) and each person is required to complete a brief application.
The application will close on June 8 and accepted applicants will be notified starting June 17. Each applicant will be provided a stipend for their time to ensure they are able to fully participate.
Please feel free to share with interested colleagues. If you have any questions, please email dvhiv@nnedv.org.
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How to Move White Women on Choice and Critical Race Theory
Workshops: June 13 and June 14, 2022
Progress for all will not be secured until we build a durable majority that will reliably support and defend it. Galvanize Action works to reach and move white women: America’s largest voting bloc now and for decades to come. But they’re not the only ones trying to reach this group of voters—the right is adept at using grievance-based politics rooted in fear. Their tactics are specifically designed to trigger racial resentment, outgroup derogation, and feelings of social insignificance. This is the foundation for our current set of culture wars—attacks on reproductive choice, the LGBTQ+ community, and education.
They’ve spent the last few years deeply understanding the opinions white women have about these key issues and learning to craft neuropsych-driven messages that move them by connecting with their values—not trying to change them. Join us for an exclusive tour of the Art & Science of Persuasion Playbook and for practical tips on how you can move this critical voting bloc on choice and critical race theory.
You’ll gain access to:
- Voter profiles and insights
- Turn key messages and creative
- Universal neuro-psych lessons
How to Move Moderate White Women on Choice
Monday, June 13, 2022 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM MST
Join us to gain a deeper understanding of white women voters who are movable on the issue of choice. We’ll share what we’ve learned about how to message to them, walk you through our own library of example messages, and provide the targeting insights you need to put these lessons into action in your own work.
Click here to register!
How to Move Moderate White Women on CRT
Tuesday, June 14, 2022 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM MST
Join us to gain a deeper understanding of white women voters who are movable on the issue of race education in schools, which is often framed as critical race theory (CRT). We’ll share what we’ve learned about how to message to them, walk you through our own library of example messages, and provide the targeting insights you need to put these lessons into action in your own work.
Click here to register!
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National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms
Webinar: June 16, 12:00 - 1:15 PM MST
This series of webinars will began on April 21st with an overview of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms, featured specific examples of training and technical assistance available to OVW grantees, provided OVW grantees with detailed information about the risk firearms present to domestic violence victims. Grantees will also learned about statutory interventions aimed at disarming abusers and reducing intimate partner homicide.
The final webinar on June 16th, Developing an Effective Firearm Relinquishment Protocol, will provide concrete steps and recommendations for jurisdictions to consider when developing and implementing a mechanism that supports firearm relinquishment.
This training series has been approved by OVW. Participants only need to register one time to be enrolled in the entire series.
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Click here to view a variety of upcoming webinars, national training, and conferences. | | | |
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Showing Up in Support of Indigenous 2S+/LGBTQ+ Survivors for Pride Month
This June, the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC), StrongHearts Native Helpline (StrongHearts), and the Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center (AKNWRC) acknowledge, support, and lift the voices of Native Two-Spirit, non-binary, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and/or questioning survivors of violence for Pride Month. When NIWRC, StrongHearts, and AKNWRC raise awareness on gender-based violence issues, we also recognize that our 2S+/LGBTQ+ relatives experience domestic violence and sexual violence at exceptionally high rates. Violence and abuse can happen to anyone. Across Indigenous cultures and communities, our traditional teachings uphold respect for all identities and celebrate diversity. As relatives, we must stand firmly against dangerous attitudes toward our 2S+/LGBTQ+ relatives and instead, use our Indigenous values and sacred teachings of love, respect, and compassion to advocate for them. We see you. We support you. We honor your spirit.
For generations, Western culture has demonized Indigenous religions and teachings about gender and sexuality, including the pre-existing traditional understanding that Two-Spirit individuals, embodying male and female spirits, are blessed by Creator. Colonialism and Western patriarchy threaten our relatives on the 2S+/LGBTQ+ spectrum with policy, violence, and oppression across the United States. Within the 2S+/LGBTQ+ community, intimate partner violence occurs at a rate equal to or higher than that of the cis-heterosexual community. American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians in 2S+/LGBTQ+ communities face systemic discrimination, violence, and harassment at disproportional rates. According to the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey (USTS), of all the respondents who experienced sexual assault, 65% were American Indian/Alaskan Natives. Also, 73% of Native respondents experienced intimate partner violence, including physical violence, compared to 54% of the overall USTS respondents. 2S+/LGBTQ+ relatives also experience other forms of domestic violence and additional barriers to seeking help due to fear of discrimination or bias. These statistics do not include the intergenerational and individual trauma our Indigenous relatives experience. There is a need for intergenerational efforts to recognize, reclaim, and dismantle oppressive and systemic injustices toward 2S+/LGBTQ+ survivors.
