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Question:
Hello, my name is Rebecca Miller. I recently graduated from the University of Akron with a Master's Degree in Social Work. I writing to you because I have recently gained employment at OneEighty, a non profit in Wooster, Ohio. My position is new to both the agency and myself. The title is the coordinated community response specialist. This is in regard to sexual assault and domestic violence. I would like to connect with other individuals or communities who have tackled this or a similar position. If your organization has any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated. Finally, any handouts or information would also be greatly appreciated.
Answer:

Hi Rebecca,
 
Welcome to the Community Tool Box (CTB) and Ask an Advisor, we hope we're able to provide you with timely, useful, accurate, and directly applicable information to help you in your community-based work combating sexual assault and domestic violence. Well, my first action was to consult the CTB to see what we have for you, but honestly, I didn't find much, three to be precise and whether they'll be beneficial to you I cannot say.  I certainly won't hurt to check them out.
 
1. On our home page, click on the "Connect" button at the top of the page and click on "Community Stories." Next, click on "view all" and scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page and click on the "8" button. Scroll down to "Domestic Violence Shelter and Outreach in Victorville" and click on the link. At the bottom of the overview section there is a direct link to their website.
 
2. On our home page, click on the "Learn A Skill" button, top left of the page. Scroll down to "Toolkits 5. Developing Strategic and Action Plans" and click on the "Examples" button on the lower right, scroll down to "Example 4. Access for All: Best Practices for Responding to Women with Disabilities Who are Abuse Victims." This only provides information about their program, but does not provide a direct link. I did check their website, but I didn't spend enough time on it to determine if it will be helpful to you.
 
3. On our home page, again click on the "Learn A Skill" button, click on the "Table of Contents" and scroll down to the section entitled "Social Marketing and Sustainability of the Initiative." Click on "Chapter 46. Planning for Sustainability," click on "Section 4. Attracting Support for Specific Programs" and then click on "Examples." The example is entitled "Sexual Abuse Nurse Examiners Program."
 
Beyond these three examples of programs, my only other suggestion is doing a thorough Google search (e.g., search terms domestic violence organizations/groups in Ohio or sexual assault organizations/groups in Ohio). I did a quick search just to see what came up and here's what I found: in your own backyard you might talk to folks at the College of Wooster: https://www.wooster.edu/students/health/counseling/sexual-assault/ who actually provide a link to OneEighty and to RAINN (https://rainn.org/). You can also check out Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Assault (http://www.oaesv.org/resources/Wayne-county/) which offers both state and national resources. In addition, Healthy Ohio (http://www.healthy.ohio.gov/sadv/dviolence/domviol.aspx) works to prevent domestic violence. You might also check out the Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio (https://www.ohiohealth.com/sexualassaultresponsenetwork/). If any of these organizations don't pan out you can always contact the United Way of Wayne and Holmes County (http://www.uwwh.org/) to see if they know of the types of organizations you're looking for. So right there you have at least five organizations with which to connect; the key Rebecca is networking. As I always say, start local with networking by contacting organizations, finding and talking to the right people who can connect you to other people and organizations, and then branching out from there as one connection leads you to other connections; before you know it you've got a vast network of like-minded organizations and people!  Any network you can join to increase your own circulation and so people get to know you and what you're doing at OneEighty will be highly beneficial.  At least, you can start with these programs, see what they're doing, and contact key people within the organization.
 
With that Rebecca, on behalf of the CTB, thank-you for visiting us and for your question. Hopefully we've pointed you in the right direction towards connecting with other like-minded organizations. If you find that our reply isn't satisfactory, please let us know and we'll work together to find you the resources you need. Take care, be well, do good work.
 
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Question Date: Mon, 06/06/2016