The Rose Andom Center Changes the Legal Landscape for Domestic Violence Victims, 0517 COBJ, Vol. 46 No. 5 Pg. 55
| Author | Abbey Wallach, J. |
Family Violence Program
Abbey Wallach, J.
The Rose Andom Center Changes the Legal Landscape for Domestic Violence Victims
Colorado’s first Family Justice Center for domestic violence victims, the Rose Andom Center, opened in Denver on June 29, 2016.[1] Popularized across the nation during the 1980s and 1990s, Family Justice Centers co-locate criminal justice, civil justice, and community organizations in a single, centralized location[2] By housing the offices and staff from these myriad organizations, known as partner agencies, Family Justice Centers seek to provide more services to domestic violence victims3 and to facilitate collaboration among the partner agencies to improve their services.[4] Perhaps most important, by following a “victim-centered model,” Family Justice Centers provide services that retain victim autonomy while addressing domestic violence.[5]
The Rose Andom Center follows the Family Justice Center model and currently houses 19 partner agencies[6] that provide services in three categories: (1) law enforcement by systems-based actors, including the Denver District Attorney’s Office, Denver Police Department, and Denver City Attorney’s Office; (2) civil legal support, such as protection order and family court assistance; and (3) advocacy and resource-based support, such as counseling, access to shelters, and public benefits assistance. In its first eight months of operation, the Rose Andom Center received over 1,100 adult visits and 340 child visits[7] By co-locating these partner agencies and facilitating their collaborative approach to serving domestic violence victims, the Rose Andom Center is changing the legal landscape for Denver’s women, men, and children facing domestic violence.
A Fractured Landscape
Before the Rose Andom Center opened its doors, a multitude of robust community and systems-based domestic violence agencies existed-quite literally-all over the greater Denver area. But their physical separation and resulting isolation from each other presented numerous challenges, both for domestic violence victims and the agencies that served them.
For victims, the separation of agencies meant there was no central figure to help them discern what services to seek. Information about the obvious and immediately necessary service providers, such as police and shelters, is available online, but that information can be difficult to find and understand. And some necessary services are not a s obvious to victims at the outset, such as the need to procure food, transportation, and counseling once separated from the abuser.
One recent Rose Andom Center client’s experience illustrates how markedly difficult seeking domestic violence services can be when services are not co-located. “Amanda” was being stalked and harassed by her ex-husband, so a friend recommended she file for a protection order. Amanda describes searching online for information about obtaining a protection order as “totally confusing and convoluted.” Despite being a professional woman in her late 20s with two undergraduate degrees, she felt lost. She explains, “I was finding a lot of legal lingo and I didn’t understand what it meant or where I was supposed to go and what I was supposed to bring.”
Many people facing domestic violence have not achieved Amanda’s education level,8 and some do not share her command of the English language.9 Moreover, Amanda was fortunate to have a friend’s help. Domestic violence is often characterized by an abuser’s control over the victim10 and forced isolation from family and friends,11 and many victims do not have access to the Internet, sufficient finances, or even the family car. When taking into consideration that victims who seek to leave an abuser are in crisis,12 these are significant barriers to identifying the type of services victims need and the organizations that provide those services.
Prior to the Rose Andom Center’s opening, even when a victim managed to identify which agencies and services to seek, accessing them could be a logistical nightmare. Many organizations were located in different neighborhoods or suburbs, causing victims to zigzag the greater metro area multiple times in a dizzying series of appointments, walk-ins, and long waits. Victims would have to retell their story at each visit, enhancing their traumatic experiences. Most agencies were open only during business hours, so the endeavor might be impossible for anyone without a flexible work schedule or an understanding employer.[13] And some agencies did not allow children, adding childcare to the lengthy repertoire of details to figure out.
When victims accessed a service, it was for just one piece of the puzzle. They could participate in a police interview, but would not receive shelter or counseling at that time. Or. they could apply for food assistance, but not apply for a protection order or file for divorce at the same location. As a result, it could take days or weeks to obtain the resources and support necessary to escape domestic violence.
This taxing process of obtaining help overwhelmed many victims.14 Moreover, this disjointed system undoubtedly frustrated some victims’ attempts to leave their abuser. On average, victims return to abusive relationships seven times before leaving permanently,15 in part due to a lack of information about available resources16 and the absence of an advocate supporting their decisions.17 One young woman who experienced domestic violence in 2009 and subsequently spent weeks trying to coordinate law enforcement, housing, and medical assistance, all while maintaining a full-time job, grew so frustrated that she simply gave up.
The distance between service providers presented...
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