Stand for Families Free of Violence

Family violence is a learned behavior that is passed from one generation to the next. STAND! For Families Free of Violence works to break the intergenerational cycle of family violence for residents of Contra Costa County and beyond. Short term goals include:
- providing safety to all those in Contra Costa County who are escaping violent homes
- providing parenting education to parents and caretakers with risk factors for abuse: prior incarceration, history of violence in the family, history of substance abuse, etc.
- providing resources to help those escaping violent homes establish safe long-term living situations and employment
-providing counseling to those who have experienced family violence and those who behave abusively.
-providing support and tools for families who are struggling with financial, physical, and emotional stresses
-providing anti-violence education in schools, law enforcement agency, health care sectors, and the community.

Our long term goal is to see the end of family violence in Contra Costa County and beyond.

Saving Lives: A first critical step to breaking the cycle is to remove the danger. By providing 24/7 access to telephone counseling,safety planning and emergency shelter for those escaping violent relationships, we help those in immediate danger interrupt the violent behavior and give them space to start recovering from trauma.

Rebuilding Families: People who have experienced family violence are vulnerable and may develop on-going physical and emotional challenges, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, substance abuse, and violent behavior. Once a victim is out of immediate danger, we provide resources to help them heal from their trauma and learn the tools they need to rebuild strong and healthy relationships with themselves, their families, and their communities. Services include counseling, support groups, Transitional Housing, anger management, and parenting classes.

Changing the Future: Our ultimate goal is to one day see an end to family violence. This will not be possible without a culture shift. We work with children, youth, health care providers, law enforcement, and community groups to provide education and advocacy for healthy relationships, strong family bonds, and community engagement.

• Expert management and staff to plan and implement programs, to raise funds for these programs, and to manage funds for these programs.
• Track record of 39 years successfully and effectively serving this clientele
• Reasonable financial stability for the past _ years
• Deep Knowledge base from _ years of providing a wide range of direct and support services to DV victims and families and the community
• A roster of more than of community partners who trust us
• Robust list of government funders and donors

Successes:
• 243 women and children found safe haven in our emergency shelter
• 10,479 calls were made to our Crisis and Counseling Line
• 492 mothers, fathers and young children received free early education and parenting classes at our Bay Point First 5 Center
• 2,214 support group sessions happened across Contra Costa County to help people heal from trauma
• 2,300 teens participated in school-based anti-violence presentations and support groups

Challenges:
• Increase reach to specific, underserved populations. Examples include: expanding on our work with the LGBTQ community; connecting with local South and Southeast Asian communities; elder abuse; and victims who are men.
• Our work with the Lethality Assessment Program has demonstrated that we are being accessed by only a small portion of victims in high-danger situations.
• Our school-based programs serve primarily West and parts of Central Contra Costa County. There is great need and demand for expanded programing in other parts of the county, including more affluent areas.