The YWCA of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County, along with four regional intimate partner violence crisis response provider partner organizations, has been awarded a grant of $1.034M to establish technology, training and response to service gaps in support of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and trafficking specific to Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Baltimore County and the Eastern Shore.
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every aspect of life in our country, including the ability for survivors of violent crimes, such domestic violence and sexual assault, to seek help and access services that are critical to their safety and well-being. The Safe Future’s Collaborative, led by organizations in the Baltimore, Annapolis and Eastern Shore regions, have launched a three-tier project to include the development of a website and mobile platform to allow victim service providers to see resources in real time through the use of GIS mapping. Resources include available safe and secure housing (aggregated from sites like Realtor.com and Zillow), education, medical care, food banks, and other resources that could help victims of crime. MidShore Council on Family Violence and Washington College are the lead agencies on this component of the project.
The second component of the project is the development of training platforms and an online forum for Maryland’s service providers and national partners by hosting the learning assets of multiple organizations that elect to participate. This includes items such as webinars, online courses, handouts and videos. House of Ruth Maryland is the lead organization on this component.
Finally, the third component is to fill the gaps in service, including the build out of additional services surrounding substance abuse treatment, mental health support, basic needs as well as the development of a coordinated entry [to housing] system. These efforts are focused on establishing services that are currently lacking and have been identified as most critical as a result of COVID-19. Family Crisis Center of Baltimore County and TurnAround are the organizations leading this work.
The YWCA developed the proposal as part of the Safe Futures Collaborative and will be the project manager. As the comprehensive domestic violence and sexual assault service provider in Anne Arundel County and the organizer of the Safe Futures Collaborative, established in 2017, they will be coordinating the communication to identify and prioritize development of services seen as current gaps. The YWCA will also develop a comprehensive landing page through which other resources are linked/made available.
The Safe Futures Collaborative was established in 2017 and has worked on expanding services, developing metrics and researching best practices across the region. The design team partner organizations are the YWCA of Annapolis & Anne Arundel County, MidShore Council on Family Violence, House of Ruth Maryland, Family Crisis Center of Baltimore County and TurnAround.This work was made possible through a combination of public and private foundation support.
