Burnout Underpay Plague Ohio Victim Services Workforce / Public News Service

Ohioans who work day in and day out with some of the most vulnerable populations are struggling with major burnout, according to new data.

Program directors and staff in the Ohio Victim Services Compensation 2022 survey reported that they were not earning what they considered a living wage, and 45% of staff said their salaries did not cover their compensation needs. base.

Rosa Beltre, president and CEO of the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, explained that these workers are the first responders for survivors of sexual violence and assault. She agreed that they are overworked and underpaid.

“We are on the ground of anti-oppression and anti-violence,” she said, “and the way we pay our staff, the way we remunerate our staff continues to fall into the cycles of oppressive methods”.

In the survey, 57% said they had to work more than one job to make ends meet, leading to fatigue and poor performance in their Victim Services jobs. Average victim services budgets have fallen by 16% between 2020 and 2022, meaning less funds available to pay employees.

Beltre said victim services workers are often expected to be knowledgeable in legal and medical defense as well as social work and psychology. She argued they deserved a compensation package that included a competitive salary, health care and retirement benefits, and reimbursement for personal expenses, from gas to education.

“They’re asked to come with a master’s degree in social work or be a sociologist,” she says, “and what they’re paid doesn’t cover their expenses, or the years it took them to get the degree. or experience.”

Most funding for victim service agencies comes from the federal Victims of Crime Act, which consists of fines and penalties paid by convicted offenders. Beltre said funding has dropped more than 70% in Ohio over the past few years.

“It’s rippled through programs, it’s rippled through services, and we’re not exempt from the exodus that every business or organization is experiencing,” she said. “We’ve been hit hard, and it’s not sustainable.”

The VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victim Funds Act of 2021 will provide more federal dollars to states. However, it will take time for the funds to be distributed.

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Economic supports could be the key to reducing domestic violence, which claims the lives of dozens of Ohioans each year.

Research from the Ohio Domestic Violence Network has shown that in times of financial insecurity, people are at a higher risk for violent behavior.

Rebecca Cline, the Network’s director of prevention, explained that individuals are targeted for domestic violence, often because they are marginalized and made vulnerable by oppressive systems.

“High rates of poverty, high rates of unemployment, high rates of social disorganization,” Cline pointed out. “All of these things contribute to conditions that create additional risks for the perpetration of violence and victimization.”

Cline also pointed to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found a gun homicide rate nearly five times higher in counties with the highest levels of poverty, and he cites supporters economics as a route to the prevention of armed violence. Data shows that 4.5 million women said they had been threatened with a gun by an intimate partner.

Research has suggested strengthening economic supports for families by expanding access to affordable child care, health care, transportation and housing, making the earned income tax credit ‘Ohio fully reimbursable and increasing wages.

Cline pointed out that a minimum-wage worker in Ohio earns less than $20,000 a year, but a single parent of two children needs nearly four times as much to earn a living wage.

“$76,000 a year,” Cline claimed. “And that’s to be able to afford housing, transportation, childcare and all the other things that a family needs to live in a sustainable and efficient way rather than in scarcity.”

She stressed that policies can be more effective with a holistic approach, bringing together local and state partners.

“The smarter we get in our prevention work, the more evidence starts to emerge about where we need to go, the more promising our prevention work will be,” Cline said. “And it’s a long-term job.”

Cline added that measures to improve community bonds can reduce violence, which can be as simple as picking up litter or planting flowers. Individuals can also talk to their elected leaders about policies to reduce violence.

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Kentucky will soon begin developing a coordinated statewide system for reporting crimes related to domestic violence. Governor Andy Beshear’s signature on Senate Bill 271 mandates the collection of domestic violence data.

Advocacy groups say they have struggled for years to check state records on these types of cases and have relied primarily on media reports and information from local shelters.

Andrea Robinson, executive director of the Oasis women’s shelter in the Owensboro area, said homicides involving an intimate partner are likely underreported.

“By collecting this data, it will potentially help shape laws that will better protect victims,” Robinson said.

New law requires Kentucky State Police, Courts Administrative Office, State Medical Examiner’s Office and Coroner’s Office to collect and report annual domestic violence data to the Analysis Center state criminal justice system.

According to the University of Kentucky Violent Death Reporting System, between 2005 and 2017, Kentucky had 462 documented deaths related to domestic violence.

Meg Savage, legal director of the Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence, said that like any other public health issue, communities, advocacy groups and social service agencies need accurate reporting in order to develop best practices and prevention strategies.

“Even to start looking at, you know, domestic violence homicides and what might be the underlying causes and trends and red flags and so on,” Savage pointed out. “It could help us improve our systems.”

Robinson believes inaccurate data masks the prevalence of domestic violence in the Commonwealth.

“I think it’s important for us to be able to recognize how many victims are being murdered and losing their lives,” Robinson said. “Because it raises awareness of the reality and seriousness of domestic violence.”

If you or someone you know is being abused, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 for help, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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Justice for survivors, closing a legal loophole for marital rape, and age-appropriate sexual violence education are the policy priorities Ohio lawmakers will hear about today. This is the 10th annual advocacy day for the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence.

Emily Gemar, the group’s public policy manager, said people from across the state will meet with more than three dozen legislative offices to discuss sexual violence issues that affect families and communities.

“Voices from metropolitan areas, rural areas and areas where there is a rape crisis center serving five counties,” she said. “It is certainly through our collective voice that we are able to effect change for the better.”

Gemar said the legislation they will discuss includes House Bill 105, known as Erin’s Law. This would require age-appropriate sexual abuse prevention instruction for K-12 students. They’ll also talk about House Bill 121, which would remove Ohio’s spousal rape exemption, and House Bill 266, which ends the statute of limitations on criminal rape prosecutions and extends the statute of limitations for actions. rights of victims of childhood sexual abuse.

Ryn Farmer, assistant director of Crime Victim Services, explained that victims of sexual violence often remain silent because they don’t feel safe to report their assault.

“Either they have had negative experiences with law enforcement; they are afraid of retaliation from the person who sexually assaulted them; they are afraid of not being believed,” she said. “We shouldn’t put this time limit on how a survivor can access justice and then heal from the trauma.”

Farmer encouraged Ohioans to learn how they can help those affected by sexual violence, which could include advocacy work as well as donating time or money.

“We always appreciate our local people in the community who volunteer or donate to local rape centers,” she said. “Many of us have lost funds over the past few years and have also been negatively impacted by COVID. And so regardless of their ability to get involved, we welcome that.”

Advocates will also tout the importance of Rape Crisis Center funding to the attorney general’s budget. It started in 2014 and now stands at $10 million for 2022. Advocacy Day events will be streamed live. Learn more online at oaesv.org/AdvocacyDay.

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