Although there are incredible resources available for LGBTQ+ survivors, there is an urgent need for more culturally-tailored, inclusive programs and resources that offer support services for Indigenous 2S+/LGBTQ+ survivors. As family members and communities, we must collectively advocate for more inviting, safe, accessible, and inclusive spaces for our 2S+/LGBTQ+ relatives. All members of our families, communities, and nations should feel safe, protected, and supported to live free of violence and discrimination.
Tips for Family and Friends:
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Show up: Family members and friends of 2S+/LGBTQ+ relatives can create safe spaces simply by showing up, listening, and acknowledging their relative’s experiences. Keeping “open minds and hearts” can positively impact Indigenous 2S+/LGBTQ+ survivors.
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Believe survivors: Validate the feelings of 2S+/LGBTQ+ relatives, assuring them that the violence they experienced is not their fault and they are not alone. Offering support when a loved one is hurting, even in seemingly small ways, encourages connection and protects against isolation.
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Celebrate sacred teachings: Learning more about Indigenous 2S+/LGBTQ+ communities–including their history of trauma and teachings about love, compassion, courage, and support–can help reverse the shame tied to Western norms about gender and sexual orientation. Return to traditional teachings that honor all identities and sexualities.
Helpful Resources:
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Applying for Office on Violence Against Women Funding
The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) invites organizations and communities working to end gender-based violence to apply for funding. This section provides general information about how to apply for OVW grants and cooperative agreements.
You can also stay updated on OVW Open Solicitations and their ongoing Solicitation Release Plan.
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The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) joins the LGBTQ+ community to celebrate Pride Month. Recognized each June, this month honors the anniversary of the 1969 uprising at the Stonewall Inn—often considered a tipping point in the LGBTQ+ rights movement as patrons fought back against systemic homophobia and police brutality—and now encompasses all kinds of events and celebrations across the country and around the world.
Pride Month also includes remembrance of LGBTQ+ community members who have been hurt and killed due to discrimination and violence. Everyone deserves to live safely and freely, regardless of their gender or sexuality, but members of the LGBTQ+ community (including LGBTQ+ survivors of domestic violence) often face structural and systemic barriers that prevent them from accessing support and living without fear.
According to the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS), 61.1% of bisexual women, 43.8% of lesbian women, 37.3% of bisexual men, and 26% of gay men have reported experiencing rape, physical violence, and/or stalking from a partner during their lifetime—compared to 35% of heterosexual women and 29% of heterosexual men. The U.S. Transgender Survey found that 54% of respondents have experienced some form of violence from a partner, and 24% have experienced severe violence.
Abusive partners often take advantage of deep-seated discrimination and societal bias to discredit LGBTQ+ survivors and keep them from accessing resources and support. For LGBTQ+ survivors living at the intersections of various marginalized identities, abusers often weaponize the barriers they face as a tool to gain further power and control over them. LGBTQ+ survivors with disabilities, who are people of color, who are immigrants, or who face other kinds of discrimination and harm based on their identities can face greater, and more substantial, obstacles to accessing help and support.
NNEDV works at several levels to help protect the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, including LGBTQ+ survivors. In 2013, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) became the first federal law to include nondiscrimination provisions on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. VAWA’s latest reauthorization in March 2022 bolstered access for survivors of all genders by strengthening these non-discrimination laws and creating an LGBTQ+ services program. We also support the Equality Act, a landmark piece of legislation that, if enacted, would expand federal civil rights laws to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in employment, housing, credit, public spaces, and federally funded programs, including health and education.
We also work to raise awareness about the work local domestic violence programs and advocates, are doing to help LGBTQ+ survivors and provide them with inclusive, appropriate resources and services. As part of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, we have opposed earlier attempts by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to roll back nondiscrimination protections. We (along with the Biden-Harris Administration) support HUD’s current Equal Access Rule, which requires equal access to HUD housing programs without regard to a person's actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status, to ensure that housing policy is inclusive for all in shelters and housing programs.
Our 16th Annual Domestic Violence Counts Report found that 86% of participating programs across the country provide support and advocacy for LGBTQ+ victims throughout the year. Unfortunately, several dozen programs also reported they had to reduce or eliminate these services due to funding cuts or the impacts of the pandemic, putting help out of reach for survivors in need. We continue to urge increased funding for local programs through the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), and the appropriations process.
When LGBTQ+ domestic violence survivors are believed and supported—and when the programs serving them have the necessary resources and staff to provide this support—it can make a world of difference. NNEDV reaffirms our solidarity with LGBTQ+ survivors and their communities as we continue to celebrate pride and work toward a future where every home is a safe home.
We encourage everyone to learn more, follow, and support some of our partner organizations this month and year-round: FORGE, Lambda Legal, the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the National Center for Transgender Equality, and The Network/La Red. For more information about domestic violence against LGBTQ+ survivors, visit WomensLaw.org.
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