Transcripts For SFGTV Mayors Press Availability 20161024 : c

Commander greg and adult probation chief karen fletcher, if we could give them all a big round of applause. [ applause ] i also want to thank mayors deputy chief of staff Paul Henderson and our budget analyst laura bush who joined us today and chief fletcher asked me to make one quick announcement to save the date for friday october 28th, 9 00 a. M. To 2 00 p. M. The Adult Probation Department is supporting veterans and survivors of Family Violence from trauma to healing from 9 00 a. M. To 2 00 p. M. And please join us there. I would like to if any introduce the Deputy Health director at department of Public Health and please help me welcome dr. Chan. [ applause ] thank you emily. I just want to spend my five minutes just giving a little bit of the data that reflects supervisor wieners and the mayors sentiments about us coming together. The mayors sentiment and also the underlying prevalence that we all know is in San Francisco and most of us know that the prevalence one in three women have been victims of intimate Partner Violence and in San Francisco we know among our most vulnerable women, those in ninemonths of pregnancy, there is a wide disparity in ethnicity, as well as socioeconomic class. So amongst those who are most stressed, those in poverty. The prevalence is 11 . That is about three times higher than those who are not in poverty. So that really speaks to the increasing gap between the haves and have nots in San Francisco and what that does to all of us. Im in Public Health and im a pediatrician and tell you this issue profoundly affects women and children. This prevalence of Domestic Violence experienced by lowincome women and women of all classes, causes an increase in coping and reactive behaviors and that is why we have this link in intimate Partner Violence causing a fourfold risk increased risk in drug use, fivefold risk in depression and of course, increased risk of suicidality and it affects babies too. Women who are experiencing intimate Partner Violence are three times more likely to have a baby born preterm or lowbirth weight. So this all attributes to life course of consequences in child abuse and neglect and drug addiction. But there is hope in the Health Community and research we now recognize and understand that your interventions are aeffective. Primary care intervence and communitybased interventions are effective and its more and more important that we come together, integrate our Community Programs and health services. So that we can better address this issue as an entire community. One great example is that our county hospital led by many of you advocates, and internal medicine physicians, dr. Lee kimberg, who has received a federal grant, the arise grant. That really builds upon the partnership of San Francisco General Hospital, ucsf, bay area legal aid, la casa, against violence and Trauma Recovery center to provide integrated screening, counseling, quality counseling, and effective referrals to all of the women who go through our county health system. So this type of integration we feel is very promising. Its a National Leader and its becoming a National Model of how we in San Francisco can integrate our Services Better to serve our most vulnerable population at their most vulnerable times. Thank you very much for all you have your service. [ applause ] thank you very much, dr. Chan and i want to acknowledge kathy, who is here representing sheriff Vicky Hennessey and our Assessorrecorder Carmen Chu would like to say a few words. Thank you, i serve as San Franciscos elected asesor and im so honored to stand with beverly and with you, emily and all of our Community Partners to bring awareness to Domestic Violence. My comments will be short. When i stand here today i see how wonderful it is to see over the 100 people here all behind us, but also in front of us. Who came out because they understand just how important this cause is, to bring awareness. And i know that here we have 100 people already who know that they can each play a role when they see Domestic Violence happening, or they are worried that Domestic Violence might be happening, that they are going to do something. That we all take a pledge to do something about it and to make sure that our loved ones arent suffering alone. Emily was just telling me there are a ton of resources that are available and listed on the department on the status of womens website and encourage everyone who cares about this issue to please take a look at it and if you know anybody of your friends or any of your family who is going through something and not ready to take about it, please be a shoulder and please share with them all the ways that we might we able to help them. I think that is the only way were going to end Domestic Violence with that, congratulations emily on your tireless leadership year in and year out [ applause ]. Thank you carmen and i want to next introduce carmen chung and gabby, High School Seniors who participate in the young asian women against Violence Project of the Community Youth center. Lets give it up for carmen and gabby. [ applause ] hi my name is gabby. Hi, my name is karlen and were from the Leadership Program called young asian against violence. We dedicate its a program dedicated to positive empowerment and development of api High School Youth young asian women in San Francisco and to strengthen resilience, pride, healing and knowledge of young asian women to advocate for the end of Domestic Violence in our community. We educate about violence against women through creating and for thiating workshops and education creates longterm effect rather than a bandaid solution and enable using to create a foundation of change. Together we stand in solidarity with the 15yearold meadows who was incarcerated for defending herself and her family from her abusivefather and today is the day of her Court Hearing and instead of being given a safe space to heal she is being isolated from her community and loved one as she faced prosecution. It angers us to see one of our own peers for being punished for defending herself. Why are systems that are supposed to protect us harming us . As youth, our experiences are often invalidated. We have few opportunities to speak up for ourselves. We