With our anti-domestic violence allies, La Casa successfully raised $4,000 – before the clock stopped ticking – to raise a loud and clear voice articulating that San Francisco is a safe place to reach out for and receive help.

But don’t stop now.  Make a contribution here.  If we raise another $2,500, we will raise a second billboard – in Spanish! A second critical step toward insuring that ALL victims and survivors of domestic violence hear the message: La violencia doméstica NUNCA es un asunto privado.

Through a San Francisco-based startup called LoudSauce, La Casa turned to the Internet – to YOU – and to “crowdfunding” to raise money for the billboards, which will go up in San Francisco.  Donate $25, $50, $75 or $100 to reach our new $6,500 goal!  $4,000 is already raised…. Help us spread the word even further!

The press conference, called “Domestic Violence is San Francisco’s Concern,” rejects Sherriff Mirkarimi’s statement that domestic violence is “a private matter, a family matter.”   It boldly says that San Francisco will not rewind the clock. That domestic violence is a serious issue. That together, we can counteract the paucity of San Francisco public officials making a stand or taking action to correct the public perception that San Francisco has a cavalier attitude toward domestic violence.

Take a stand.  Make a contribution.

Read more about La Casa’s response.

Domestic violence is a serious issue.  Together we can counteract the paucity of San Francisco public officials taking action to correct the public perception of San Francisco’s cavalier stance toward domestic violence. 

Using a San Francisco-based startup called LoudSauce, La Casa is turning to the Internet, to YOU and “crowdfunding” to raise money for a billboard to go up in San Francisco.  Donate $25, $50, $75 or $100 to reach our $4,000 goal!  …And spread the word

As you see, the billboard will read:

Domestic Violence is NEVER a private matter.  If you need help, call (877) 503-1850

Make a contribution here.

It’s intended to make a loud statement to domestic violence survivors and shine a light Mirkarimi’s inappropriate response to the charges of domestic battery, child endangerment and dissuading a witness against him.

Kathy Black, La Casa’s Executive Director, said the billboard is “an attempt to remind Mr. Mirkarimi and every City elected official that when it comes to domestic violence there is no such thing as a ‘private matter family.’” “This is a real learning moment for all of us,” Black continued, “We can’t lose sight of the fact that our priority is helping victims and stopping abuse. This campaign is intended to reassure victims of domestic violence here in San Francisco. There are thousands of victims out there right now, living in fear and in need of help. Our job as a city is to make sure they know we have a safe place for them.”

Read more about La Casa’s response.

For the last 10 years, La Casa has celebrated Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month with the “Girls Got Each Others’ Backs” lavender bracelet campaign, handing out approximately 25,000 free bracelets to local teens.  Attached to each bracelet is a resource card that encourages teens to “Let a friend know she can count on you, and give her one of these bracelets.”  “Leaving or ending an abusive relationship isn’t easy,” they say.  “Sometimes you don’t know who or where to turn to when you’re in a relationship that feels unsafe.”  The cards encourage teens to call La Casa’s Teen Crisis Line – 1-877-923-0700 – if they or someone they know “is being hurt, emotionally or physically.”  La Casa looks to hand out over 3,000 bracelets and resource cards throughout the course of the month’s activities.

San Francisco Mayor Edwin Lee, in the company of former mayors Willie Brown and Gavin Newsom, has honored the work of La Casa’s Teen Program in recognizing the significance of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.  Mayor Lee has proclaimed February 1^st, 2012 “La Casa de las Madres Day” in recognition of the agency’s “significant contributions to raising awareness and providing support for our residents during Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.”  Year-round, La Casa responds to calls for help from teens 24/7/365 and provides individual counseling, support groups, workshops, presentations, and other services specifically tailored to the needs of teens.

Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month is a national effort to increase awareness of violence in relationships among teens and young adults in their 20s, and to connect young people with prevention and intervention programs aimed at stopping this violence.  It represents a collaboration between leaders in schools, student bodies, youth service providers, community-based organizations, government, parents, and others.

According to a 2008 article in the National Council on Crime and Delinquency Focus, around one in three adolescent girls in the US is a victim of physical, emotional, or verbal abuse from a dating partner – a number far above victimization rates for other types of violence against youth.

