Lucy has been instrumental in solidifying the partnership's response to the women's issue of Domestic Violence. In her work with Caroline Easton at Yale University and several key members of the Paraiba chapter, she designed and implemented a training seminar in Joao Pessoa.

This is the project guide for the initiative, which served as Lucy's Fellows X Development Project. Lucy serves social change in Connecticut in her capacity as the director of the Middletown Red Cross Family Shelter for homeless people.

Project Goal

The Paraiba-Connecticut chapter has two subcommittees addressing women’s health issues, one in the United States and the other in Brazil. One of the many women’s health issues being addressed by these subcommittees is domestic violence. The goal of this particular two day seminar is to provide information on the development of a battered women’s shelter. Those attending this seminar will be individuals invested in this movement in Paraiba, Brasil, including professionals working in the field of public health, women’s rights, domestic violence, academics and various other related fields. During this two day seminar we will attempt to cover some of the following:

• the social pressures against women seeking shelter

• the funding necessary to maintain a d.v. shelter

• exploring feasibility of different shelter models

• the formation and training of staff and board members

• necessary intake process

• 24 hour staff coverage

• important relationships with the law inforcement in the community

• developing programs to address the root causes of homelessness

• developing evaluation tools

• discharging individuals to go back into the community and maintaining services for them (crisis plans)

• getting the word out while also maintaining anonymity

• developing rules and structure for women that many times are not used to it

• accepting that you can only serve a certain number of people and how to use your intake skills to take those in most danger

• defining a maximum length of stay

A. This project proposes to address the need for a battered women’s shelter in Paraiba, Brasil. There are several people interested in pursuing a shelter for women that are in abusive relationships. There are various causes of abuse ranging from anger, childhood abuse, active use of drugs and alcohol. Victims of domestic violence have no safe place to go if and when they are willing to escape a dangerous situation for themselves and their kids.

B. The women that are in situations of abuse in the state of Paraiba will benefit from the seminar educating both all involved about domestic violence and about the development of a dv shelter. Homeless families receiving services in Connecticut will benefit from my education around domestic violence. Currently, I am the Director of a homeless family shelter. The research completed for this seminar and the interaction with women’s health professionals in Paraiba have increased my understanding of domestic violence as a pervasive worldwide problem and one that almost 90% of homeless families face in the United States.

C. The partnership has been involved in women’s health issues for some time. The focus on domestic violence and substance abuse was started between Maria das Gracas (Paraiba chapter) and Caroline Easton (Connecticut chapter). Caroline is a phsycologist at Yale New Haven Hospital. She has a great deal of experience with individual and group counseling for individuals suffering from domestic violence and substance abuse. She presented related material over a two week period in May, 1997. Members of the Paraiba chapter were very impressed with Caroline’s work and felt strongly about continuing this information exchange. Caroline relayed to the Connecticut Chapter that the next potential area to explore with our partnered state would be a domestic violence shelter. The women’s health committee from Paraiba expressed their interest in this type of exchange. Given my experience as a shelter director, continuing this project was the perfect match.

A. Project Schedule : I prepared the above described material before leaving for Paraiba. This material was presented during a two day seminar, "Casa-Abrigo: uma Necessidade, um Compromiso", on January 13th and 14th, 1998 held at the Hotel Ponto do Sol in Joao Pessoa. This seminar was organized by the Paraiba chapter in conjunction with the Centro da Mulher 8 de Marco.

B. Project Management: If indeed the Paraiba partnership decides to play a role in building a battered women’s shelter the management roles will have to be defined at that point in time. It will be the fellow’s role to follow up on this project and to supply necessary information as it is needed. Caroline Easton will be conducting a second seminar in Paraiba in 1998 to continue the information exchange.

C. Partnership Involvement: At this point both partnerships are enthusiastic about this project proposal. Addressing women’s health issues, such as domestic violence, is outlined as one of the priorities in our chapter’s annual plan. This project has already been initiated by several members of both chapters. My role as a fellows X is to continue the educational effort.

D. Collaborators: Both partnerships, Universidade Federal da Paraiba, Red Cross, The New Horizons Battered Women’s Shelter, the Mayor of Paraiba, and many of the social service organizations which had professionals attending both days of the seminar.

E. Project Sustainability: At this point the project is in the information gathering stage. If indeed the chapters agree that there are sufficient resources and need to build a battered women’s shelter than there will need to be continual follow-up with the project. This follow up will be part of the fellow’s project and continue as a chapter partnership responsibility. As mentioned, Caroline Easton will be going to Paraiba in 1998 to continue the information exchange.

F. Project Evaluation: The methods used to determine the effectiveness of the two day seminar were to see if there was any media and political exposure for this cause. In two days we had a face to face visit with the mayor of Paraiba, our seminar was televised on a local station and I was interviewed about the extent of domestic violence as a public health problem. To disseminate the lessons learned I will be distributing a description of the seminar and passing it out at work, to friends and family and to the various professionals who helped me to gather all of the information on domestic violence in the United States. An information session will be offered at the homeless shelter where I work, etc.

BUDGET FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER PROJECT

Other ways to spend the remaining $1,221 of the potential fellowship project grant money is still being discussed. The political situation is still being determined and the next step in the potential construction of a dv shelter will be determined over time.

LUCY MCMILLAN
PARAIBA-CONNECTICUT
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS