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COVID-19 Update from Jill

I want to start by thanking the entire community for an outpouring of support. As a CAPSA supporter, you recognize how domestic violence and sexual abuse support services are even more critical during a public crisis.

While many nonprofits have reduced services during this public crisis, CAPSA has been ramping up services. I’d like to provide you an update on how.

INCREASED NEED FOR CAPSA

During a public crisis, there is an increased need for CAPSA’s domestic violence and rape support services. With social distancing, many victims are now trapped with their abusers, and increased fear and anxiety often trigger escalated abuse.

Here are some national news reports that demonstrate these concerns:

TIME – https://time.com/580…/coronavirus-domestic-violence-victims/

USA Today – https://www.usatoday.com/…/coronavirus-domestic…/5067349002/

ABC News – https://abcnews.go.com/…/isolation-families-coronavi…/story…

CAPSA is committed to providing all of our core support services while ensuring the safety of our staff – this is true now more than ever. CAPSA’s core services include casework, safety planning, rape exam advocacy, protective order support, legal reporting assistance, clinical therapy and emergency shelter.

How we provide services has and will change some, but the resources, expertise and support CAPSA provides will continue.

USING TECHNOLOGY

In the last two weeks, CAPSA has implemented technology and created procedures to move all casework and clinical therapy to phone and online sessions. CAPSA is utilizing Microsoft Teams to provide encrypted video conferences which meet Tier-D security standards and are protected by the same level of confidentiality as face-to-face meetings.

We have been in contact will all current clients, and the transition to online meetings has been smooth.

Most new clients initiate contact with CAPSA through our 24/7 support phone line at 435-753-2500. During these calls, we assess their safety and start providing case management; the only difference is their follow-up casework will be online or via phone. If we determine they are in immediate danger and emergency shelter is needed, our emergency shelter is still open, though we are established additional processes shared below.

RAPE EXAM ADVOCACY

One exception to moving services online is rape exam advocacy.

We will continue to send a caseworker to the hospital for all rape exams to ensure the client’s rights are honored and to connect them with CAPSA’s services. Follow-up services increase x1,000 when we connect with the individual before the rape exam. Cache Valley Hospital will provide the appropriate protective gear when we are on site.

SHELTER PROCEDURES

In regards to our emergency shelter, we are setting up quarantine and distancing processes. This is a significant undertaking as we operate a homeless shelter for domestic violence survivors.

Currently, our emergency shelter is full; as clients move out we will reduce the maximum number of shelter clients from 32 to 16 to increase distancing and reduce shared common space, including shared bathrooms. We are currently working on other off-site shelter options to increase capacity back to 32 individuals; here is an early story: https://www.facebook.com/172756986111825/posts/2761754623878702/?d=n More to come soon.

All new shelter clients will be placed in a hotel for up to seven days for isolation and observation of symptoms prior to allowing them in our onsite shelter. While at the hotel, if they start showing symptoms, they will maintain isolation for an additional 14 days. After this quarantine period, if we have the space, we will move clients into the shelter.

This isolation protocol has already been put to use, as we have placed a new shelter client in a hotel room for quarantine. This will be expensive, but we feel it is necessary to keep our staff and other clients safe and healthy. This is the type of initiative you support when you donate to CAPSA.

ASK FOR HELP

I would ask you and our community to help share CAPSA’s message and donate to ensure core programs remain available to those needing assistance.

A simple method to share CAPSA’s message is to follow CAPSA on Facebook and to like, share and comment on our posts. There are people in your social network that need to view this message.

You can also help by donating to CAPSA. You can make a donation online at www.capsa.org/donate or by mail at PO Box 3617, Logan UT 84323.

You can also create a Facebook Fundraiser for CAPSA and encourage your friends and family to donate; Facebook fundraisers are easy to set up at www.FB.com/pg/CAPSAservices/fundraisers.

Thank you for your continued support. We cannot do this work without you and need your support now more than ever.

Jill Anderson

CAPSA | Executive Director

International Women’s Day

CAPSA was founded and continues to be built by amazing women. With International Women’s Day, we would like to recognize and thank just a few.

JENNY BOX

Jenny Box was one of the founders and a continued friend of CAPSA. CAPSA was founded after two high-profile rape cases occurred on Utah State University’s campus. A group of students, staff and community members (including Jenny) came together to create the Cache Valley Rape Crisis Team.

