I-TEAM: Pets used as pawns in domestic violence

By Gabrielle Enright and WHIO Staff February 14, 2022 at 11:58 am EST

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Every year, more than 10 million Americans experience domestic violence. Many of those victims have pets and are forced to make a heartbreaking choice if they leave their abusive relationship. The I-Team learned that only 15 percent of domestic violence shelters nationwide are pet friendly and about half of all domestic violence victims will delay leaving their abuser if their pet can’t go with them.

Bobbi Creech calls herself a domestic violence survivor. She told News Center 7′s Gabrielle Enright that she currently lives in her car with her 10 -year-old dog, Rex, and 3 -year-old cat, Sabrina. Creech and Rex are a bonded pair.

“We don’t leave each other. He’s with me everywhere I go,” she said. They have been together since Rex was a puppy.

“I can look in these eyes and they love me unconditionally. The men that I’ve come across, they just want to hurt me,” Creech said.

Living in her car with Rex and Sabrina was not a position she didn’t think she’d be in.

“I never thought I’d be homeless. I never though I’d be homeless with my pets,” she said.

Creech said she’s tied to find hotels that accept pets, but has come up unsuccessful.

The non-profit organization Single Parents Rock works to support domestic violence victims. CEO Denise Henton said she was working to help Creech find support and shelter, but admitted most domestic violence shelters are not set up to house animals. She said that often the only options for victims with pets include placing the animals with a foster family or leaving them behind.

“Most of the time, they are not willing to let their pets go,” Henton said.

71 percent of w omen in domestic violence survivors report their abuser threatened, injured or killed a pet as means of control, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The organization also reported 52 percent of survivors in shelters leave their pets with their abusers. 50 percent of victims will stay in abusive situations rather than leave their pet behind. The ASPCA reported that many as half of those survivors return home because their abuser is using their pet as a means to get them back.

“That’s my biggest fear, that they will go back to their abuser because they can take their pet back home,” Henton said.

Jane Kieffer, executive director of Artemis Center, said there is a high correlation between pet abuse and domestic violence.

“If there is abuse in the home, there’s abuse to the pets,” Kieffer said.

Kieffer said her organization has a program called “Safe Pets.” It teams the Artemis Center up the Animal Resource Center of Montgomery County and SICSA. When there is room, the program allows pets that belong to domestic violence victims to be placed with a foster family for about a month.

“It’s not their loving family, but it’s a family that’s going to love and care for them for a short period of time,” Jessica Sullivan, director of adoptions and alternative services at SICSA, said. Sullivan said SICSA took 300 calls about the “Safe Pets” program last year. It resulted in 22 temporary placements. She said what they are able to do now isn’t enough.

“The need outweighs the resources right now,” Sullivan said.”

The I-Team found eight domestic violence shelters in Ohio that are considered pet friendly. None of them were in the Miami Valley, but that is about to change.

Harmony Thoma, counselor and community relations coordinator at The Family Violence Prevention Center of Greene County, said the organization received at $46,000 grant from Red Rover, an organization that wo rks to keep animals and people together in times of crisis.

Thoma said the organization is planning to make their shelter more accommodating for pets. A contractor will start on a new design that will include seven pet friendly rooms, a family lounge with kennels and a large fenced-in backyard in March.

“It’s going to be a benefit. The humans are going to love having their pets around and they are really going to strengthen people’s ability to recover,” Thoma said.

I-TEAM: Pets used as pawns in domestic violence – WHIO TV 7 and WHIO Radio

Pandemic relief money to pay for new Xenia community center, aid victims of abuse

Local News

By London Bishop

Feb 6, 2023

Plans call for more counseling, support groups for survivors.

XENIA The Greene County Family Violence Prevention Center plans to turn an old building into a community center to help more victims of domestic and sexual violence.

The Xenia-based nonprofit received just over $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds from the Greene County commission last year to build an outreach center, but switched to purchasing an existing building as rising construction costs made it impractical.

Family Violence Prevention Center plans to expand and improve its ability to address domestic and sexual violence against women in Greene County via the new center, said Executive Director Debbie Matheson. This includes individual counseling and support groups for survivors, and space for case management and advocacy.

The nonprofit has outgrown its current offices at 380 Bellbrook Ave. in Xenia, Matheson said, and needs new space. The expansion and improved facilities will also give survivors better confidentiality and more face-to-face time with providers.

One of the most significant challenges is the perception the organization’s current facilities are only for emergencies. Family Violence Prevention Center also facilitates support groups, counseling and assistance with “the nuts and bolts of your life back together,” Matheson said.

