dash, Author at The District Alliance for Safe Housing

Intern Profile Part 2: Michaela

Michaela Henderson is one of four graduate interns currently working with DASH. She’s originally from Houston, Texas, and she attended the University of Texas at San Antonio. She is now pursuing her Masters in Social Work at Howard University and she is terrified of birds. We asked her a few questions to showcase both how amazing she is and the impact she’s made at DASH.

Why did you choose to do your internship at DASH?: “I realized that most of my research in my MSW program was on domestic violence in the DC area and really wanted to not only research about DV but also be apart of an organization that was making a difference. I looked into different programs in the area that worked with survivors and really thought DASH was a great fit for me.”
What social justice issue are you most passionate about?: “African American Women’s Empowerment is what I’m mostly passionate about. I believe that as an African American woman myself it is so important to uplift others so that they can know that someone is in their corner rooting for you. I’m also very passionate about domestic violence issues and being here at DASH has opened my eyes to the issue even more.”
What has been your favorite thing about working at DASH: “Knowing that I am able to meet with such wonderful and beautiful women during a time that may be difficult for them and allowing for me to work with them is an amazing feeling for me.”
What are your plans for after DASH? “To change the world!”
Spirit Animal: “I would be a butterfly because I believe the transformation to the final masterpiece of a butterfly is pretty intriguing!”

What DASH staff say about Michaela:

“Michaela has come in and essentially helped to create what a year-long clinical internship looks like. She has grown into her role as a therapist and is appreciated by the residents.”

“I appreciate Michaela’s grounded presence”

“Michaela is committed to the domestic violence movement. You can see it in the way she interacts with residents and her presence each day.”

Thank You to Phi Sigma Pi!

AU drive

On behalf of DASH staff and residents, we are so grateful for Phi Sigma Pi’s recent donation drive at Safeway to benefit DASH.

The event was organized by the American University Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi, a national honor fraternity. They sent sixteen members to table for four hours at the Safeway in Georgetown.

They collected over $500.00 worth of purchased groceries that day including canned goods, cereal, pasta, feminine products, and toiletries for DASH women and children.

Get involved! Learn how you can host a “FunRaiser” for DASH, click here.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Tracy Thurman

Women’s History Month is here already, and we at DASH could not be more excited! We dedicate our first “spotlight on women” post to Tracy Thurman, who used her suffering to change the way police respond to spousal abuse in the US. After her abusive husband nearly killed her in 1983, she sued the Torrington, Connecticut police department for violating her right to equal protection under the law.

Though her abuser had made repeated threats on her life, the police ignored her reports because the abuse happened within a marriage. Two weeks after she reported that he violated his restraining order, which was grounds for arrest, he repeatedly stabbed her. Even after 3 policemen arrived on the scene, her abuser wasn’t arrested and continued to threaten her. Finally, he was taken into custody as she was taken to the hospital.

In 1985, Tracy Thurman won her civil lawsuit and was awarded $2.3 million in damages. More importantly, her journey brought massive changes in domestic violence laws. Now, domestic violence is an arrestable offense even if the victim doesn’t press charges. She continued to work with survivors of domestic violence; her life and her testimony paved the way for laws protecting victims of violence and we remember her story even today. Keep an eye out for more fearless women making change in preventing violence!

Intern Profile Part 1: Andy Bowen

Andy Bowen is one of four Social Work and three Undergrad interns at DASH this year. She’s from Severna Park, MD, but she claims DC as her real home. She’s currently getting her Masters in Social Work at the University of Maryland – College Park. She has been interning at DASH since August and will be leaving us in April – but we are not quite ready to let her go. We asked her a few questions to showcase both how amazing she is and the impact she’s made at DASH.

How did you end up doing your internship at DASH?: “My band, Southern Problems, played a benefit show for DASH back in August 2012. I knew it was an organization that valued what I value: commitment to community, harm reduction, empowerment. When time came to apply to a second-year internship for my MSW program, DASH was my first choice.”
What social justice issue are you are most passionate about and why: “Economic justice is always the issue that I’m most focused on. My first job out of college was working in labor organizing, and it was impossible not to be infuriated and driven by the countless stories of people getting violated by their bosses, an inadequate safety net, and an overall system that wants for compassion.”
What has been your favorite DASH moment?: “I can’t go into specifics because of confidentiality, but there’s nothing like talking to one of the residents and having that moment where you both really get one another. That’s where healing starts.”
What are your plans for after DASH?: “Working on transgender and economic policy issues, most likely.”
If you had to be an animal what animal you be and why?: “I like cats, but they’re generally mean. I’d like to be a nice cat. Fighting all the meanness.”

What DASH staff say about Andy:

“From the moment I met her I knew she was a go getter and that she would be a perfect fit for DASH. She always makes herself available to the women and staff, she will and does go the extra mile, you can tell that she loves her work and it shows in the work that she does. She will be a wonderful addition to any organization that she works with.”

