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Impact of the Economy on Domestic Violence While economic woes like recession and unemployment do not cause domestic violence, they do commonly exacerbate it and contribute to increases in frequency and severity. * The National Domestic Violence Hotline has documented a 21% increase in calls. * Many domestic violence programs in Pennsylvania are reporting that their emergency shelters have been at or near capacity for months. * The number of unmet requests for shelter continues to grow: in Fiscal Year 07-08, 5,272 victims reached out to one of the domestic violence programs in PA for help, yet were put on a waiting list or referred elsewhere because of that program´s lack of resources. This number is up from the previous year and has continued to grow. * Additionally, other systems that are critical to a coordinated community response are being dramatically affected by the dismal economy and dire budget shortfalls. In particular, funding for local police and sheriffs’ departments is threatened. Fewer officers may mean that victims face extended response times during acutely violent assaults, or that officers lack the time to receive specialized training in domestic violence or participate in local domestic violence task forces. * Importantly, the poor economy does not directly cause a spike in the crime rate overall, but rather increases in crime rates occur only among certain types of crimes – such as domestic violence. * In a recent article, one criminal justice expert explained the effect of the worsening economy on the crime rate this way: “Is somebody who’s never pulled a strong-armed stickup in their life likely to go start doing that because they lost their job? Not so much. Is a household that’s already been troubled and has a history of domestic violence going to be even further strained, and is it likely to escalate? Much more likely.” These increases are consistent with what we know about abusers – that they use coercive controls including violence to establish dominance and maintain control, and that when their sense of control is shaken, -- such as by losing their economic control over victims, -- they lash out in other ways. Assaults may also be triggered by disputes over money, or by abusers simply being home more often because they are unemployed. In short, even with the hard economic times, now more than ever domestic violence programs need additional funding to meet the increased demand for their services. The need for funding pervades all other aspects of domestic violence services: without adequate staff, victim interventions and community prevention simply cannot be accomplished to their full potential. --Information taken from Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) website, www.pcadv.org Several volunteers are planning and organizing a 5K Walk/Run to benefit SWIC on Saturday, July 24, in Pottsville. Runners will start 8:30 a.m. and walkers at 8:45. Keep your eyes open for more details to come! Proceeds Benefit SWIC 
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SWIC would not be able to provide comprehensive services to about 1,000 victims of domestic violence each year without community support. Each month in this e-newsletter we will list items most needed at this time for use in SWIC’s emergency shelter. For the month of April, we could use: · Toilet paper · Floor cleaner · Laundry detergent If you are able to donate any of these items, please call SWIC’s office at 570.622.3991 or email swicagency@comcast.net to make arrangements. Thank you! NOTE: Due to extensive renovations underway on SWIC facilities, we are no longer able to accept general donations (clothing, toys, small household items, etc.) until June 2010. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please consider SWIC as a recipient of your used items again in the summer. 
Friday, May 14 – United Way Day of Caring SWIC is a United Way member agency. Any individuals or groups interested in working to help SWIC should contact the Schuylkill United Way, 570.622.7424, and register for the Day of Caring. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: As SWIC’s shelter undergoes major renovations, various items must be packed up and moved (perhaps more than once) as we continue to provide comprehensive services during the project. Indirect or Direct Service Volunteers can help with packing/unpacking, property upkeep (sweeping, pulling weeds, picking up trash, etc.), organizing closets, preparing training manuals for the fall volunteer training, photocopying, and searching through supply closets for outdated foods and other items. Direct Service Volunteer opportunities include hotline coverage and shelter coverage. Any volunteers who have completed the 45-hour training and are interested in specialized training for shelter coverage or courthouse assistance should contact Iris for scheduling of that training. If you have any block of time available, please contact Iris at 570.622.3991 to arrange times and projects for your assistance. If you schedule a time to come and then can not make it, please call the office to let us know. 
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