To kick off October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Vera House has announced two new initiatives to help raise awareness of domestic violence in the Central New York community.

Vera House will host its 29th Annual Report to the Community on Thursday, Oct. 4 at 12 p.m. at City Hall. The event includes a presentation on statistics on domestic and sexual violence from Onondaga County and other organizations to the Syracuse community.

“It’s important for us … to understand the effect, the cost it has on our community, the lives that get trapped in that,” said Angela Douglas, the Associate Director of Vera House.

This month, the organization will also introduce its new Raise the Bar program, a nightlife initiative designed to train bar staff to identify sexually aggressive behaviors and address them. In an effort to prevent assaults, Pastabilities, Blue Tusk, Funk ‘N Waffles, The Stoop Kitchen and Kitty Hoynes are piloting the curriculum.

Brittany Pryor, the Healthy Environment Project Coordinator, said alcohol is often a key element of sexual violence.

“We know that alcohol lowers our inhibitions, lowers our reaction times,” Pryor said. “People are going out, engaging in drinking and then they’re going home, and then an assault is happening.”

By instructing restaurant staff on what problematic behaviors to look for, these alcohol-serving establishments are given a “toolkit to intervene” before sexual violence occurs. While the program is a new project to both Syracuse and New York state, the curriculum has been successfully implemented in the state of Arizona for the past 15 years.

Raise the Bar is currently being promoted online and on social media through the month of October, and will officially launch at Funk ‘n Waffles in Armory Square on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

Vera House also offers several other programs and services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, including counseling and sheltering services.

“We’re just kind of here to be their person and help them through a difficult time,” said victim advocate Julie Lovenberg. In many cases, Douglas said organizations like the Vera House are among the “first responders.”

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Aside from attending events, Vera House encourages others to get involved with the organization’s resources including answering crisis calls, volunteering at the shelter and helping with events.

“This is more than just a one-person job,” Pryor said. “As a community, it’s all our responsibilities.”

The organization also recognizes the importance of being a resource so close to a college campus. While Douglas notes that “protection of our young adults is critical,” she also said it’s crucial to talk about the importance of preventative education on college campuses.

“College campuses are a place that is going to either allow or prevent this kind of thing from happening,” she said.

Many at Vera House cite current events as an indicator of a larger cultural epidemic.

“One of the biggest challenges is believing victims and survivors… questioning [behaviors] instead of victim-blaming,” Douglas said, referencing the unfolding Brett Kavanaugh case as a primary example. To those at Vera House, this issue is one of a long history of problematic behavior and culture.

“This is something that in our community, leaders have to take responsibility for,” Douglas said.

If you or someone you know has been affected by domestic or sexual violence, visit their homepage here.

For more immediate help, call one of the following numbers:

National Domestic Violence Hotline – 1-800-799-7233
National Sexual Assault Hotline – 1-800-656-4673
Vera House Crisis & Support Line – 315-468-3260 or 315-484-7263 (TTY for Deaf community during business hours)

Published on October 1, 2018 at 9:37 pm

Contact Kailee at knvick@syr.edu