Shelter from the Storm
DISTRICT GRANT TO REINSTATE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE STAFF POSITION AT SHELTER FROM THE STORM
Advocate Will Assist More Than 300 Local Victims of Domestic Abuse
PALM DESERT: April 7, 2010 –A grant of $56,250 from Desert Healthcare District will help local nonprofit Shelter From The Storm reinstate the position of Domestic Violence Advocate in Desert Hot Springs for three days per week for three years. The position had been eliminated after Governor Schwarzenegger used the line-item veto (July 2009) to cut 100% of State funding for domestic violence emergency shelters. The grant will be supplemented by funding that was put in place by Supervisor Roy Wilson, before he passed in August.
“Desert Hot Springs is replete with domestic violence,” said Lynn Moriarty, Executive Director of Shelter From The Storm. ‘And until Desert Healthcare District stepped in with this support, we had lost our ability to provide a community-based advocate to assist victims with Orders of Protection and connect victims with emergency and adjunctive services. Without these services, which must be offered in both Spanish and English, the lives of victims of violent homes would be further endangered. Now, we can help make victims aware of the options for emergency services and give them a chance to build safe and healthy lives."
Utilizing office space at Riverside County’s Family Resource Center, the new Domestic Violence Advocate will assist approximately 300 people each year by facilitating crisis intervention, helping victims obtain orders of protection, and acting as a liaison to the emergency shelter and other lifesaving services. The Advocate will also make presentations to community groups that are designed to provide education on domestic violence and available resources.
Shelter from The Storm was founded in 1988 in response to the critical needs of domestic violence victims in the Coachella Valley. Since then, the organization has expanded to operate a 72-bed emergency shelter for approximately 400 women and children annually. Shelter From the Storm is among the largest domestic violence shelters in California and is the only domestic violence victim assistance organization located within Desert Healthcare District’s boundaries. The mission of the organization is to provide support, prevent violence, and promote justice for victims of crime and abuse, their families and communities.
Accomplishments of Shelter From The Storm include the operation of an onsite preschool program and adjacent K-12 Schoolhouse, making it possible for children to reside at the Emergency Shelter without missing school and falling behind academically. An onsite medical clinic, staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses, was recently opened at the Emergency Shelter. Other programs include a 24-hour Crisis Line, a Community Counseling Center, Outreach Centers, Teen Dating Violence Prevention Program and Transitional Housing for domestic violence survivors preparing for independent living in the community.
Desert Healthcare District is a government agency, established by the state of California in 1948, to improve and support community health programs within a 457-square mile service area in the Coachella Valley. The District also owns and oversees the lease of Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. |
