Advocacy
· Supported women fleeing domestic violence by providing referrals to agencies within the community
· Facilitated meetings with women regarding topics such as: housing, tangible needs, & personal growth
· Advocated for woman at meetings within the community: YWCA housing meeting, & DSHS meeting regarding benefits
· Coached women through diverse situations by covering the 24-hour crisis line
· Supported women fleeing domestic violence by providing referrals to agencies within the community
· Facilitated meetings with women regarding topics such as: housing, tangible needs, & personal growth
· Advocated for woman at meetings within the community: YWCA housing meeting, & DSHS meeting regarding benefits
· Coached women through diverse situations by covering the 24-hour crisis line
Advocacy is important to many fields. Depending on what your point of view is, advocacy can look different from one person to another. Through my training and experience, I believe my role as an advocate is to support the person I am working with in the next steps of the journey. Many people hear advocate and believe that the the person is going to do all the work for them; in my opinion this is not my job. The old proverb, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime" is similar to how I view advocacy. Working with women coming out of crisis situations, they often felt powerless; which can cause them to feel uncomfortable to make their own decisions. I was there to support them and provide resources that they would need to move on with their lives. It was important to work with the women and support their decisions -- no matter what. I would attend meetings with them, help them fill out paperwork or listen as they tried to plan their next steps; all the while offering resources and information to help support these choices. Although I had assisted them, when success came they could own it because they were the ones who had achieved it. They left the shelter feeling empowered and ready to face life.
As an advocate, knowing the agencies within the community is essential in helping someone. Working with a population such as women fleeing domestic violence, I often met with clients who were from other parts of the state and were not familiar with the area. It was important for me to know what options were available to them and how they could get in touch with the services they would need. I had a fairly good knowledge of the agencies within Whatcom County. This knowledge was expanded when I begun updating the references and referrals binder for Womencare Shelter. The binder had already been filled with all the different places for a wide range of needs. In addition to reformatting the over 150 page document, I personally updated two sections (See References). One of these sections was the Seattle/King County section, which contained housing options and other shelters in that area. I did this through making calls and researching the programs on the internet. I then put the contact information, where the agency was located and some of the services they provided.
This information was very useful when meeting one-on-one with women. As a Women's Support Advocate, I met with women regarding a variety of topics. Helping them find housing, discussing legal issues, or interpersonal conflicts. In addition to the one-on-one meetings, I attended meetings out in the community. Going to agencies like the YWCA or DSHS as a support person. I went most often with women for whom English was their second language, helping to ensure that they were able to understand what was happening and advocating for them if they needed additional services. For one woman, I wrote her a letter of recommendation and verification of stay so that she could obtain new glasses (Letter). All of these things are important for woman getting back on their feet from very traumatic incidents.
As an advocate, knowing the agencies within the community is essential in helping someone. Working with a population such as women fleeing domestic violence, I often met with clients who were from other parts of the state and were not familiar with the area. It was important for me to know what options were available to them and how they could get in touch with the services they would need. I had a fairly good knowledge of the agencies within Whatcom County. This knowledge was expanded when I begun updating the references and referrals binder for Womencare Shelter. The binder had already been filled with all the different places for a wide range of needs. In addition to reformatting the over 150 page document, I personally updated two sections (See References). One of these sections was the Seattle/King County section, which contained housing options and other shelters in that area. I did this through making calls and researching the programs on the internet. I then put the contact information, where the agency was located and some of the services they provided.
This information was very useful when meeting one-on-one with women. As a Women's Support Advocate, I met with women regarding a variety of topics. Helping them find housing, discussing legal issues, or interpersonal conflicts. In addition to the one-on-one meetings, I attended meetings out in the community. Going to agencies like the YWCA or DSHS as a support person. I went most often with women for whom English was their second language, helping to ensure that they were able to understand what was happening and advocating for them if they needed additional services. For one woman, I wrote her a letter of recommendation and verification of stay so that she could obtain new glasses (Letter). All of these things are important for woman getting back on their feet from very traumatic incidents.
