Grants for Spring Cycle 2016

Grants for Spring Cycle 2016

Freedom from Violence

A Safe Place - $15,000

A Safe Place offers a continuum of care and encourages a comprehensive response to domestic abuse, breaking the cycle of violence to create safe communities. In FY16, A Safe Place expanded court advocacy services to include help obtaining orders of protection for civil no contact orders and assisting clients in the areas of sexual assault/harassment, teen dating and bullying. Due to a number of homicides in the community related to domestic violence, A Safe Place also started Satellite Support Groups in the North Shore community. These support groups, like the other agency services, promote self-determination and empowerment in addition to safety.

Apna Ghar - $20,000

Apna Ghar provides holistic services to women and children across immigrant communities in the Chicagoland area to end the cycle of domestic violence. Services include a 24-hour hotline, 24-hour emergency shelter, counseling, case management, legal advocacy, and a supervised child visitation and safe exchange center. In addition, the organization advocates for systemic changes that result in programs and policies that are sensitive to the needs of immigrant victims and survivors of domestic violence. This coming year, Apna Ghar will be expanding services by opening a wellness program in its current office building as well growing its supervised visitation programs to the suburbs, working with the judges of the Skokie and Rolling Meadows courthouses.

Arab American Family Services - $15,000

The Arab American Domestic Violence Intervention and Prevention Program (AADVIPP) delivers comprehensive services in safety, prevention, intervention, advocacy, education, and support. The Project also advances awareness and encourages action with workshops, presentations, and media outreach to the local Arab-American community about preventing abuse and fostering healthy relationships. AADVIPP is currently working to develop a strategic employment program to assist victims in securing employment leading to economic self-sufficiency, enabling victims to permanently leave their abusers.

Between Friends - $20,000

In addition to providing direct services to survivors of domestic violence, Between Friends’ runs the Relationship Education: A Choice For Hope (REACH) and Healthcare and Community Education programs to educate youth and adult audiences about how to foster healthy relationships and how to prevent domestic violence before it begins. FY 17 goals include: 1) Enhance the safety and improve the individual functioning of survivors of domestic violence and their children; 2) Improve victims'

understanding of their rights under the Illinois Domestic Violence Act and 3) Raise youths' awareness of dating abuse and preparing youth with the skills and resources to help themselves or peers in abusive dating relationships.

Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation - $20,000

Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE) advocates for legislative and policy reforms that will increase the legal and social accountability for perpetrators of harm, especially sex traffickers, pimps, people who buy sex, and those who commit sexual assault. CAASE also promotes broad community support for services and resources for survivors. A central campaign in which CAASE maintains a large role, End Demand Illinois, focuses on shifting law enforcement’s attention to sex traffickers and people who buy sex while proposing a network of support for survivors of the sex trade.

Chicago Metropolitan Women’s Network - $15,000

The Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women's Network (The Network) is a collaborative membership organization dedicated to improving the lives of those impacted by domestic violence through education, public policy and advocacy, and the connection of community members to direct service providers. The Network recently collaborated with the Responsible Budget Coalition, the Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, member programs, and other allies to demand the release of state funds to domestic violence service providers. They won a victory on December 6, 2015, when the governor and state legislators reached a compromise, signing a partial spending plan that included domestic violence services.

Connections for Abused Women and their Children - $15,000

Connections for Abused Women and their Children (CAWC) supports victims and survivors of domestic violence through free and confidential domestic violence services within its four programs: Greenhouse Shelter, the Humboldt Park Outreach Program, the Hospital Crisis Intervention Project and Domestic Violence Services at Haymarket Center. The goal of CAWC services is to promote safety and self-sufficiency for victims so they can achieve independence.

Domestic Violence Legal Clinic - $15,000

The Domestic Violence Legal Clinic's (DVLC) offers free legal services and referrals to low-income Cook County residents who have been subjected to domestic violence to help them achieve safety from abusive relationships. In addition to providing emergency, same-day legal representation for victims in crisis, DVLC's Family Law Division provides ongoing, long-term legal services to victims

seeking divorce, financial support or custody of their children, allowing victims to address the legal issues that may present barriers to their safety.

