Domestic Violence Solutions (DVS), Santa Barbara County’s only full-service provider of 24-hour emergency shelter and services for domestic violence victims, is presenting October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Family, friends and other community members will remember the lives lost to intimate partner violence at candlelight vigils in Lompoc, Santa Maria and Santa Barbara.

“Intimate partner violence is a silent epidemic,” said Jan Campbell, executive director of Domestic Violence Solutions. “Due to shame and fear, victims are hesitant to seek the support they need. We need to come together as a community to say “No More!” to violence and abuse.”

Every year since 1987, October has been set aside to bring awareness to the prevalent societal issue of domestic violence. One in three women and one in four men will be victims of intimate partner violence in their lifetimes.

Throughout October, DVS hosts and participates in candlelight vigils in Lompoc, Santa Maria and Santa Barbara. The Lompoc vigil occurred Oct. 10. The others are set for:

n Thursday, Oct. 17, at Ethel Pope Auditorium at Santa Maria High School. Meet and mingle at City Hall at 5pm. Handmade burritos provided by Lideres Campesinas. Memorial Walk starts at City Hall at 6 p.m. and the Vigil Ceremony at 6:30 pm.

n Thursday, Oct. 24, at Paseo Nuevo in Santa Barbara. A Community Resource Fair begins at 4 p.m. Pizza will be provided by Rusty’s Pizza Parlor. The Vigil Ceremony begins at 6 p.m. and the Memorial Walk at 6:30 p.m.

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The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that one in three women and one and four men can expect to be a victim of domestic violence during their lifetimes.  Since 2001, Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People’s Advocates for Domestic and Child Abuse Prevention Program (ADCAP) has provided domestic violence intervention and prevention services to over 2,500 women and children.

Even more hidden is the violence that occurs between teens in relationships.  According to the CDC, “teen relationship violence is defined as the physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional violence within a dating relationship, including stalking. It can occur in person or electronically and might occur between a current or former dating partner.” The CDC reports that 22% of women first experience some form of partner violence when they are between the ages of 11 and 17.  And, yes, this abuse also happens right here in our own back yard.  Consider the following case history.

Santa Ynez Valley People Helping People’s (PHP’s) Domestic Violence Prevention Advocate first met with “Katie” when she was a senior at the local high school. As seniors prepared for graduation, in a campus classroom, Katie recounted numerous incidents of physical abuse at the hands of her boyfriend.  Katie expressed how she felt trapped in the relationship and was afraid to leave.  Although she had many friends and was close to her parents, she was afraid to share her experience for fear of being judged and blamed. She repeatedly said, “It is not that easy, when you are threatened.”  Katie received information from PHP about healthy relationships, support to let her know that the abuse was not her fault, and safe options available to leave the relationship.  However, she was not able to immediately extricate herself from the unhealthy relationship.  PHP staff remained in contact with Katie over a period of months to bolster her emotional-wellbeing and finally, Katie was able to move on.

Four years later, PHP received a call from Katie to request mental health services.  She shared that she had never fully recovered from the abuse. Katie became a single-parent to a 5-year-old daughter. She had experienced symptoms of depression and anxiety which impacted her ability to parent her child. The child shows signs of developmental delays and has learning challenges at school.

Katie’s experience and current health status mirrors the findings of the CDC on the lasting impacts of teen dating violence and abuse.  “Teen dating violence can have long term health effects and survivors are more likely to engage in unhealthy behaviors such as alcohol and drug abuse, or develop mental health issues.”

The availability of local Intervention services, such as those available from PHP, is critical to breaking the cycle of violence.  However, PHP’s ultimate goal is to prevent abuse before it starts. Mayra M. Ramos, Chief Program Officer of PHP’s Advocates for Domestic and Child Abuse Prevention (ADCAP), states that, “dating emotional abuse and violence is more prevalent than we think and often takes the form bullying via social media. By having open and honest conversations with our teens, we help create a culture of communication that can help prevent dating violence or domestic violence later in life.”

The Advocates for Domestic & Child Abuse Prevention Program (ADCAP) is a program of People Helping People, a 501 c-3 non-profit organization dedicated to “improving the lives of men, women and children in the communities it serves by addressing emergency and basic needs, furnishing comprehensive integrated family and individual support services, and acting as a catalyst for positive community change.  To learn more about ADCAP and its 2 hour emergency response team a other PHP services, please visit the PHP web site at www.syvphp.org or call 686-0295. If you are interested in volunteering for PHP’s domestic violence emergency response team or wish confidential information, please call Mayra at (805) 588-2495 for more information.

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White Knights at the Museum kicked off Domestic Violence Awareness Month on Saturday, October 1 with a rooftop performance by singer Dylan Dunlap, seen on the hit NBC show The Voice, and enjoyed an evening with a variety of entertainment.

Santa Ynez Valley businesses donated libations for the event from Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, Lucky Dogg Winery and Grassini Family Vineyards.

“Supporting local charities such as Domestic Violence Solutions is important to us at Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co.  Providing assistance to victims of abuse is such a vital resource for our community,” said Laura Moore, marketing and events coordinator at Figueroa Mountain Brewing in Buellton.

The night featured entertainment filled with food and drinks, performances by local dance groups, and acapella gospel singers to celebrate and highlight DVS’s role as a leader in domestic violence issues through interactive exhibits.

The live exhibits on this floor showcased five areas of programming: crisis and information lines answering more than 6,000 calls in the past year; Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team (DVERT) that responded to more than 400 direct emergency situation calls this year; Emergency Shelters in Santa Barbara, Lompoc and Santa Maria that provided more than 12,000 safe nights of housing in the past year; counseling services for emergency shelter victims and transitional housing services; and teen outreach, including preventive education.

Founded in 1977, DVS, which serves all victims of domestic violence in Santa Barbara County regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or income, hosted its very first community engagement and educational event at MOXI, The Wolf Museum of Innovation + Exploration with over 250 guests in attendance.

Finally, the crowd was invited to spend the rest of the event on the roof for dancing to a DJ, desserts and raffling prizes.

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