Burlington County nonprofit seeks residents to comfort, support victims of domestic violence
An incident of domestic violence occurs once every 8 minutes and 29 seconds in New Jersey, according to a State Police report.
In Burlington County alone, police reported 3,821 domestic violence offenses in 2016, the most recent year for which statistics are available.
Providence House of Burlington County, a nonprofit operated by Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, has trained teams of community volunteers to provide immediate support to victims of domestic violence.
The charity is looking for Burlington County residents to serve on its Domestic Violence Response Team in towns across the county. The program’s next round of training sessions starts in September.
“Right now is like a really critical time in our recruiting process for fall classes,” DVRT coordinator Kim Jewitt said.
The program is a partnership between Providence House and local police departments.
Officers are instructed to contact Providence House after they respond to a domestic violence incident if they are able to bring the victim to a secure location, such as a police station. Providence House reaches out to volunteers who live nearby.
“They sit with the victim, advocate for the victim and just listen to them tell the story of what happened,” Jewitt said.
Volunteers also try to provide victims with resources. They might talk to the victim about different kinds of domestic abuse, provide more information about Providence House or help them to develop a practical plan to stay safe while in an abusive relationship.
Or, sometimes, volunteers just comfort the victims, who often have to wait for hours in a police station after one of the most traumatic events of their lives, Jewitt said.
“It’s really helpful that we have these people that just go in and listen to them,” she said. “It really helps to just have someone there who is on your side.”
DVRT volunteers undergo 40 hours of training, which includes classes on domestic violence education, cultural competence and safety planning.
“It’s actually very intensive,” Jewitt said. “It takes a lot of training and commitment.”
Every police department that participates in the program has an officer who serves as a domestic violence liaison and also undergoes the same training.
Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, have a valid New Jersey driver’s license and pass a background check. Providence House will also interview all potential volunteers.
“It’s definitely a rewarding program to be a part of,” Jewitt said.
The free training will begin Sept. 8 and continue through Oct. 25. Currently, the program operates with 50 volunteers, but Jewitt said they would like to grow and develop it further.
Over the past year, DVRT has responded to about 400 victims in Burlington County. Jewitt said they can’t make it to every victim.
Domestic violence has been on the rise in New Jersey, with a 3 percent increase in offenses from 2015 to 2016, according to the State Police report.
“It’s pretty high, but it’s pretty high everywhere,” Jewitt said.
For more information or to register as a volunteer, contact Jewitt at kjewitt@cctrenton.orgor (856) 824–0599, ext. 8606.