Family Defense Center - $20,000

The Family Defense Center provides a combination of direct legal services, policy advocacy work, and parent education programs to fight for families to preserve their right to raise their own children. FDC’s Mothers' Defense Project advocates for mothers through legal services and education to challenge gender-plus discrimination in the child welfare system that hinders mothers' ability to raise their children. This coming year, FDC plans to: 1) Continue advocacy and broaden its role as a leader in the intersecting area of domestic violence and child welfare through a new Toolkit and training program for advocates and through coordinated representation of domestic violence victims and 2) Continue the Domestic Violence Child Welfare Resource Coalition.

Family Rescue, Inc. - $15,000

Family Rescue (FR) is dedicated to alleviating domestic violence in Chicago by providing comprehensive support services and shelter to victims of domestic violence, particularly to abused women and their children. FR offers a 24-hour crisis line, shelter, an outreach program, day care, supportive housing, counseling and comprehensive legal advocacy. All goals for FY17 aim to increase both individual and family stability and healing.

KAN-WIN - $25,000

KAN-WIN is the first independent organization in the nation established to address violence against women and children in the Korean American community. With its comprehensive services, KAN-WIN seeks to empower survivors to address their experiences of violence; achieve long-term well-being and self-sufficiency; and collaborate to create a community free from violence. KAN-WIN is currently conducting the sexual assault needs assessment in the Asian American community in Illinois, which will help enhance service and outreach around the issue of sexual violence.

Korean American Community Services - $15,000

The Domestic Violence Prevention and Family Support program is designed to benefit survivors of domestic violence, the large majority of whom are Latina and Korean immigrant women. KACS’s project addresses the factors of shame, stigma, and isolation through individual/group counseling services, empowerment groups for young girls, economic empowerment, and community resource coordination services. FY17 goals include: 1) Empower survivors and child witnesses to sustain healthy and independent lives through skills-building programs and therapeutic counseling and

2) Educate the Korean American and Latino communities about the issues of domestic violence and the resources available for women and their families.

Latinos Progresando - $20,000

Latinos Progresando (LP) is a leader in providing legal services to the immigrant community and also plays a leadership role in the Marshall Square project in developing a community response to domestic violence by working with residents, schools, the local aldermen and others. LP’s VAWA Project provides high-quality, completely free legal support for immigrant victims of domestic violence to petition for adjusted immigration status independently from their abuser, allowing them to obtain a work permit, pursue lawful employment, and gain economic independence – the factor that most often hinders a victim's ability to leave an abusive situation.

Life Span, Inc. - $15,000

Life Span's Legal Services for Middle Eastern Immigrants Project will: 1) Raise awareness of legal rights and remedies available to victims of domestic and sexual violence who are Arab American and Middle Eastern immigrants in an informal collaboration with Arab American Family Services; 2) Provide victims of domestic and sexual violence from the Arab American and Middle Eastern immigrant community a permanent civil legal resolution to critical issues, and safety and crisis planning.; 3) Provide over 1,700 hours of comprehensive legal representation in the areas of family law, orders of protection, civil no contact orders to 200 victims in the target population; and 4) Provide representation in VAWA immigration relief, including self-petitions, U-Visas, and battered spouse waivers to 50 immigrants in this underserved population.

Mujeres Latinas en Acción - $15,000

Mujeres Latinas en Acción (MLEA) empowers Latinas by providing services which reflect their values and culture and by being an advocate on the issues that make a difference in their lives. MLEA’s Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Programs provide comprehensive bilingual/bicultural services to monolingual Spanish speaking victims of domestic violence and sexual assault while also raising awareness of the lasting effects of violence on families within the Latino community.

National Immigrant Justice Center - $25,000 per year

The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) identifies structural barriers to justice and advocates to end egregious abuses in the immigration enforcement and detention systems. NIJC's two year Gender Justice Initiative works to advance protections for immigrant women and children, who continue to face significant barriers to justice. NIJC's long-term goals are to: 1) Secure the right to asylum for women,

children, and LGBT immigrants; 2) Improve protections for women and LGBT immigrants in the detention system; and 3) Advance immigration laws and policies that empower women.

Rape Victim Advocates - $25,000

Rape Victim Advocates (RVA) is dedicated to the healing and empowerment of sexual assault survivors through non-judgmental crisis intervention counseling, individual and group counseling, and medical and legal advocacy in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. RVA provides public education and institutional advocacy in order to improve the treatment of sexual assault survivors and to effect positive change in policies and public attitudes toward sexual assault.

