SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News)– October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. As a result, Chadwick Residence, a housing and education program for at-risk women and children, in Syracuse, is hosting a 35th annual fundraiser for at-risk women and children.
Executive Director Jenni Gratien said by purchasing a ticket to the fundraiser, volunteers donate to new improvements for the Chadwick Residence and help shelter people in need of housing assistance. The fundraiser will take place on Oct. 22.
“The funding that we receive from that fundraiser will be used to help purchase bedding, update any furniture needs,” Gratien said. “The areas that we don’t receive grant funding from the government, it really helps to subsidize cross-the-border operating.”
With the purchase of a ticket, attendees help provide safe spaces for individuals transitioning to independent housing from shelters, domestic and/or sexual abuse households and other hardships.
Additionally, volunteers are encouraged to participate in the fundraising activities, indulge in a catered dinner and listen to live music.
“We have a silent auction, raffles, we’re going to have a raffle for a week in Vermont, up in The Chat Family Lodge,” Gratien said.
Today, Chadwick Residence has three vacant bedrooms for individuals seeking abuse counseling, educational resources and long-term housing assistance.
Support staff from Chadwick Residence also collaborate with Vera House Incorporated, a non-profit designed to provide hope and healing by counseling survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and also elder abuse.
Randi Bregman, co-executive director of Vera House, said staff launched a live web chat since COVID spread, in addition to the 24-hour support line. She said the new method of communication helps bridge the gap between specialists and victims facing complex, crisis issues.
“I think we’ve had a lot of questions about ‘Are the numbers of crisis calls up?’ As they were for our state-wide, domestic violence hotline,” Bregman said. “What we found is that some months our numbers were lower, some months, our numbers were higher!”
She said the nature of the crisis calls varied from reports regarding not only domestic violence, but losing jobs and lack of childcare too.
The mandatory quarantine directly hindered victims of domestic violence throughout Syracuse, she said.
“So when New York State said ‘Safer at Home’ or “Safe at home,’ that wasn’t true for domestic violence victims,” Bregman said. “We literally had people calling us from closets, trying to sneak away from the abusive partners to get a minute to try and seek help.”
Now, in case victims are in situations where they are unable to call the Vera House hotline for support, the new web chat allows specialists to assist with crisis support through electronic messages.
Anyone who needs support can contact Vera House at 315-468-3260 or chat with a trained advocate at verahouse.org.
