Nonprofit helps victims of domestic abuse with counseling, legal resources Nonprofit helps victims of domestic abuse with counseling, legal resources (December 19, 2003)

Support Network also sponsors 24-hour hotline

By Katie Vaughn

For victims of domestic violence, the holidays bring little to celebrate. Abuse exists throughout the year with little regard to special occasions such as Christmas.

That's why the Support Network for Battered Women in Mountain View maintains its commitment of helping abused women and their children yearlong.

The support network utilizes 30 staff members and 300 volunteers to run a variety of programs to help victims of domestic violence.

The 18-bed shelter the organization runs is full year-round. Women who stay at the shelter may receive counseling and take workshops on financial planning, employment training and parenting.

Legal services are also available to domestic violence victims. Staff attorneys and bilingual advocates assist with restraining orders, accompany victims to court and provide legal information and advice.

Another part of the network's commitment is its community education branch. Representatives visit schools, businesses, community centers and churches. And teenagers can be trained to offer peer education about domestic violence in their relationships.

But according to Tami Cardenas, the network's development director, the agency's core program is its toll-free domestic abuse hotline, the only one of its kind in Santa Clara County. The hotline answers roughly 5,000 calls each year.

"It's how most people come to us," Cardenas said.

The 24-hour hotline is available to anyone involved in domestic violence, whether a victim or a friend, family member or neighbor of someone who is abused. Callers can receive information on the dynamics of domestic violence, counseling and connections to police, medical and social services.

While the organization focuses on Santa Clara County, Cardenas said women from outside the county often call the support network to receive help in areas other than the ones in which their abusers live.

As a recipient of the Voice Holiday Fund drive, the network will be given funding to use throughout the next year. Cardenas said the agency would use the money in its crisis program, particularly the domestic violence hotline.

Although more victims call the network now than when the organization began in 1978, Cardenas said the increase does not necessarily represent a rise in domestic abuse.

"It's difficult to tell the frequency," she said. "We're not sure whether incidents are going up or our community outreach is doing its job."

But as the issue of domestic violence has changed, so has the network. Cardenas said the organization used to encourage abuse victims to leave their abusers, but now gives them information and lets them decide whether to leave.

"We don't try to tell them what to do," Cardenas said. "We focus on safety and empowerment and let women make their own choices."

Cardenas said the network has plans to expand its programming aimed at children, counseling services and peer education. She said the agency would also like to cater more to the cultural differences of abuse victims.

The network relies on private donations for 37 percent of its funding, and Cardenas said many donors give for personal reasons.

"Unfortunately, most people donate because domestic violence has touched their lives personally," she said. "We would not be here without individual donors and individual support."

But Cardenas said not only domestic violence victims should care about the issue, as children, employers, colleagues, friends and many others are affected by each victim.

"It's not just a women's issue," she said. "It's a community issue."

E-mail Katie Vaughn at kvaughn@mv-voice.com

The Support Network for Battered Women is located at 1975 El Camino Real, Suite 205. It provides counseling, shelter and legal services for victims of domestic violence. The hotline number is (800) 573-2782. For more information about the organization, call 940-7850 or visit www.snbw.org.

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