SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — This week Vera House wants to re-launch their initiative, Raise the Bar, to fight sexual and relationship violence within alcohol-serving establishments.
The project originally launched in 2018 with two partners, but it eventually fell through, in part, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are currently no partners affiliated with the initiative, but Vera House is actively searching.
Raise the Bar is meant to teach owners, managers and staff the skills of intervention to prevent sexual and relationship violence inside their establishments. This serves as a first step in shifting social norms.
Healthy Environment Project Coordinator, Heather Masters, explained how this is a unique way for businesses to ensure the safety of their customers.
“Patrons like to go out knowing that they’re also gonna be safe or taken care of if
needed,” she said.
The goal is to reduce sexual violence in the county and make it normal for intervention.
Besides training, establishments will also get help with building policies and evaluations of their physical space to ensure safety.
“They’re making an investment for the safety of their patrons, and the hope is… is if
people feel safe, more people will frequent their establishments, and that will make their
business stronger than ever,” Masters said.
Raise the Bar hopes to have three to five new partners within the next year. They expressed interest in any establishment that is invested in doing the work to take this extra step.
