The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.
Note: This report is available in its entirety in the Portable Document Format (PDF).
INTRODUCTION
This report summarizes major findings from our work on family violence for the United Way of Central New Mexico (UWCNM). "Family violence" includes violence between intimate partners (spouses, cohabiting couples, dating couples) and between adult family members and children. The focus of our work was to identify the current availability of and significant gaps in services and supports for victims of family violence in the UWCNM service area. We were also alert to the opportunities to develop a coordinated community response to family violence that helps current victims and works to reduce and ultimately eliminate violence among family members. Based on these findings, and drawing on our knowledge of programs and approaches that work in other communities, we also present a set of suggestions and opportunities on which UWCNM and its community partners could act to achieve their goals.
Findings
When one interviews more than 70 people about anything, one gets many different opinions and perceptions. Sometimes these opinions converge remarkably toward a shared view, which we try to represent in this report. Sometimes, however, the opinions we hear contradict each other. In situations where we received contradictory information, it was not appropriate for us to take on a detective role, so we have not tried to find "the truth." Rather, the important point in these situations is that people who need to work together do not agree about the contribution that each makes, and perceive each other's behavior and the behavior of each other's agencies quite differently. These different perceptions are the starting place for efforts to improve service coordination and work to reduce family violence.
Presentation of Opportunities for UWCNM Action
We present a number of opportunities for UWCNM action, which one might consider recommendations. These take two very different tacks. The first focuses on the social context of the UWCNM service community, while the second focuses on the workings of the official justice and services systems. With respect to the social context, we propose activities that UWCNM and its partners can undertake to make an immediate difference, as well as those that have the very long-range goal of changing the local culture to one that rejects violence. Intermediate-range goals are creating a coordinated community response to family violence involving criminal and civil justice and victim services agencies, and developing faith and work environments with strong anti-violence commitments and supportive responses to victims of family violence.
UWCNM'S UNIQUE ROLE
UWCNM occupies an excellent position to make a major difference in the immediate social context of family violence through its connections with community leaders and funders as well as through its own funding and monitoring mission. Most communities do not enjoy the support of such an influential organization as they try to make meaningful changes in the prevailing understanding of and response to family violence. Opportunities to change the social context can start immediately, with results appearing in both the short and long run. Opportunities to stimulate one or more coordinated community-wide responses among justice and service agencies also need to start immediately, but experience in other communities indicates a timeline of 18 to 24 months before significant changes can be expected to make a difference in practice. Finally, some opportunities involve long-term strategies to change a culture from one that supports to one that rejects family violence.
DIFFICULTY OF THE TASK
Of course it will not be easy to make changes sufficient to reduce or end family violence in the UWCNM service area, or throughout New Mexico. No organization can do this alone; UWCNM will need to develop collaborations of support, as well as working to facilitate more collaborative approaches to service delivery and culture change. The goal is truly one that cannot be done without the full community behind the effort. The difficulty of the task is not unique to this community, of course. Rather, it is close to the universal reality for communities of every size. It will take strong leadership, determination, and perseverance to pursue the opportunities we describe to their desired ends of reducing or ending family violence.
FINDINGS
We organize our findings into three categories: strengths and resources, gaps and weaknesses, and issues. We follow presentation of this information with a final section detailing opportunities for UWCNM action. Strengths and resources are the activities and services that already exist and appear to function well in the UWCNM service area. Gaps and weaknesses are the major missing pieces of a coordinated community response, as well as local attitudes toward family violence. Issues are things to think about and work on, such as what might be an ideal structure of services and coordination, or finding solutions to the unusually high dismissal rate for misdemeanor domestic violence offenses. Finally, opportunities include activities on which UWCNM and its community partners might fruitfully build to achieve their service system goals; plus other ideas that could be pursued to expand community involvement and encourage cultural change.
Note: This report is available in its entirety in the Portable Document Format (PDF).
The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.
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