 
 |
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICTIM SERVICES
The shelter in Ocala is a non-profit organization committed to helping
the battered woman and her family. Our professional and volunteer staff
conduct a complete counseling, assistance, safe housing, and referral
program. We work with many other community agencies to provide the best
possible services to each family that comes to us. We also counsel with
husbands who have been battered. All services are free.
The most pressing need of the battered woman and her children is a safe
place to stay. We have a 68 bed shelter where the abused woman and her
children can go to be safe from further harm and find the emotion and
practical support to begin to rebuild a safer, happier life.
In addition to safe shelter, we also provide:
· 24-Hour Crisis Hotline
· Counseling and safety planning
· Referral to legal services, medical aid, and other
community services
· Children’s counseling
· Court advocacy (someone to go with you to court)
· Public education programs on prevention and
victim’s rights.
WHAT TO DO
If you know someone who has been battered or raped:
Tell them about the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Center and our
services. The hotline number is (352) 622-8495.
If you are beaten:
· If you are seriously injured, go to the hospital emergency
room or call you doctor immediately.
· If you need protection, call the police or sheriff in your
area – 911!
· If you want the abuser arrested, call the police or
sheriff in your area – 911!
· Take steps to protect yourself and your children from
further abuse.
· Call the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Center at
622-8495
or 622-5919 for temporary safe housing, counseling, legal and medical
referrals.
Be aware that:
· Abusers do not change without professional help
· Arrest often stops the battering cycle
· It is not your fault. You are in a relationship with an
abuser
who probably had the problem before he met you. The abuser is a Dr.
Jekyll/Mr. Hyde personality.
· If you are able to stop the first one or two beatings and
your
abuser gets professional help, the marriage may be saved.
· The longer you stay in the violence, the more violent the
attacks usually become.
· As long as you are there to take it, he is more than
willing to give it.
· He is not out of control – he is in control.
SAFETY PLAN
Be Prepared to Get Away
1. Keep these items with someone you trust: spare keys, a set of
clothes, important papers, prescriptions, money.
2. Keep any evidence of physical abuse (ripped clothing, photos of
bruises and injuries, etc.).
3. Plan the safest time to get away.
4. Know where you can go for help. Tell someone what is happening to
you. Have the phone numbers of friends, relatives and domestic violence
shelters with you.
5. Call 911 if you are in danger.
6. If you are injured, go to the hospital emergency room or doctor and
report what happened to you. Ask that they document your visit.
7. Plan with your children and identify a safe place for them: a room
with a lock or a neighbor’s house where they can go for help.
Reassure them that their job is to stay safe, not protect you.
8. Arrange a signal with a neighbor (e.g. – if the porch
light is on call law enforcement).
9. Contact the Ocala Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Center to find
out about laws and other resources available to you before you have to
use them or during a crisis. |
The Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Center provides:
· Immediate response to rape victims – 24 hours a
day.
· Crisis counseling by telephone or face to face
intervention; case management; victim/court advocacy.
· Nurse practitioners on call 24 hours a day to perform rape
examinations at Community Health Services Clinic.
· Personal assistance and support during medical
examinations, police involvement and legal proceedings.
· On-going support for victims, their families and friends.
· Assistance applying for Victim Crime Compensation
(financial assistance from the State of Florida).
· Coordination of community services and community resources.
· Special counseling for younger children.
A call to the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Center brings
reassurance that professional and confidential help is available. An
informed, objective person is ready to assist the rape and sexual abuse
victim work through the many stages of the healing process. Counselors
help victims to understand their feelings and know they are not
powerless in the aftermath of sexual assault.
Sexual assault victims need to know they can receive help with or
without police involvement. Confidentiality is strictly enforced.
Information about victims is not released without consent of the victim.
If a victim decides to report the crime, rape crisis counselors can
accompany the victim to police and legal interviews as well as assist
the authorities in gathering evidence needed for prosecution.
Kind and compassionate counselors guide rape victims through procedures
necessary following sexual assault. Counselors can advise victims about
medical and psychological care available. They can assist in seeking
gynecological examinations and with concerns about pregnancy and
sexually transmitted diseases.
On-call 24 hour nurse practitioners are available to meet victims at
Community Health Services for rape medical exams. CHS is required to
contact law enforcement.
The emotional damage of sexual violence is a major focus of restorative
counseling. The staff is dedicated to the goal of helping victims
return to reclaim their lives from the traumas of sexual violence.
|