Dine out during the month of February at Credo and support La Casa de las Madres!

For all of February, La Casa will be featured as Credo Restaurant’s Community Partner.  Credo, located at 360 Pine Street at Montgomery, believes that community involvement is not a peripheral action; it is a central element of their business model.  All month long, La Casa will be featured on Credo’s menu to promote awareness of domestic violence and raise funds for the free and confidential services we provide for older adults, women, teens, and children.

There are multiple ways you can support La Casa while visiting at Credo in February:

• Order the custom cocktail, The Advocate, featured in La Casa’s honor and Credo will donate a percentage of the delicious drinks’ proceeds!
• Check In on Facebook and FourSquare…all month long…each status update will translate into a $2 contribution.
• Mark your calendar for lunch or dinner on Tuesday, February 28!  The more the merrier, because a portion of Credo’s daily proceeds will benefit La Casa.

Enjoy rustic Italian dishes with house-made ingredients and generous portions of creativity for a great cause at Credo!  Menus, hours, and more information can be found online.

This case is remarkable in that its alleged perpetrator is an elected official and one of San Francisco’s top public safety officers.  As a result it is apparently very newsworthy.  Otherwise, the details which have been reported are not remarkable.  They echo the dynamics of power and control and the hallmarks of domestic violence we see here every day at La Casa de las Madres.

Accountability for abuse should be clear—it is always a person’s choice to use power and control through force, coercion, intimidation, or the threat of violence, and it is the criminal justice system’s job to identify and hold abusers accountable for their choices and their actions.  Domestic violence is not a family matter or a private matter.  It is a crime, with extremely personal impacts that elicit complex responses.  Victims are very often terrified to come forward, afraid to unravel a life they have built, uncertain of the outcome of their cry for help, and concerned about the repercussions of accountability for their abuser.

Our message in this unfolding story is simple.  To victims and survivors:  Reach out – help is here.  Your allegations will be taken seriously, and our job is to access resources to help you stay safe, be independent, and make your own choices.  Physically and emotionally, you deserve to be safe.  Our services are confidential, and we are here whenever you need us 24/7/365.  1-877-503-1850.

To the community:  Stay informed, think critically, and contact us to talk more.  We want to be available to talk about what this unfolding story is bringing up for you.  415-503-0500.

Here are links to three of the many stories you can find in the local news media:

Cooperation Can Be Difficult in Domestic Violence Cases

Why Domestic Violence Victims Often Refuse to Leave

Sheriff Mirkarimi Pleads Not Guilty In Court

La Casa continues to work day-in and day-out alongside the Unit’s Inspectors, insuring domestic violence victims’ have immediate access to a wide array of confidential support services.  “Being onsite at the Hall of Justice, La Casa’s advocates can offer immediate support to vulnerable victims.  Officers and Inspectors can walk a victim to our door inside the SVU.  A criminal justice intervention or police response is many times just the beginning,” says La Casa Executive Director Kathy Black.

Within the SVU, says the SFPD press release, “for the first time in the SFPD’s history, various investigative units will operate out of a single office to focus on the sensitive nature of crimes in which victims have suffered the effects of domestic violence, elder abuse, child abuse and sex crimes/exploitation.  Most of the victims in these categories are women, children, and the elderly.”  Through the combination of investigators assigned to Domestic Violence, Human Trafficking, Stalking, the Sexual Offender Registration Program, Financial Crimes, and Missing Persons in one Unit will leverage expertise and streamline process. 

In this transition La Casa remains an important part of the team (read more here) and looks forward to an enhanced response for victims of domestic violence, who often experience crimes that cross such concrete categories.  If you or someone you know needs help, knock on our door inside the SVU lobby, stop into the Drop In Center, or call our 24-hour Crisis Line: 1-877-503-1850.

To raise these critical funds, a full house of 132 golfers played the exclusive and challenging course at the Green Hills Country Club in Millbrae on October 3, 2011.  A delicious dinner, lively conversation, and a silent auction followed in the Cypress Room of its luxurious, new clubhouse.  A very special thanks to the San Francisco International Airport Charity Golf Tournament Chairperson Officer Bob Massola, Honorary Chairpersons Airport Director John L. Martin, Police Chief Greg Suhr, and Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White, and the entire Board of Directors.  Together they rallied golfers, sponsors, and donors to create this fantastically successful event.        