Shortly after the founding of the Rape Crisis Line, law enforcement began referring domestic violence victims to use this support phone line. Jenny recognized the needs for these women were different, including the need for somewhere safe to escape abuse – Jenny committed her home to be the first CAPSA shelter. Imagine housing women and children fleeing abuse in your own home. This was a true act of charity.

Jenny continues to support CASPA over the years including serving as a board member, donor and ambassador. Jenny helped establish CAPSA by raising funds to buy our first shelter and establish CAPSA as an official nonprofit. Because of her early leadership and continued support, CAPSA has grown to be considered Utah’s premiere domestic violence, sexual abuse and rape recovery center.

Jenny has been a cornerstone of our organization. To honor her service and amazing charity, CAPSA will be installing a permanent cornerstone honoring Jenny in our building expansion which will begin construction later this year.

 

 JAN MILLER

Jan Miller was the founder of Stander: Be Independent. As Stander’s “Fearless Leader”, Jan positioned Stander as the industry leader in accessibility products, but probably more important to her was Stander’s culture of doing what is right, creating partnerships, and helping others stand tall.

Jan served on the CAPSA board from 2006 through 2018 and was passionate about helping empower survivors of domestic violence to become independent. During her service, Jan served as board president, housing committee chair, and historian. Jan lead efforts to build Independence Place (a CAPSA owned neighborhood of nine homes), establish an endowment, supported expanded therapy, and create the zero turn away fund. For the zero turn away, Jan committed her company to be the first to do payroll deductions and because of her support CAPSA’s shelter has not turned away any local family displaced by domestic violence since 2016.

Jan passed on June 3, 2018. CAPSA has renamed our annual golf tournament to the Jan Miller Memorial Golf tournament to honor her support and passion of CAPSA.


MARY PALLEY

Mary gave her time, passion, and money to protect and empower individuals impacted by domestic violence and sexual abuse. CAPSA in many ways stands as a legacy of Mary’s work. Her influence is seen and felt throughout CAPSA.

Mary was a retired attorney and passionate advocate, and she served on CAPSA’s Board of Trustees for over 26 years. As an attorney, Mary provided countless hours of free legal advocacy to survivors of domestic and sexual violence, working selflessly to promote safety as she helped survivors navigate the court process and obtain protective orders.

Mary worked with CAPSA to develop and fund transitional housing, dedicated in name to her grandchildren, to ensure survivors and their children have access to safety and supportive services.

Mary was taken for this world on March 11, 2016. In remembrance of her, CAPSA has named the Children’s Center the Mary Flynn Palley Children’s Center.

 

JILL ANDERSON

Jill Anderson is the current Executive Director of CAPSA and has started this role in 1997. Through Jill’s vision and inspired leadership, CAPSA has grown from a one-home shelter to a full organization providing comprehensive services that meet the complex needs of survivors.  In addition to spearheading facility expansion, including building a new victim support center, shelter, and a transitional housing subdivision (Independence Place), a second neighborhood (Independence Way), Jill has enhanced programs and expanded the capacity of CAPSA to provide critical 24-hour services, shelter, therapy, and housing for survivors.  Over 300 men, women, and children find safety in CAPSA’s shelter each year and over 1,500 others receive advocacy, therapy, and support services.

Jill began her career working with at-risk youth at the Cache County Juvenile Detention Center and at Bear River Mental Health. It was during her time volunteering for CAPSA that she quickly became passionate about working with survivors of domestic and sexual violence.  She was inspired by the work CAPSA was doing and the positive impact it had on the lives of women and children fleeing violence and abuse.   Her commitment grew during her volunteer work at the shelter where she witnessed a great deal of strength, courage, and hope in the families she helped.  Since that time, she has dedicated more than 25 years to serving survivors and working to prevent abuse from happening in our community.

We are grateful for Jill’s vision and leadership. Her work has positively impacted thousands of women in our community.



These above women are only a few who have made lasting impacts to CAPSA. CAPSA is grateful for the hundreds of other women who support CAPSA and our clients. This includes the many staff, volunteers, board members, donors and supporters.  We could not do this work without amazing women.