Gilroy
– The holidays do not offer respite to victims of domestic
violence, but a local shelter does.
This year, four women and three children who are victims of such
abuse, are spending the holidays in safety at La Isla Pacifica, a
South County shelter for battered women and children run by
Community Solutions.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – The holidays do not offer respite to victims of domestic violence, but a local shelter does.
This year, four women and three children who are victims of such abuse, are spending the holidays in safety at La Isla Pacifica, a South County shelter for battered women and children run by Community Solutions.
Thanks to donations from local businesses and the community, the shelter residents have their Christmas wish lists fulfilled each year, said Perla Flores, assistant director of safety and support services for Community Solutions. And though called a shelter, La Isla Pacifica , meaning “Peaceful Island,” is really more like a home to those who stay there, sharing a recently remodeled residence at a South County location that remains undisclosed for their safety.
Some advocates say domestic violence rises during the holidays, when there’s an abundance of emotions, stress and alcohol. But they also like to remind people that it can happen anywhere, and at any time.
“A lot of times, people don’t want to believe that it happens in our community,” Flores said.
The non-profit Community Solutions opened the shelter about 26 years ago, to serve South San Jose, Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy and Hollister. In an average year, 76 women and 85 children call La Isla Pacifica home for a given time, although occupancy fluctuates through the year.
Women and children – boys up to age 13 – are offered a stay of up to 45 days. The shelter targets women because they are much more likely to be the victim. Between 95 and 97 percent of domestic violence victims are women, Flores said.
Most of the shelter’s residents are referred by Community Solutions, or make contact themselves.
“We get our referrals from different sources: Law enforcement, if they have a domestic violence response here in South County. We take collaboration with different disciplines … probation, social services, Community Solutions; we receive referrals from the medical community,” Flores said.
The groups – including Gilroy and Morgan Hill police departments – all sit on the South County Domestic Violence Committee, an arm of the Santa Clara County Domestic Violence Council. Community Solutions has a good relationship with local law enforcement and trains officers in dealing with domestic violence calls, Flores said.
Calls from women themselves fall into three categories: Calls for information, calls from women in an abusive relationship but who are not ready to leave and calls from women who need to leave right away. Anyone who calls the 24-hour crisis line is transferred to a counselor, who conducts an initial screening over the phone and, depending on the woman’s needs, arranges an in-person interview in a public place.
It is up to the domestic violence victim to get herself out of the home and to the shelter, Flores said.
“We work on their plan, so when they leave they have a safe place to stay,” Flores said.
Case leaders and counselors work with the victims at the shelter to create an individual plan.
“The biggest need is housing, obviously,” Flores said. “We have a legal advocate for the clients that can help them get restraining orders, help them with child custody issues, court accompaniment, etc.”
About a third of the shelter residents are undocumented Spanish speakers, and have their own immigration concerns, Flores said. Many battered immigrant women fear leaving in part due to their citizenship status and their abusers often use that status to threaten deportation, according to the National Electronic Network on Violence Against Women.
People should not be judgmental of victims, Flores said, because though few realize it, it can happen to anyone.
“We really try to stay away from generalizing, we try to focus on the person, as an individual, who has her own reasons, her own dangers, personality, and other factors that are unique to her,” Flores said.
Examples of domestic violence also are unique from person to person, and can range from physical, sexual, emotional and financial abuse to isolation and threats or intimidation.
Some former victims, once out of the shelter, will speak to others about seeking help, even visiting Gilroy’s middle schools and high school. Others become trapped in a cycle of abuse, and later come back to La Isla Pacifica.
“Statistically, a woman will leave an abusive relationship up to seven times before she leaves permanently,” Flores said, noting that she hates statistics.
As long as the women come back to the shelter, it means they felt they were helped by Community Solutions in the first place, and it gives the agency another chance to provide services, Flores said.
Inside La Isla Pacifica, victims draw strength from each other and often form lasting bonds.
“It’s really a privilege to get to see how they form relationships and friendships,” Flores said. “They will rent apartments together, they will watch each other’s kids … . They definitely draw support from each other because they have that common connection.”