Sarah’s Inn - $15,000

Sarah’s Inn employs a holistic approach to provide domestic violence services aimed at the immigrant population of Western Suburban Cook County and west Chicago. Sarah's Inn’s Advocacy and Counseling Program provides essential supports for victims of domestic violence, including emergency support (24-hour crisis line, emergency transportation and housing assistance); individual and group counseling and advocacy; life skills (financial literacy, parenting skills, etc.); legal advocacy; children/teen individual and group counseling.

South Suburban Family Shelter - $15,000

South Suburban Family Shelter works to ensure freedom from violence by providing direct services to victims and working to transform systems, policies, and cultures within the communities served. Objectives for the coming year include: 1) Increase the safety of domestic violence victims and their families; 2) Empower domestic violence victims; 3) Increase their knowledge of healthy relationships; 4) Increase offender accountability; and 5) Raise awareness and understanding of domestic violence issues in the community. Lastly, recognizing the increasing diversity of the population served, the agency hopes to expand its outreach into the Latino community.

UCAN - $15,000

UCAN’s Phenomenal Woman project is a female mentoring program responding to a growing need for services specifically equipping girls to deal with the trauma associated with community violence. Through participation in group mentoring workshops, young women: 1) Strengthen their self-esteem through self-affirmation and healthy self-image development; 2) Learn how to approach relationships in ways that are healthy and supportive and create positive experiences; 3) spend time thinking about their future and imagining greatness for themselves, and 4) Build a relationship with an adult coach who can offer advice and be an objective listener.

Youth Outlook - $10,000

Youth Outlook's mission is to provide a safe, supportive, and respectful environment for adolescents, whether they identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ). Youth Outlook's "Y Link" program addresses partner violence among LGBTQ+ youth. Y Link also includes a public advocacy component aimed at domestic violence and other social service providers.

YWCA Evanston/North Shore - $15,000

The YWCA Evanston/North Shore Domestic Violence Services, Education and Prevention Program is the only comprehensive domestic violence program serving the northeastern metropolitan Chicago area. Focusing on immediate responses and long-term solutions to domestic violence, services are multi-faceted and each fills a critical need in helping women break free from violence, heal, and go on to lead self-sufficient lives.

Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center- $15,000

The mission of Zacharias Sexual Abuse Center (ZCenter) is to provide a place where survivors of sexual assault and abuse can heal as well as to mobilize the community to end sexual violence. ZCenter offers Sexual Abuse Advocacy, Counseling and Prevention programs to assist victims and provide community awareness to sexual abuse/assault. ZCenter’s objectives for the coming year include 1) Help survivors of sexual assault heal and prevent re- traumatization; 2) To change assumptions and attitudes about rape and sexual abuse and 3) Innovate and strengthen community programs.

Health

Affinity Community Services - $15,000

Affinity is a social justice organization that works with and on behalf of Black LGBT communities, queer youth, and allies to identify emergent needs, create safe spaces, develop leaders, and bridge communities through collective analysis and action for social justice, freedom, and human rights. Affinity’s Community Outreach Leadership Program (COIL), is a successful community-level HIV prevention intervention program that identifies, enlists, and trains community leaders to encourage safer sexual norms and behavior within their social networks of friends and acquaintances through risk-reduction conversations. In the coming year, Affinity will work to aim education and resources at women of color living on the South Side though a peer education model through its COIL program, allowing access to communities and individuals not reached with more traditional programming

Chicago Women’s Health Center - $25,000

Chicago Women’s Health Center (CWHC) ensures that women and trans people are able to access respectful, dignified, and empowering health care regardless of their ability to pay. CWHC organization's non- judgmental approach, combined with its emphasis on cultural competence, creates an environment in which individuals of diverse backgrounds and experiences are treated as experts in their own health care. In the coming year CWHC is partnering with the Illinois Association of Free and Charitable Clinics to complete a full assessment of its ability to become a Medicaid provider. Chosen as one of the three pilot clinics to participate in this statewide assessment, CWHC will be a model to help inform the potential role of independent free and charitable clinics within the new landscape of Medicaid.