“I appreciate Andy’s analysis.”

“I have really appreciated watching Andy work one on one with our residents. She’s shows a tenacity for assisting the residents in reaching their goals that I think the residents really appreciate.”

“Andy makes coming into work in the morning brighter and happier. She is always smiling, always ready talk, support or listen. She is going to do great things.”

Andy

Exploring the DASH Model – Voluntary Services

Langan Denhard is our Health and Wellness Intern at the Cornerstone site.
She is a senior at the University of Maryland studying Community Health.

Abusive relationships are characterized by an imbalance of power and control. The existence of transitional housing programs like DASH allows survivors and their children to leave a controlling and disempowering situation and move toward financial and emotional independence.

Most transitional housing programs are not like DASH. Though well-intentioned, many other organizations rely on a model that can be controlling. They may require residents to attend mandatory services every week in order to stay in the program—even if the services don’t meet their identified needs. Some organizations may also refuse housing to survivors who struggle with mental health and substance use issues—problems that research has proven to be directly correlated with experiencing intimate partner violence.

Though the DASH framework comes with unique challenges, it’s pretty simple to explain: safe housing is a right, not a privilege. As a domestic violence program, we won’t turn anyone away because of the challenges they face linked to or exacerbated by homelessness or domestic violence. So everyone comes into our program with their own experiences, and we just don’t have the power to tell them what they need to do.

This gives us the freedom to offer varied services and groups based on the residents’ own requests and self-identified needs. We advertise each event by putting flyers and sign-up sheets around the building and sometimes directly reminding residents about the opportunity if we feel like they would benefit. If some groups aren’t as widely attended, that may reflect to us what some of the residents feel like they need. If even just one of the residents finds the program useful, that is reason enough to continue offering it. Above all, we see our residents as people with their own growing sense of agency whose decisions deserve respect and understanding.

The residents who choose to attend our programs (which include but are not limited to: acupuncture, weight lifting, grief groups, and resume workshops) report finding them effective and helpful. One of our residents said she felt like DASH was a place of healing and, “the purpose of coming here is to center everything around ourselves,” and move forward. She regularly attends and enjoys our parenting classes. We are currently evaluating and changing our services based on what feedback we get from residents.

Another resident, who had previously been in a program that provided mandatory services, said she appreciated that at DASH, “if you’re not feeling well you don’t have to go, and if you’re busy you don’t need to attend [the groups].” Her favorite DASH group is “Let’s Talk!” where the residents can get together and talk about life and the unique challenges they face.

Our model seems more like common sense than innovation—not only is it based on respect, it’s proven to work. A study of different transitional housing models by the National Network to End Domestic Violence showed that women receiving services felt that voluntary programs were more effective. Women reported the most satisfaction when the advocacy staff provided options, support, and most of all—the ability to make their own decisions.

Sources:

National Network to End Domestic Violence Study

CDC: IPV consequences

Volunteer Profile: Jill Hall

Jill Hall is our longest term volunteer. She offers acupuncture to our residents and staff on a monthly basis, and has been since the opening of the Cornerstone Program in 2011. Jill has participated in acupuncture for the last 12 years, and started practicing in 2007. Jill’s day job is at Prince George’s Community College where she serves as the Literacy and Tutoring Program Coordinator; before that she was a Montessori teacher. We are so grateful that she finds time in her schedule to work with our residents.

Acupuncture is a form of complementary medicine designed to help reduce pain and stress and support those with addiction. It involves stimulating acupuncture points, most often using penetration with needles. While Jill describes acupuncture as extremely safe and relaxing, some people are apprehensive with the use of needles. Because of this, Jill offers acupuncture using seed beads and magnets for residents as well. Acupuncture has been gaining popularity in the US since it was introduced in the 1970s as an alternative wellness practice. At Cornerstone, Jill uses the “acu-detox” method which is the 5 needle protocol, (inserting 5 needles in each ear). This method boosts the immune system and facilitates overall wellness.

What Jill likes about acupuncture is its holistic nature. It takes the mind, body and spirit into account regardless of what a client comes in with, whether that’s stress, trauma or back pain. Jill believes that acupuncture has a lot to contribute to traditional Western medicine. Jill says that acupuncture is effective without being emotionally intrusive or requiring a lot of conversation. Clients are able to let go and experience relief without saying anything at all. Jill describes this as the de-numbing effect, when the women experience a feeling of being more alive and awake to their bodies and the world.

Jill’s experience at DASH has been pleasant. She says that the “overall commitment by the staff is beautiful and heartwarming.” Most of all she enjoys working with the DASH residents, and says that the “gratitude expressed by the women has been profound.” She enjoys her role and likes to provide a safe space among all the challenges that the DASH residents (and sometimes staff!) may face.

