02/17/2023 HUMAN SERVICES Minutes

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HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES FRIDAY, February 17, 2023 PRESENT: Lynne Barbee (Chair), Sam MacDonald, Heidi McLaughlin, Christine Willander, Gail Wilson, Director, Carol Sherman CALL TO ORDER: 11:03 AM PUBLIC COMMENT. None OLD BUSINESS: Review of Minutes from January 20th 2022 No minutes from January 20th 2022 to review. Will review at next meeting. NEW BUSINESS Guest Presentation/Lysetta Hurge-Putman Executive Director, Independence House Independence House is a comprehensive community service organization that is focused on working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence. They provide resources from all over Cape Cod that includes the range of services from emergency services to a 24-hour hotline. Cape Cod Hospital is part of their sexual assault services and they have a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program. They provide support and resources and follow up if a sexual assault survivor wants to continue to follow up after that. They work closely with the courthouse clerk's on harassment prevention orders. This helps the victim's easily get through the paperwork and provides and an entry into getting further help if desired. They run several housing stabilization services, the Safe Home program which shelters individuals as well as transitional housing. They currently have three units of housing and just received funding from HUD for three more. Sexual Assault often happens in an individual's own environment and often their housing is impacted. If the victim decides they do not want to be in that home anymore after a stay at the shelter program, they are able to provide a bridge with transitional housing services. Sometimes it is just a security deposit or first's month rent and utilities, but they search for ways in which they can support survivors because housing stabilization isn't just getting a new apartment, they often have financial issues as a result of their former partner's absence in terms of rent, mortgage or previous utilities. They also provide services focused on children exposed to domestic violence or violence at home. The ages range from 12 up to 18. This program addresses the issue of witnessing violence at home and the effects that go with that. Of course, some of these children have experienced child abuse as well. They have a chat line on their website and can chat with a counselor or a team counselor. They provide education in schools with clubs and a violence prevention program. They aim to provide information on healthy relationships and strategies to prevent bullying to make the teens feel empowered and to shape the culture they want to see in their schools. To give them the tools and information they need to affect change. Currently the focus is on secondary prevention. That is, where they are intervening after something has already happened. However, they are looking to step into primary prevention and received a grant from the Department of Public Health to analyze the best prevention strategies to use with populations who are adversely impacted by sexual violence. Prior to the pandemic the average stay in the shelter was nine to twelve months. However, as of late they have seen many vouchers begin to open with the additional ARPA funding and have seen wait times decrease to three to six months. There has been some focus on addiction, it is looking at folks that have experienced domestic violence or sexual assault concurrent with addictions and offering some services around that. She explained that nothing is mutually exclusive, things overlap, people who have had trauma in their past develop these ways of self-medicating and coping. However, their position is that they don't treat these issues because they are not equipped or qualified to treat people who may need medical treatment. Yet, they are always welcomed and encouraged to attend support groups or individual counseling and can provide referrals. Last year they served 286 Mashpee Residents and are looking for$23,000 to continue these efforts to keep people safe in the community and support victims through a collaborative and innovative approach.