The Victims Services staff and volunteer victim advocates provide crisis intervention, emotional support, safety planning, medical and legal advocacy, support groups, and information and referrals for sexual assault and dating/domestic violence victims.
On-going support for the victim is maintained for as long as the client needs this assistance, including attending court appearances, speaking with family members, assisting with job and housing needs, and completing Crime Victim Compensation Fund applications.
Victims Services works primarily with adults but also assists adolescents (13 years and older) who are in dating violence situations and/or have been sexual assaulted by acquaintances (sexual abuse by family members is referred elsewhere).
Services are available free of charge to any Wood County resident or anyone victimized in Wood County. All services are confidential and can be anonymous if the person wishes.
Services are provided regardless of gender or gender expression, race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. Family members and friends are also provided free services.
The vast majority of domestic/dating violence and sexual assault victims are females; however, males can be and are victimized. Victims Services has male advocates to specifically work with male victims, if they would like.
Crisis intervention and emotional support
Victims Services advocates (staff and volunteers) are available to help victims through any crisis, whenever that might occur. Some people contact Victims Services within 24 hours after an act of violence has occurred. Others don’t feel comfortable reaching out for help for days, months, or even years later. Sometimes, people report that they felt “fine” following the victimization, but then something in the future triggers a negative memory back to the violence and that is when the crisis occurs for them. All of these scenarios make sense after a traumatic event and advocates are available to help whenever the person feels assistance is needed.
A victim does not need to have made a police report, have gone to the hospital, or have engaged in any other services to be eligible for working with a Victims Services advocate. Any time the client identifies the situation as a crisis is the time when advocates are ready to help. The goal of Victims Services is to provide a timely and empathetic response to victims and assist them during their empowerment process from the crisis stage through recovery.
An advocate will stay in contact with the victim following the crisis and offer emotional support for the client to talk about their concerns and/or answer any questions. “Emotional support” is not counseling; it is support for the emotional needs of the client. Emotional support provides the victim with someone to vent to and express any range of emotions the client is feeling. A victim of crime can be working with an advocate and a counselor at the same time. Advocates will refer clients to counselors if the mental health needs of the victim warrant it.
Where can I meet with an advocate?
Advocates meet with victims at the hospital, police station, courthouse, The Link, or any other neutral setting. Victims can also call and speak with an advocate at any time of day or night as there is always an advocate on-call. Advocates are reached by calling The Link hotline and asking for Victims Services.
Safety planning
An advocate can help a victim/survivor prepare a safety plan for reducing the risk of violence. These plans contain simple but crucial steps to be taken to increase one’s safety. If leaving the situation quickly or reducing the danger while staying in the home is needed, a safety plan can help. Advocates can help make a plan that meets the victim’s needs, including securing safe housing.
Safety planning is extremely important with domestic violence victims! Research shows that one of the most dangerous times for a person being abused is when they try to leave. Leaving a relationship increases a victim’s independence, which threatens the abuser’s power and control. Making a safety plan with a victim can help her to think through all of the options that are available to her and make a plan that will help to protect her and her children.
Some suggestions for a safety plan include:
- Keep a list of important phone numbers (police departments, prosecutor’s office, advocate, family members, friends, etc.).
- Talk with a neighbor about calling the police if they hear suspicious noises.
- Know how to escape quickly if necessary.
- Arrange for a place to stay (family, friends, shelter, etc.).
- Hide some extra cash, clothes, and spare key(s) in a safe place.
- Teach your children how to call the police.
- Establish a code word to alert your children, friends, and neighbors that you need help.
- If an argument starts, try to position yourself near an exit or in a room with fewer things that can be used as weapons (not in the kitchen, bathroom, etc.).
Medical advocacy
If a victim is sexually assaulted or severely physically harmed and goes to the Wood County Hospital Emergency Room, a Victims Services advocate will be called to the hospital. The advocate is able to explain the medical procedure if a sexual assault kit is to be performed and answer other medical concerns, such as those about HIV, pregnancy and medication.
Legal advocacy
If a victim’s case is pursued through the legal system, an advocate can explain court proceedings, including protection orders and what happens at each court hearing, accompany the victim to court, and can help complete paperwork for a civil protection order (CPO) and provide referrals for an attorney.
A first charge of domestic violence is a misdemeanor and is prosecuted at the municipal court level. Depending on where the abuse occurred, the case will be heard in either Bowling Green Municipal Court (southern part of Wood County) or Perrysburg Municipal Court (northern part of Wood County).
If an abuser is convicted of domestic violence and then there is a second charge of domestic violence, that case is a felony and is prosecuted in the Wood County Common Pleas Court by the Wood County Prosecutor’s Office (whether or not it happened in the Bowling Green or Perrysburg Municipal Court jurisdictions).
The first court hearing to hear the charges is called an arraignment and both misdemeanors and felonies are arraigned in the municipal courts. An advocate can help explain the sometimes confusing aspects of the court system to a victim and their family/friends.
Support groups
Victims Services offers separate support groups for survivors of domestic/dating violence and also for sexual assault. There is no charge for either group.
The Domestic/Dating Violence Support Group meets weekly in Bowling Green. An appointment with the Victims Services Program Coordinator, Kathy Mull, is required before the first night attending the group. The group is run on a 12-week curriculum and is open each week to new members. Call The Link at (419) 352-1545 and ask to speak with Kathy Mull. FREE childcare is also available during the group’s meeting time.
The Sexual Assault Survivors Support Group meets for 8 weeks, with sessions in the spring, summer, and fall. A phone appointment with Kathy Mull, the Victims Services Program Coordinator, is required before the first night of group. Attendance is mandatory at all 8 sessions. Please call The Link at (419) 352-1545 and ask for Kathy Mull for more details.
Information and referrals
If Victims Services cannot provide direct services, referrals will be given to another agency for help. Victims Services maintains a wide referral listing to help in many different kinds of situations.
