he state is providing $250,000 to help outfit all of Florida's domestic violence shelters with emergency power.
By LAUREN BAYNE ANDERSON
Published October 8, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - As Hurricane Jeanne threatened, the Spring domestic violence shelter in Tampa took every precaution: Employees covered windows with plywood and stocked up on water, flashlights and food.
But when the power went out, the haven for domestic violence victims was forced to hire a security guard to help keep the place safe. Many shelters around the state use security devices such as surveillance cameras and other electrical equipment.
Only two of the state's 40 domestic violence shelters have generators. The Spring was not one of them.
"It did present quite a challenge for us," said Rosemary Fleishman, the Spring's executive vice president.
Thursday, Florida Attorney General Charley Crist announced $250,000 in state funds would help outfit all of the state's shelters with generators.
People have underestimated the importance of generators, said Cory Adler, director of philanthropy at Community Action Stops Abuse, which combats domestic violence.
"Generators are not a sexy issue," she said. "If you say you need money for children's programs - shoes, books - the money comes, but a generator is not something they can relate to."
During the recent hurricanes, 25 shelters statewide lost power. Some shelters worried about sending victims to public shelters, where their abusers might find them.
Fleishman said the Spring wanted to get a generator but could never afford it. "This was a long time coming," she said.
Crist, who held a press conference at J.Con Salon and Spa in St. Petersburg, also said $100,000 would be given to "Cut Out Domestic Violence," a 6-month-old initiative that trains salon professionals to identify signs of abuse.
In 2003, 120,000 cases of domestic violence were reported statewide. The recent hurricanes prompted more people to visit shelters, Crist said. After Hurricane Charley, the occupancy rates in domestic violence shelters nearly doubled, he said.
"One of the worst things that can happen is to be in a situation at home where violence continues to perpetuate," Crist said. "Anything we can do to try to stop that cycle of violence, we have a duty to do so."
The Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence will distribute the money to the state's shelters and anti-domestic violence programs.
Since March, 702 salon technicians have been trained statewide to spot signs of domestic violence in clients. Similar programs, grounded in the idea women often confide in their hairstylists, are run in Virginia and Alabama. In St. Petersburg, employees at salons A Precious Touch, La Vogue and Deanie K's have been trained.
CASA teaches salon technicians not to intervene, but to be empathetic and refer clients to CASA. "It's domestic abuse 101 for people who do hair and nails," said Bonnie L. Quick, who does community outreach for CASA. "Victims of domestic violence often don't talk about it but if a person is trained, that may open the door."
Joyce Bunch Smalling, administrator for the Haven shelter in Clearwater, has seen a five to 10 percent increase in the number of calls at the shelter since the program began.
"We've received a lot of calls from women who got the information from salons," she said.