Jill is the February Volunteer of the Month because of her dedication to the DASH mission and because she has successfully taken a relatively unknown activity and transformed it into one of the most popular and consistent wellness programs at DASH. She brings a much-needed holistic approach to the healing process of our residents and they have responded enthusiastically. We appreciate her ability to adapt to the needs of the residents as well as her consistency and professionalism. It is only because of the generosity of volunteers like Jill that DASH is able to serve so many. At DASH we are proud to say that acupuncture is one of our keystone programs. It reflects our innovative approach to holistic healing. Thank you Jill!

ED Peg Hacskaylo on Newstalk

With this year’s unusually severe winter conditions, the District of Columbia has seen a nearly doubled rate of families in emergency housing. [1] DASH Executive Director and Founder, Peg Hacskaylo went on air to discuss the DC homelessness crisis with Bruce DePuyt at News Channel 8.

Hacskaylo was joined by Patricia Fugere, the Executive Director of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.

Together they discussed the fact that most of the District’s housing resources are unable to reach the lowest income individuals and families in the region, which has contributed to the current crisis. Fugere however, asserts that there has been an affordable housing crisis in DC for the past several years, and that nearly half of the affordable housing stock once held in the city has been lost in the past decade.

They agree that it is important to focus on providing services, resources, and facilities for those very low income individuals and families as well as preserving the existing affordable housing that is at risk of gentrification.

Discussed within the segment

peg

was: issues of family separation, veteran and senior homelessness, challenges faced by the LGBTQ population, and myths and stereotypes surrounding homelessness.

Check out the entire segment here.

[1] http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-homeless-crisis-puts-in-play-grays-record-as-city-steward/2014/02/09/098d518a-8dca-11e3-95dd-36ff657a4dae_story.html

Revolution: DASH is born

Kylie Musolf is a senior at American University studying Philosophy and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She has worked at DASH as the development intern since January 2014.

It’s hard to pinpoint the first service project I ever completed. I grew up in rural Michigan with plenty of opportunities to do community service, and I was fortunate to grow up in a community that valued my participation. Doing community service opened my world up to unimaginable possibilities and passions and helped me gain some of the skills and experience I needed to move toward them. Service certainly helped bring me to DASH: one of the recurring volunteer projects I did in secondary school was at my local domestic violence shelter.

While I can’t remember my first experience with community service, I can certainly remember my most recent. Last Saturday I showed up at DASH (a little late, as the red line was single tracking) with two wonderful young women of Alpha Phi Omega, the national service fraternity. Little did we know that Revolution: DASH was soon to be born. Five young residents showed up on Saturday morning to clean up their community by picking up litter. We suited up with our warm clothes, sanitary gloves, and trash bags and headed out. We picked up several bags worth of litter such as beverage containers, old newspapers, cigarette butts, and candy wrappers from the sidewalks and street gutters. We took breaks between blocks to play tag and talk about school and sports.

The streets were sparkling clean and we were exhausted! The five young residents, two members of Alpha Phi Omega and I, returned to the community room to eat pizza (generously provided by &pizza) and talk about the environment. We talked about the different kinds of litter we picked up, statistics about trash and litter, and how litter impacts our clean water supply. We also talked about how much water we use daily—I think everyone was surprised to know that we use nearly 350 gallons a day! We discussed how doing something simple like picking up litter impacts the entire world around us in multiple and important ways. From this Revolution: DASH was formed. The founding members determined this awesome name for their community service club, which will meet monthly to do service and talk about social justice.

While we haven’t yet decided on the mission of the club (stay tuned for next month), my goal for the club is to help our young residents: recognize their social efficacy, build and explore their passions, and lead purpose driven lives.

Do you want to get involved in the Revolution? If you ideas for our next project or would like to donate lunch, please contact me at: KMusolf@dashdc.wpengine.com

Healing Through Creative Expression

The Arcade, which is dedicated to promoting and educating art in Washington DC, and whose goal is to establish studio and workshop space for artists in the area has partnered with DASH to develop and hone in on the remarkable talents of some of the children at DASH. Every Tuesday night at our Cornerstone location, Anne-Marie VanTassell and Beth Hansen volunteer with our resident children at DASH. February 4, DASH hosted its second Children’s Art Show at Cornerstone. Our resident children proudly provided presentations of their works to their families and community members. This showcase not only illustrated the hard work of both the volunteers and the resident children; but it also demonstrated the healing of trauma through creative expression. One DASH supporter stated, “It was awesome to see the children showcasing their art, explaining processes, and thoughtfully answering questions about their pieces!”

Thank you to all of who attended the art show, volunteered your time, and donated funds and/or art supplies for the program. A major KUDOS and THANK YOU to our volunteer art teachers, Anne-Marie and Beth and to our Children’s Program Director, Emma.