San Diego Symposium To Focus On Domestic Violence, Homelessness And Human Trafficking

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AS PART OF THE CONSTELLATION OF FACTORS THAT LEAD TO OTHER SOCIAL BREAKDOWN SUCH AS HOMELESSNESS. A PUBLIC SYMPOSIUM WILL TACKLE THE TOPIC AND IT'S PUT ON BY THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN AND GIRLS WHICH ADVISES SUPERVISORS ON AREAS OF CONCERN. WE HAVEN'T STUDIO WITH US PAM WRIGHT WHO IS THE CLINICAL DIRECTOR OF THE SOUTH BAY COMMUNITY SERVICES AND WILL BE AT THE SYMPOSIUM THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, PAM. YES, ABSOLUTELY. STARTING OFF, YOUTH OF SOUTH SAN DIEGO COUNTY. TELL US ABOUT THE FAMILIES THAT YOU SERVE AND HOW MANY EXPERIENCE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE? WE SERVE AND WORK EXTENSIVELY IN THE AREA OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND WE RECEIVE CLOSE TO 1000 CRISIS CALLS A YEAR AND COMING IN WITH CHULA VISTA AND WE SERVE OVER 800 VICTIMS INCLUDING THEIR CHILDREN AND WE PROVIDE SERVICES THROUGH COUNSELING AND EMERGENCY SHELTER AND TRANSITIONAL HOUSING -- HOUSING ET CETERA. I KNOW I WAS TALKING TO PEOPLE IN THE NORTH COUNTY THEY SAID ALMOST HALF OF THE WOMEN THAT ARE HOMELESS HAD EXPERIENCED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND IT'S PERHAPS MORE PREVALENT THAN WE REALIZE. IT REALLY IS. IT'S A VERY BIG FACTOR FOR WHITE WOMEN DON'T LEAVE AS WELL AS THE ISSUE FOR HOMELESSNESS. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS THE THIRD LEADING CAUSE OF HOMELESSNESS AMONG FAMILIES. THIRD LEADING CAUSE. WHY DO WOMEN FAIL TO REPORT IT? INTENSE FEAR OF WHETHER IT'S FEAR THEY WILL HAVE NOTHING TO BE IN THE STREETS AND THEIR CHILDREN WILL BE TAKEN FROM THEM, THEY ARE FEARFUL OF BEING KILLED, AND IT'S BEEN KILLED SO IT'S NOT UNCOMMON FOR AN OFFENDER PERPETRATOR TO THREATEN TO KILL NOT ONLY THE VIC AND I GENERALIZE HERE HIMSELF AND THE CHILDREN AND FAMILY MEMBERS. SO THERE'S AN INSTALLATION OF FEAR AND IF YOU WANTED TO TAKE A WOMAN OUT OF THE SITUATION WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS? THERE ARE A VARIETY OF OPTIONS AND ONE THING UNIQUE ABOUT THE WAY WE APPROACH THIS AND OF COURSE THERE ARE EMERGENCY SHELTERS AND TRANSITIONAL HOUSING BUT THERE'S A LIMIT THERE'S ALWAYS MORE OF A NEED THAN THERE IS SPACE AVAILABLE. WE HAVE ALWAYS BUILT IN TO OUR ABILITY TO BE RESPONSIVE TO THE INTERNET NEED OF DANGER AND BEING ABLE TO UTILIZE MORE CREATIVE WAYS TO HOTELS AND MOTELS AND THAT TYPE OF THING. TALK ABOUT HOW DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AFFECTS CHILDREN. SO IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE THINKING ABOUT AND RECOGNIZING. CHILDREN OFTEN TIMES I THOUGHT ABOUT IS THE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE NOT IMPACTED BUT WE SEE WITH CHILDREN FIRST OF ALL WE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND WE KNOW THAT CHILDREN EVEN AS YOUNG AS INFANTS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED IN TERMS OF THE BRAIN CONTINUES TO BE IN A STATE OF FEAR WHEN THEY ARE IN A HOME WHERE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IS OCCURRING AND IT IMPACTS THEIR ABILITY TO LEARN AND THEIR BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND IT IMPACTS THEIR BEHAVIOR. WE SEE KIDS WHO BECOME REQUESTS -- REGRESSIVE, BEDWETTING AND CLINGY AND THEIR THUMBS AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE AGGRESSIVE ANGRY OUTBURSTS. CHILDREN WHO ARE DIS- REGULATED AND THEY HAVE A HARD TIME BEING ABLE TO FORM ATTACHMENTS IN THIS SERIES ON TO LATER ON IN THEIR LIFE WHERE THEY ARE GETTING INVOLVED WITH SUBSTANCES RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME AND GETTING INVOLVED IN JUVENILE DELINQUENCY. YOUR PROGRAM SPECIAL SERVICES TO CHILDREN WHO HAD WITNESSED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. WE DO. WE HAVE A THERAPEUTIC PRESCHOOL AND IT'S A SENSE OF PRIDE FOR OUR AGENCY. WE WORKED LONG AND HARD AND THIS IS THE ONLY ONE IN THE COUNTY THIS IS A PRESCHOOL WHERE WE HAVE TEACHERS WHO HAVE SPECIALIZED TRAINING AND GET TRAINING IN THE INCREDIBLE YEARS MODEL WHICH IS IN EVIDENCE BASED MODEL AND WE HAVE THERAPIST IN EACH CLASSROOM AND WE SERVE 72 CHILDREN THIS IS A FULL-DAY PRESCHOOL. HOW DOES IT DIFFER? IS SO INCREDIBLY DIFFERENT. I JUST MENTIONED. ALL OF OUR TEACHERS ARE SPECIALIZED TO UNDERSTAND THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL ASPECT OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN KIDS ARE TRAUMATIZED THROUGH EXPOSURE OF THE MYSTIC VIOLENCE. THE THERAPIST THERE, THIS IS A PRESCHOOL WHERE WE UNDERSTAND TRAUMA WE UNDERSTAND THE TRAUMA APPROACH AND FOR US BEING ABLE TO UNDER THE IN TRAUMA AND THE IMPACT OF TRAUMA WE ENGAGE IN WORK WITH THEM DIFFERENTLY. WE SEE VERY EXTENSIVE BEHAVIORS IN CHILDREN WHO ARE VERY WITH DRAWN AND NOT ABLE TO DEVELOP RELATIONSHIPS TO KIDS WHO ARE VERY AGGRESSIVE AND IN THE MOMENT WE ARE ABLE TO PROVIDE INTERVENTIONS AND TO WORK ON ATTACHMENTS AND TO HELP THEM MOVE FROM A DIS- REGULATED PLACE TO A MORE REGULATED PLACE AND WE ARE WORKING WITH FAMILIES. WE ENGAGE THE ENTIRE FAMILY. WHETHER IT IS THE BIOLOGICAL PARENTS OR THE KINSHIP OF GRANDPARENTS OR FOSTER PARENTS AND OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS SO WE COME TOGETHER TO SUPPORT THIS CHILD AND THE FAMILY IN THEIR RECOVERY AND HEALING. WHICH IS KEY TO BREAKING THE CYCLE. THE SYMPOSIUM IS BEING HELD BY THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN AND GIRLS AT THE JOE RENTED REGIONAL TECHNOLOGY CENTER ON SATURDAY MORNING FROM 8:30 A.M. UNTIL 1:00 P.M. ON LINDA VISTA ROAD AND FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. PAM WRIGHT THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU.