Acts of Violence

  • Intimidation: Making angry or threatening gestures; use of physical size to intimidate; standing in doorway during arguments; out-shouting you; driving recklessly.
  • Destruction: Destroying your possessions (e.g., furniture); punching walls; throwing and/or breaking things.- Threats: Making and/or carrying out threats to hurt you or others.
  • Sexual Violence: Degrading treatment or discrimination based on your sex or sexual orientation; using force, threats or coercion to obtain sex or perform sexual acts.
  • Physical Violence: Being violent to you, your children, household pets or others: slapping; punching; grabbing; kicking; choking; pushing; biting; burning; stabbing; shooting, etc.
  • Weapons : Use of weapons, keeping weapons around which frighten you; threatening or attempting to kill you or those you love.

Internet/Cyber Abuse

  • Please try to use a safer computer that someone abusive does not have direct or remote (hacking) access to
  • If you think your activities are being monitored, they probably are. Abusive people are often controlling and want to know your every move.
  • It is not possible to delete or clear all the “footprints” of your computer or online activities.
  • You may want to keep using the monitored computer for innocuous activities, like looking up the weather. Use a safer computer to research an escape plan, look for new jobs or apartments.
  • Email and Instant/Text Messaging (IM) are not safe or confidential ways to talk to someone about the danger or abuse in your life.

  • Computers can store a lot of private information about what you look at via the Internet, the emails and instant messages you send, internet-based phone and IP-TTY calls you make, web-based purchases and banking, and many other activities.
  • It might be safer to use a computer in a public library, at a trusted friend’s house, or an Internet Café.

Emotional Abuse

  • Pressure Tactics: Rushing you to make a decision through “guilt-tripping” and other forms of intimidation; sulking; threatening to withhold money; manipulating the children; telling you what to do.
  • Abusing Authority: Always claiming to be right (insisting statements are “the truth”); bossing you around; making big decisions; using “logic.”
  • Abusing Trust: Lying; withholding information; cheating on you; being overly jealous.
  • Breaking Promises: Not following through on agreements; not taking a fair share of responsibility; refusing to help with child care or housework.
  • Emotional Withholding: Not expressing feelings; not giving support, attention, or compliments; not respecting feelings, rights, or opinions.
  • Minimizing, Denying & Blaming: Making light of behavior and not taking your concerns about it seriously; saying the abuse didn’t happen; shifting responsibility for abusive behavior; saying you caused it.
  • Self-Destructive Behavior: Abusing drugs or alcohol; threatening suicide or other forms of self-harm; deliberately saying or doing things that will have negative consequences (e.g., telling off the boss).
  • Isolation: Preventing or making it difficult for you to see friends or relatives; monitoring phone calls; telling you where you can and cannot go.
  • Harassment: Making uninvited visits or calls; following you; embarrassing you in public; refusing to leave when asked.

Economic Abuse

  • Economic Control: Interfering with your work or not letting you work; refusing to give you or taking your money; taking your car keys or otherwise preventing you from using the car; threatening to report you to welfare or other social service agencies.

Verbal Abuse

  • Destructive Criticism/Verbal Attacks: Name-calling; mocking; accusing; blaming; yelling; swearing; making humiliating remarks or gestures.
  • Disrespect: Interrupting; changing topics; not listening or responding; twisting your words; putting you down in front of other peoples; saying bad things about your friends and family.

Programs

DVRC provides a comprehensive range of services for victims of domestic violence and their children, including a confidential Safe Home, Transitional Housing and Permanent Supportive Housing units, a Helpline & Drop-In Center, Support Groups, One-on-One Counseling and Court Advocacy.

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How To Help

Volunteers are an integral part of our team, and help in a variety of ways through time, talent or treasure. Opportunities include work within our Drop-In Center, hosting an event, or making a gift, which directly impacts the clients we serve.

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Donate

All of our services – residential, counseling, court advocacy – are provided free of charge to all of our clients regardless of their financial situation. Your gift allows us to continue this life-saving work by directly assisting clients and their children who are experiencing domestic violence.

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Safety Planning

WHAT IS A SAFETY PLAN?
A safety plan is a set of actions that can help lower your risk of being hurt by your partner. It includes information specific to you and your life that will increase your safety at school, home, and other places that you go on a daily basis.

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