Advocacy
Doorways Provides Leadership to Advance a Coordinated Community Response
Since the Spring of 2006, Doorways has played a behind-the-scenes role
to coordinate lead agencies for launching a national best practice model
of a Coordinated Community Response (CCR) initiative to prevent and respond
to family and intimate partner violence. An Arlington CCR will facilitate
coordination among agencies, strengthen services, and address gaps in
family and intimate partner prevention and interventions.
With funding provided by a grant from the Temple Rodef Shalom, Doorways
supplied the pivotal staffing support to bring together the Commission
on the Status of Women, County Board member Barbara Favola, and Chief
Judge George Varoutsos of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court and
convened the “Leadership Roundtable on Domestic Violence” at
the first kick-off meeting in November 2006. Top level public officials
including the Commonwealth Attorney, the Sheriff, Chief of Police, Judges,
Magistrates, Public School administrators combined with private sector
hospital and health care officials, non-profit executives from human
service and legal services, faith leaders, and the local military and
civic leaders joined the dialogue. A Planning Task Force, co-chaired
by Doorways’ Executive Director Linda Dunphy and Chief of the Child
and Family Services Division of the Department of Human Services, Valerie
Cuffee, and including representatives from over 25 public and private
agencies, will design a plan to be adopted officially in October a part
of “Domestic Violence Awareness Month.”
Doorways is grateful for the support from the community and Temple Rodef Shalom, allowing us to fulfill our advocacy mission by way of this CCR catalyst role.
Doorways Supports Arlington County’s 10-Year-Plan to End Homeless with “Housing First.”
Housing First is not just a fancy slogan. It’s a legitimate and innovative new direction being forged in the homeless-serving sector. It represents a paradigm shift from traditional methods of service delivery where “serving the homeless” with shelter, food, basic necessities, and supportive services” was the emphasis – not permanent housing. Homeless recidivism rates show us that this practice, at best, serves to temporarily suspend homelessness, not end it. To truly “end homelessness,” which is the primary goal of the 10-year plan (of which there are now more than 200 in the country), a philosophical and programmatic emphasis shift is required by many service sectors. Ending homelessness will require more than one approach. We must work to prevent homelessness before it occurs, and to prioritize, first and foremost, finding permanent housing when homelessness occurs
Beginning in 2004, Doorways began to shift the program design so that families leaving shelter had more permanent housing options with longer-term housing subsidies. We successfully advocated with the County to create a Transitional Housing Grant program that created the necessary bridge homeless families need to meet the high cost of permanent housing which is essential for very low earning families. Since that time we have worked with landlords to develop partnerships with those willing to offer families a new beginning. Today through Doorways’ HomeStart Supportive Housing Program, families leave shelters and move into housing that either is or will become their own as they progress through the program. Some families are even prevented from the need to use our shelter because of this approach. Ultimately, it is our services that are transitional, not the family’s housing. With future housing no longer a worry, the program provides comprehensive, supportive services that help families address the root causes of homelessness and domestic violence, while gaining positive life skills and fostering positive landlord-tenant relations that anchor permanent housing.