Family Violence Center Gets Award For Spanish Domestic Violence Hotline

Staff Report

On Monday, the Georgia Commission on Family Violence will award the 3rd Annual Moving the Work Forward Award to the Cherokee Family Violence Center for its leadership in creating the Statewide Spanish Language Domestic Violence Hotline.

The Moving the Work Forward Award recognizes and celebrates innovation and creative partnerships at the statewide level to better protect victims and hold abusers accountable.

For nearly 30 years, the Cherokee Family Violence Center has provided safety, support, and shelter for victims of domestic violence and their children.

In 2013, CFVC applied for and was awarded a grant through the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council to provide Georgia’s first 24-hour Statewide Hotline for Spanish speaking victims of Domestic Violence. CFVC hosted the official launch on July 18, 2014.

“When a survivor is in crisis, being able to share their story and specific needs in the language they prefer is vital,” said Jessica Nunan, Executive Director of Caminar Latino, a comprehensive domestic-violence intervention program for Latino families. “Thanks to the Spanish hotline, Latino survivors of violence will now be better able to get the help they need.”

Using the existing Statewide Domestic Violence Hotline — 1 (800) 33-HAVEN — callers now have the option to “Press 2” to be connected directly with a Spanish speaking Domestic Violence Advocate from anywhere in the state of Georgia. The caller will be connected with a CFVC advocate, who will then have the ability to provide lifesaving services to victims, in their own language, by conducting immediate safety planning and connecting them with the local domestic violence program in their area.

Shannon Wallace, the district attorney for the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit in Cherokee County, also commended the Cherokee Family Violence Center for its leadership.

“The Cherokee Family Violence Center provides an invaluable service to victims of domestic violence in our county on a daily basis,” she said. “The center implements programs for victims specific to the unique needs in our community. I am proud to work as a partner with these innovative and committed specialists who are now being honored for creating a statewide hotline for Spanish-speaking clients. This honor is well-deserved.”

The Moving the Work Forward Award will be presented at GCFV’s 20th Annual Conference on Monday, Sept. 29 through Wednesday, Oct.1 at Jekyll Island. This year’s conference theme is Reflecting, Refocusing and Rejuvenating: 20 Years of Domestic Violence in Georgia.

Over 350 stakeholders — including judges, law enforcement, advocates, survivors, counselors, faith leaders, prosecutors, and community members — have registered to attend. Verizon Wireless is supporting GCFV’s 20th Annual Statewide Family Violence Conference with a $30,000 HopeLine grant.

“For too long, victims have been isolated from safety and resources by lack of access to help in their native language,” said Holly Tuchman, CEO of the YWCA of Northwest Georgia and GCFV Vice Chair. “I commend the Cherokee Family Violence Center and their partners at CJCC and the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence for their leadership on this historic achievement. Access to safety should not depend on where you live in the state, or on the language that you speak.”

The Georgia Commission on Family Violence is a state agency created by the Georgia General Assembly in 1992 to develop a comprehensive state plan for ending family violence in Georgia.