La Casa was selected as a beneficiary for our work to support local children and teens coping with abusive homes and dating violence.  Each year, more than 300 children access direct support services.  In our shelter, drop in center, and teen programs, we help them heal their wounds and build a foundation for healthy relationships and healthy lives, now and in the future.  La Casa also impacts thousands of kids each year by supporting over 4,000 mothers who are seeking emotional and physical safety to pass on to their children.  These solutions are only possible with such generosity and dedication.  Our heartfelt thanks!

Words might not be enough to thank you.  Anyway, I still want to tell you how much I appreciate your help and kindness in such difficult times.”  – emergency shelter resident

Thousands of thanks for the hundreds of people who came together to Adopt A Family with La Casa de las Madres this holiday season.  Together, through gift drives and family wishlists, you materialized all sorts of gifts—from towel sets, toys, and warm socks to sweaters, umbrellas, and earrings—lifting the spirits of of more than 550 local women, teens, and children surviving domestic violence!

La Casa is grateful for the outpouring of kindness and support.  But your impact is most acutely felt and better articulated by those who were brightened, surprised, and deeply touched by your care.    

I wanted to thank you with all my heart for brining happiness to my family, since I can’t.  It’s hard for me as a single mother to provide gifts for my four children.  I am glad to know there are still people who are kind, generous, and considerate in this world.  On behalf of me and my family we want to give you our sincerest and profound thanks.” – drop in center client

Thank you to all of our family sponsors and gift drive organizers!

La Casa’s Ending Abuse Later in Life Project brings individual counseling, support groups, legal services, and crisis services to victims 50 and older in San Francisco. Whether we meet a victim at a community center near their home, medical provider, or at La Casa’s Drop In Center, these women and men receive unique and specialized services and individualized care and safety plans.  Services are multilingual, free, and confidential.

It is important to note that La Casa launches these specialized services in collaboration with many important community partners including the San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, San Francisco Sheriff’s Department, Adult Protective Services, The Institute on Aging, San Francisco General Hospital, Curry Senior Center, and On Lok, who all participate in the Domestic Violence and Abuse Later In Life Coordinated Community Response meeting, held bimonthly at La Casa’s Drop In Center.

And you may see us on your drive or ride to work! La Casa’s Abuse Later in Life public transit campaign, funded by the Federal Office of Violence Against Women, premiered this month.

So keep your eyes peeled for the La Casa’s red signage directing victims to safety and hope.

Children are often unseen victims of domestic violence.  Directly and indirectly, exposure to abuse contributes to immediate behavioral, social, and emotional problems as well as long-term obstacles like depression, trauma symptoms, suicidiality, and an increased tolerance for use of violence in adult relationships.  According to Child Information Gateway, 80-90% of children of abused parents can provide vivid details of domestic violence incidents they were not present for, either through hearing the event or experiencing its aftermath.  In San Francisco, up to 16,500 children are exposed to domestic violence each year (Safe Start 2006).

PEACE Signs is a powerful intervention. At each school it begins with a dramatic performance for 3^rd through 5^th grade students in which the characters are dealing with difficult issues, such as domestic violence, bullying, divorce, and gang violence.  It teaches children the “Stoplight Solution” to resolving conflict.  Invoking the visual of a stoplight, children learn to STOP (red), THINK of a solution (yellow), and ACT on this positive choice (green).

The play is followed up by workshops in each classroom and culminates in an eight week support group – Club Casa – for select students identified by parents, teachers, or counselors as having experienced one of these issues or needing extra support.  Club Casa helps kids identify feelings, manage anger, learn how to deal with bullying, create a safety plan to deal with violence at home or in the neighborhood, and develop positive self-esteem.  This interactive group uses discussion, activities, games, art, and other mediums for exploring these issues.

One of the most powerful sessions is always centered around the topic of safety planning.  After thinking through some scenarios together, the children come up with their own ideas about how they can safely respond if there is violence going on around them.  The students draw pictures showing what one piece of that safety plan may look like.  T

Included is a selection of pictures collected over the past year and a half in PEACE signs groups from three different San Francisco schools.