Boston's New Way to Help Homeless Women: 20 Organizations Will Use First-in-the-Nation Guidebook
A first-in-the-nation guidebook now provides new steps to keep homeless women safe. Created by a pioneering Boston Alliance of 20 organizations convened by the Friends of the Shattuck Shelter, it addresses homelessness, violence/trauma and substance abuse as a single, connected challenge. The intent: to change the way Boston providers work with homeless women to enhance their safety, sobriety and over time, the ability to secure permanent housing. The Alliance will present the book to the city at a breakfast celebration on Monday, October 24. Reporters welcome; review copies available.
Jamaica Plain, MA (PRWEB) October 22, 2005
For the first time in the nation, a guidebook exists to help those who help homeless women to increase these women's chances for safety and to reduce their risks for assault on the streets.
WHY: According to Boston's most recent homeless census, the number of homeless women living on the streets is growing faster than that of all other groups. Violence from their partners and others, including sexual trauma, is a common thread that twists their lives from bad to worse. Moreover, physical and sexual assault deceases a homeless woman's likelihood of moving into permanent housing.
Enabling homeless women, often substance-dependent and traumatized, to plan for their own best interests sounds like a tall order. Any guidance needs the best wisdom and input from service providers and public agencies from the fields of domestic violence, sexual assault, addiction treatment, law enforcement, health care and homeless services. This new guidebook reflects the expertise of these providers and also the insight and voices of homeless women themselves.
WHO: The Women's Violence Prevention (WVP) Alliance, a pioneering coalition convened by Friends of the Shattuck Shelter and funded by Mellon New England/Alice P. Chase and Peter E. Strauss Trusts, brings together 20 such agencies to connect their services, identifying and addressing gaps. The intent: to change the way Boston providers work with homeless women to enhance their safety, sobriety and over time, the ability to secure permanent housing.
WVP searched the nation for a step-by-step guidebook that would help service providers, no matter their specialty, counsel homeless women on their many intermingled problems. No such book existed. Now it does. At the upcoming breakfast event, WVP will present to its members and civic officials the new Safety Planning Guide "Keeping Safe on the Streets," full of concrete, realistic suggestions to keep Boston women alive, healthier, safer, and a little less traumatized. It's not the solution, but it's a key first step. The Guide is designed to be easy to reprint and adopt in cities across the country.
WHEN: Monday, October 24, 2005, 8am-9:30am
WHERE: Boston Bar Association, 16 Beacon Street, Boston, MA
FEATURED SPEAKERS: Mary Nee, Executive Director, Friends of the Shattuck Shelter
Margot Hill, Deputy Superintendent of the Family Justice Division, Boston Police Department, Joanne Jaxtimer, First Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Mellon New England
MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Friends of the Shattuck Shelter can arrange for interviews with its staff, staff of WVP Alliance organizations, and Mellon New England. We'll be glad to send you a review copy of the Safety Planning Guide; please contact us!
ABOUT FRIENDS OF THE SHATTUCK SHELTER: Friends of the Shattuck Shelter (the Friends) end homelessness, one person at a time, by providing programs and services that help men and women achieve self-sufficiency and secure permanent housing. The Friends serve more than 4,500 people each year, in Boston and across Massachusetts. The Friends are recognized both locally and nationally for program innovation and successful outcomes for chronically homeless individuals. More info: www. shattuckshelter. org
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