Domestic violence on the rise; Chicanos Por La Causa offers help

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According to the American Journal of emergency Medicine, domestic violence is on the rise globally, up to 33%. Added stress and alcohol consumption during the holidays can make things even worse. Marisol Rodriguez of Chicanos Por la Causa talks about a shelter and other services available in the Valley to help domestic violence survivors and their families.

Tell us about your shelter, De Colores.

De Colores started as a shelter for immigrant women who were turned away from other domestic violence shelters, Rodriguez said. De Colores was originally created to respond to that population, but has since expanded.

 “We’re bilingual, we take women, children, men, single women, we take everybody that needs our service.”

This time of year, you see an increase in survivors seeking shelter. Why is there such a rise during the holidays?

According to Rodrigurez, families spending more time together and being under economic pressure to provide for the holidays can strain household members and increase chances for violence to occur.

De Colores started out as a shelter for women and children, but now has expanded. What are these expansions?

Domestic violence organizations began realizing that survivors were not just women and children. They could be of any gender, Rodriguez said.  

“We don’t turn any survivor away as long as we have availability and we can meet their needs.”

How does housing with multiple genders work?

“Women and children will be placed with other women and children, unless there are teenage boys,” Rodriguez said. “They will be in their own room, just because we understand that providing trauma-informed care can be complicated, and the needs that these children have sometimes will cause them to behave in certain ways.”

What services do you provide beyond the campus?

Chicanos Por la Causa runs community-based programs, based on “the need for advocacy services for when survivors exit the shelter, or perhaps they don’t need shelter, perhaps they’re still living with their abuser,” Rodriguez said. They may need help such as filing for divorce, finding shelter or other services beyond shelter specifically.

Marisol Rodriguez- Chicanos Por La Causa

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