News

Our emergency shelter is a safe, confidential house located in a residential neighborhood. It is a real home with a beautiful kitchen, private bedrooms and bathrooms, indoor and outdoor play areas for children, and a cozy family room where clients can relax or hold family meetings. Our staff is there around the clock to work with clients on individualized plans to find resources for a future free of violence. We also staff a 24-hour crisis line. During the fiscal year, 56 adults and 40 children were provided safe, confidential shelter and supportive services at the emergency shelter for a total of 3,608 shelter days. 2,671 crisis line calls were received at the shelter by our domestic violence and sexual assault counselors.

Crisis intervention: the crisis intervention services program is designed to work specifically with adults who have co-occurring needs and barriers, such as domestic violence, drug or alcohol dependency issues and/or mental health issues. The program was designed using trauma informed practices and uses intensive case management to help adults discover triggers and coping skills to guide them to safety and support. There is a strong emphasis on working toward successful connections to resources that support their recovery and healing. During the fiscal year, we served a total of 287 clients, which included providing transportation and/or accompaniment 27 clients for social services, health and court appointments, a total of 37 times.

The sexual assault victim services (savs) program is the rape crisis center serving survivors of sexual abuse throughout napa county. This program provides 24-hour immediate response by trained rape crisis counselors for both adult and child survivors of sexual abuse and their family members. Savs offers support and advocacy through the criminal justice process, assistance with filing for victim of crime compensation, and wrap-around supportive services including counseling and support groups. During the fiscal year, we rendered assistance to 288 clients and filed 18 victim of crime compensation forms on behalf of clients. The court advocacy program provides help with the process of filing for protective orders and providing court advocacy and accompaniment to victims of domestic violence. News court advocates work together with clients to find resources pertaining to child custody, visitation, and civil issues related to abuse. During the fiscal year, 171 survivors received assistance with preparing and filing protective orders, information about the civil court process and preparation for court, court advocacy and accompaniment, and had their immediate needs met through gift cards, for food, gas, and other emergency needs. There were 75 restraining orders filed on behalf of clients and 119 court appearances with or on behalf of clients.the volunteer program provides one 65-hour training session per year, free of cost, for those interested in becoming domestic violence and sexual assault counselors. Volunteer opportunities include becoming a member of the domestic violence response team. The domestic violence response team program utilizes a team of trained domestic violence and sexual assault counselor volunteers to respond immediately to victims of domestic violence or sexual assault at the request of law enforcement. They go either directly to the scene of an incident or to a designated safe location. The counselors provide emotional support, information, safety planning, and resources. They work with each client to develop a plan for follow up services. Volunteers may also help in providing court advocacy services and working at the safe house on the 24-hour crisis line. We trained 12 volunteer domestic violence counselors during our fiscal year. Volunteers provided our organization with an average of 282 hours of service per month. The children's services program provides several components to assist children who have been exposed to violence at home. Children are assessed and families are offered resources to build protective factors and reduce risk factors for future adverse effects as a result of exposure to violence. Follow up and support is offered to parents to assist in their children's individualized case plan. Parents receive education and information on how they can build protective factors for their children. The children may participate in news' kids club weekly support groups where a curriculum is offered to help build safety and self-esteem while doing fun and creative activities. During the fiscal year, 18 children participated in weekly support groups, while 88 adults and children received other services under this program.monarch family justice center: news continued its collaboration with local agencies as part of napa county's family justice center model, the monarch justice center (mjc). Core partners include the napa county district attorney's office and the victim services division and the city of napa police department. News and mjc partners continue to self-fund service staff who are collocated in the building. Colocation of service staff facilitates coordination across agencies and streamlines service delivery to clients in need. News and its partners are committed to pursuing sustainable funding to support the operations of the mjc in order to expand the number of partner organizations and potential locations available to community members to receive services.