By Eric E. Parris
Fort Carson Public Affairs Office
FORT CARSON, Colo. — The abuse is real. It can be physical, emotional or sexual.
And it doesn’t discriminate; it crosses all socioeconomic backgrounds.
It’s domestic violence.
It does affect members of the Fort Carson community, but there are resources to provide support to victims and train its leaders, Soldiers and Family members.
Fort Carson has trained victim advocates who are nationally certified.
“We assist victims of domestic violence to help mitigate a crisis,” said Maria Flores, a victim advocate with the Fort Carson Family Advocacy Program (FAP), working to make sure the victim is safe and that there’s a safety plan in place.
This can include coordinating with a Soldier’s command to see if someone needs to be removed from on-post housing and making sure the victim is safe. If there are children involved, the Fort Carson FAP assists the command to keep the Family safe.
Those who are affected by domestic violence are seen by one of the three victim advocates with the FAP, who are located at the Army Community Service (ACS) Annex (Family Nurturing Center) on post.
“We get referrals from hospitals, (Soldiers’) commands, behavioral health and walk-ins,” said Angela McGrady, supervisory Family Advocacy Program specialist, Soldier and Family readiness program at Fort Carson. They also receive calls on the hotline number at 719-243-7907.
Once contact is made with a victim, the advocate will listen, learn and reassure that individual.
“Clients come in and they’re hopeless about their lives, and they have a lot of concerns,” said Gail Hollis, a victim advocate with the Fort Carson FAP, who has more than 18 years in advocacy. “We want to help them to be empowered and grow and (see) that there’s hope.”
Advocates can provide assistance with crisis intervention, nonclinical support, safety assessment and planning, coordination of emergency services, assistance in obtaining protective orders, and accompaniment throughout the medical, investigative and legal processes.
Some victims feel isolated and are afraid for their safety, so it’s important for advocates to establish trust with their clients.
“Victims can be very vulnerable, and we have to empower them,” said Flores, who has been an advocate for 19 years. “We want the victims to know they won’t be judged but have a right to be safe.
“We will listen, we will believe, and we will not judge,” she added.
Providing support through empowerment can give clients a sense of accomplishment.
“We educate clients on their spousal rights; the more they educate themselves on this topic, they see what the risk factors are,” Hollis said.
For example, if a service member is chaptered out of the service or convicted for domestic violence, a spouse and children can be entitled to 36 months of benefits through the DOD, Hollis said.
The benefits include keeping ID cards, getting a stipend payment every month, having insurance and keeping commissary privileges.
In addition to knowing their rights, advocates help them go out and take hold of their lives.
Some clients may need help finding employment or going to the grocery store, Hollis said.
While educating and empowering victims is at the heart of what advocates do, they are also training leaders, Soldiers and Family members on domestic violence. Family readiness groups can also request training.
“We want to make people aware that domestic violence and intimate partner violence is real, and it crosses all socioeconomic levels,” McGrady said. “We want to teach prevention skills and communication skills. Education is the key to prevention.”
ACS has unit coordinators who can provide training and resources to their respective units.
Advocates also provide support to command teams who can help guide leaders at any level on the proper steps of support.
Post commanders are very supportive of the program.
“The command climate is very supportive,” McGrady said. “They want to help build healthy relationships.”
Information on the program and available classes can be found at https://carson.armymwr.com/programs/victim-advocacy-program, and the hotline number is 719-243-7907.
Breaking the cycle of violence is ongoing, but the advocates do see positive results.
“For me, it’s when you get a client, who is no longer a client, who says ‘I’ve done this, this and this,’” Flores said. “They’ve thrived and are going toward something better and brighter. Clients will call back and say, for example, ‘I’ve got this job,’ and that’s very rewarding.”
Those rewards also come when a client sets a goal and accomplishes it.
“They have a goal, and you follow them through that goal, and when they finally feel that they’ve succeeded, it’s rewarding, and it’s hopeful,” Hollis said.
| Date Taken: | 10.19.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.16.2021 13:06 |
| Story ID: | 411330 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Victim advocates: Empowering those in need of assistance, hope, by Eric Parris, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
