Professional Documents
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Week 4 Agency Paper
Week 4 Agency Paper
Gala Hunter
If one were to read the mission statement for STAND! For Families Free of Violence, he/she
would have a very good understanding of the goals STAND! strives to achieve. The mission
statement reads as follows: STAND! For Families Free of Violence is a catalyst for breaking the
multi-generational cycle of violence, promoting safe and strong relationships, and rebuilding
lives. This statement rings true in the many programs STAND! provides and supports. They are
also a founding member of the Zero Tolerance for Domestic Violence Initiative (Zero Tolerance)
which is a cross-sector agency that works to solve domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual
STAND! originally began in 1977 and was called Battered Womens Alternatives. In the year
2000 the name was changed to STAND Against Domestic Violence. However, in 2010 when the
agency merged with Family Stress Center, they again changed their name to the current, STAND!
For Families Free of Violence. Today, STAND! is Contra Costa Countys only all-inclusive
family violence reduction organization, serving more than 10,000 clients per year. The
comprehensive programs offered are always free and intersect with three distinct branches:
Prevention: Changing the Future, Intervention: Saving lives, and Treatment: Rebuilding Families
(STAND!, 2017).
STAND!s prevention programs include First 5 Bay Point Center, which provides parenting
classes and early intervention screenings for children 0-5 years old. Proud Parenting provides
support groups that focus on parenting skills, behavior, and communication techniques. The
Kinship Program has supportive programs for children and their non-parental caregivers. Delta
is a great program that engages adult men and celebrates non-violent behaviors. YESS (Youth
Education Support Services) is a community and school based program that caters to teenagers,
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addressing teen dating violence (TDV), redefines gender stereotypes, and much more. Finally,
the Speakers Bureau and Volunteer Services provide an outreach to educate other agencies and
the public, while volunteers remain at the heart of nearly every program (STAND!, 2017).
STAND!s Intervention programs save lives through their Crisis Line, the Emergency
Response Team (ERT), the Rollie Mullen Shelter (RMC), Transitional Housing (TH), Domestic
Violence Support Groups, and Restraining Order Assistance Clinics. Treatment programs include
the Anger management and Domestic Violence Treatment Program (DVTP), which is a 52-week
court mandated course for those who have used violence. The Differential Response (DR)
Program which offers services and support before the court intervenes with child custody
decisions. There is the SAMHWorks Counseling Program that provides unemployed families
with socioeconomic support and services. There is also the Mentor Program which provides 5-
18-year-old children who have severe behavioral problems with one on one support. Finally,
there is CHAT (Child Abuse and Treatment) which provides children who are living at RMC or
It is true that all the afore mentioned services are free, but the means to run these programs
must come from somewhere. STAND! For Families Free of Violence relies heavily on its
volunteers to keep the movement going. Volunteers work under staff members and make up a
good portion of STAND!s manpower. The agency is also dependent upon monetary contributors
and thankfully there are quite a few of them, too many to mention here. STAND! also receives
grants, gifts, and holds special events to raise money. In fact, every year they host their
Rebuilding Lives Luncheon which brings in a good amount of revenue (STAND!, 2017). This
is an event where donors, local politicians, and the community are invited to attend, but it is not
free, unless you are law enforcement or the mayor. This remains one of STAND!s most fruitful
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fund raisers. The following was taken from guidestar.org, showing the financials for STAND! in
2015:
Expenses
Revenue Program Services $4,809,291
Contributions, Grants, Gifts $858,953 Administration $1,408,149
Program Services $4,502,510 Fundraising $0
Membership Dues $0 Payments to Affiliates $0
SpecialBalance
Events Sheet Fiscal Year 2015 (Source; Other
$144,944 Self-Reported
Expensesby organization $0
Other Revenue $341,358 Total Expenses $6,217,440
$5,847,76
Total Revenue
5
Assets
Total Assets $4,428,255
Liabilities
Total Liabilities $1,306,400
Fund Balance (EOY)
Net Assets $3,121,855
STAND! For Families Free of Violence does not really have any symbols or rituals that are
there very own, but they do encourage the awareness of domestic violence (DV) which is
symbolized by the color, purple. Many agencies will come up with their own creative way to
display it; wristbands, ribbon, tassels, purses, but they all stand for DV awareness. In fact, since I
have been interning with STAND!, I have acquired all the above, except for the purse of which I
STAND! has many community partners; such as, West Contra Costa Family Justice Center,
Bay Area Legal Aid, Deaf Hope, The Rainbow Community Center, Richmond YouthWORKS,
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Dept./Team Decision Making), and of course Zero Tolerance. Though this is not a complete list,
it covers many of them, not to exclude Law Enforcement and Health Care Providers (STAND!,
2017).
Though Domestic Violence can be present in any socioeconomic setting, shelters ascribe the
rise in abuse to stress and financial issues, such as job loss. For couples who are experiencing
high levels of stress due to financial strain, DV is 3 times more likely to occur in their
relationship than when financial strain is low. Domestic violence takes the lead in women and
childrens homelessness and these victims are more likely to experience serious health issues
later. It is estimated over 90 percent of women who are homeless have been severely abused
physically or sexually during their lifetime. This is a big part of the population that STAND!
serves, but they also have prevention programs specifically for men and boys (STAND!, 2017).
These are the people and populations that I as an intern at STAND! will be serving as well as well
as the community.
As I have already discussed with my supervisor and the Tier 2 group, I am worried that I will
not say the right thing when dealing with people in crisis. I am worried that I will not have the
answers to the questions when asked. What I learned was that when people call in crisis, more
than anything, they just want someone to listen to them. As my supervisor said, STAND!s Crisis
Line is not 911 and those types of calls are not the norm. I have been able to discuss with my
supervisor, my concerns regarding my internship role as they have come up and she is always
great about talking with me. I could not have asked for a better place to learn.
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Resources
https://www.guidestar.org/profile/94-2476576
STAND! (2017). Stand for families free of violence. Retrieved from http://www.standffov.org/