“Folks will say, ‘But I don’t need the shelter,’” she said. “So the intention of this new space is really to be an outreach center where people know to go if they’re a domestic or sexual violence survivor, or if a friend or family or neighbor or co-worker or a boss is interfacing with someone who is.”

The building at 193 South Progress Drive was purchased at the end of January. The spot is currently occupied by Premier Health, but the center hopes to move into the new building by the end of this spring.

The ARPA grant money was administered in two phases, one $500,000 amount for purchasing the property, and a second for renovating the space and making improvements to the center’s other facilities.

“We want the community to know we’re poised and ready to help them when folks are in some of the darkest times of their lives, and to try to be pointing them to hope and healing,” Matheson said. “Looking at the strengths that each individual has in their own lives that will help them in that process of recovering from trauma.”

The organization became the certified rape crisis center for the county in 2019.

Pandemic relief money to pay for new Xenia community center, aid victims of abuse (daytondailynews.com)

541 Ledbetter Road

Xenia, Ohio 45385-5334

(937) 562-6000

(937) 426-1779

Fax: (937) 562-6177

November 21, 2022

Nicole M. Dehner

Office of Criminal Justice Services

1970 West Broad Street

P.O. Box 182632

Columbus, Ohio 43215-2632

RE: Letter of Support for the Family Violence Prevention Center of Greene County – Safe Housing/Shelter and Teen Dating Violence Prevention programs

Dear Ms. Dehner:

I am writing to support the Family Violence Prevention Center (FVPC) of Greene County in their application for a Family Violence Prevention Service Act (FVPSA) grant through the Office of Criminal Justice Services to support their Safe Housing/Shelter and Teen Dating Violence Prevention programs. FVPC of Greene County provides a variety of family violence prevention services that prevent and respond to domestic violence, including the safe shelter (with case management) and 24-hour crisis line along with community education and teen dating violence prevention.

The FVPC provides these vital shelter and supportive services to many families in need in Greene County. As a result, my agency (the Greene County Department of Job & Family Services) collaborates with the FVPC in referring individuals and families to their programs and in coordinating appropriate public assistance benefits and services to our common customers. These benefits include temporary cash assistance, SNAP food assistance, Medicaid, subsidized child care, employment and training services, and child support establishment and enforcement when appropriate. Services also include safety plans, child abuse and neglect prevention, and case management to strengthen families and keep children safe. Our collaborations help ensure the ongoing success of families in need affected by violence. Safe shelter and prevention are essential to this success.

We are committed to continue to participate in quarterly meetings with the Greene County Consortium on Domestic and Sexual Violence (our local Collaboration Board) and collaborate in planning, executing, and reviewing programs and services to ensure that gaps are filled, duplication is avoided, and service delivery is improved. We will attend the 2023 quarterly meetings. We also regularly refer individuals and families to the programs and services provided by the FVPC of Greene County and collaborate on services for survivors of domestic violence. We will continue to provide feedback and participate as a partner in meeting program goals. I fully support their excellent services and efforts.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Beth A. Rubin, Director beth.rubin@jfs.ohio.gov

Ohio Office of Criminal Justice Services

Karhlton Moore

1970 West Broad Street

Columbus, Ohio 43223

December 01, 2022

Mr. Karhlton Moore:

On behalf of the Greene County Family Visitation Center, I would like to express support for the application submitted by the Family Violence Prevention Center of Greene County (FVPC) for the Family Violence Prevention Service Act (Office of Criminal Justice Services) funding.

The Family Violence Prevention Center is the only agency in Greene County that is able to provide comprehensive services to adults, teens, and children including safe housing, education, and supportive services for victims of domestic and teen dating violence. The shelter services provided are essential in helping victims remain safe during a potentially dangerous period. The FVPC provides a stable and supportive environment for the victims to become selfsufficient.

The FVPC provides prevention education throughout the eight public school districts in Greene County. Prevention Education is a valuable tool in Teen Dating Violence prevention by promoting healthy relationships in future generations while interrupting any existing unhealthy/abusive dynamics.

Our agency commits to:

• quarterly attendance and participation in the Greene County Domestic and Sexual Violence Collaboration Board meetings/Consortium.

• continue to work collaboratively to protect victims by making referrals to the FVPC.

• assist the program by reviewing goals and providing feedback on its projects and goals.

The FVPC is a leader in working in collaboration with other agencies and programs for the benefit of domestic violence survivors/victims. FVPC is a vital component in the campaign to protect and improve the lives of the victims and survivors. The funding through the Family Violence Prevention Service Act is crucial to the program’s continued success. If you need further information, please do not hesitate to contact me

Sincerely,

Libby Powers, LSW Social Services Supervisor

libby.powers@greenecountyohio.gov