are disempowered. There are limited resources and space for healing and safety. And its really rare for us to find the resources. It} n a society where youth hold less power than adults we need spaces to be heard and four survivors to be visible and validated and providing a space for young women to share their ideas and experiences and create and opportunity to heal and grow from trauma. Youth are capable, but we need a community willing to stand with us in times of need, rather than turning away. The end of the violence starts with us. We urge you to keep your ears open to the voices of youth. To keep your mind open, to learn. To keep your heart open to our experiences. We urge you to stand in solidarity to stand with survivors of violence. [ applause ] thank you carmen and gabby, we have a whole crew here from Community Youth camp center. If you want to wave, i want to invite the Sheriffs Department to talk about the positive reapered of sheriff hennessey, please welcome dahlia [ applause ]. Good afternoon everyone. Again im davila the survivor restoration director for the San Francisco Sheriffs Department and as i look out at all of you, im reminded once again how important it is for our community to come together to support survivors of Domestic Violence. I have had the honor in working in our Sheriffs Department for over 20 years, and proud to be in the position that i am as the director of our program for the survivors. I would just like to take a moment to share how the Sheriffs Department has supported innovative programs for Domestic Violence survivors over the years and continues under our new sheriff Vicki Hennessey to not only provide those same services, but also we have enhanced them. Many of you in the audience, i know, know about our resolve to stop the violence program, our rsvp program that was started in 1997. Yes, its been 20 years. And its still here, going strong. But it was the first Justice Program that specifically worked with male offenders who have violence documented in their criminal history. Particularly Domestic Violence and again, that program is still going strong today. In fact, with our Court Collaborations in 2015 rsvp participants that were in custody for Domestic Violence increased 93 , which was a substantial increase from 2014, which was only 20 . The Sheriffs Department also has our out of custody Community Programs utilizing the Violence Prevention Program man alive, which is used in both our Community Programs and in custody programs. While we do need programs to hold offenders accountable and to give opportunities for them to change their behavior, we need to equally and more so provide services for our survivors of Domestic Violence. The San Francisco Survivor Restoration Program which i have been honored to be with over 20 years, provides services for survivors through their own process of restoration, empowerment and providing opportunities for them to contribute to the development, implementation, and evaluation of all the key components of the program. As we know, as we all know the importance of having Survivor Voices at all of our takes. Tables and we offer with our Sister Community agencies many of whom are here today direct Crisis Services through the Response Program along with our empowerment groups which is under our Survivor Empowerment Program and i would like to give special acknowledgment to my staff here and my team, that together with their fierce advocacy in 2015 as we supported 65 survivors who obtained their visas and six granted political asylum and permanent residency and db survivors graduating from our empowerment program. Our Newest Program in the Sheriffs Department is our survivor in custody program. A Reentry Program that we make contact with incarcerated survivors of Domestic Violence, and provide resources which are traumainformed and culturallyresponsive to the many challenges that they face. These services are also provided for our incarcerated db transwomen, stalk and trafficking victims. I will just end with this quote, one of my favorites from helen keller, that i love and its just simple as to say, alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much. And when i look around with all of the agencies here, and the hard work in changing our systems together we can definitely make a change. Thank you. [ applause ] thank you so much, dahlia. I just want to acknowledge a couple of staff people who are here, alden from Assembly Member tings office and i want to acknowledge the Family Violence counsel chair Katy Albright who here as well. Next up is the Community Education at las casa delas madras that opened as the first Domestic Violence shelter in the state of california and only the second in the nation. Please welcome cara. [ applause ] im going to put this down, but i was holding the door to shelter. Good evening, its wonderful to be here with all of you standing in support of Domestic Violence survivors. Over 40 years ago we began as a small shelter for battered women in San Francisco and today la casa is still providing Emergency Services to women and children in need through confidential shelter and 24hour crisis line. We also provide counseling, case management, support groups, a teen program and Legal Services at our jobs center on Mission Street four of our advocates work as the only two womenspecific Supportive Housing sites in San Francisco, providing emotional and practical support to over 150 female residents. This partnership is entering its 18th year. La casa also had the opportunity to extend our support services in San Francisco by providing targeted programming to specific populations alongside amazing Community Partners. I would like to highlight four of these programs today first were pard to be pard of zuckerberg San Francisco gener hospital and la casa advocate is onsite to meet with patients that dispose instances of intimate partnership violence to their physician and providing danger and risk assessment, safety planning, grief counseling and resources and referrals. This individual will also provide training on intimate Partner Violence to health care professionals. Second, funded by the department on the status of women, colocated at San Francisco Housing Authority. As many of us know survivor safety challenge is navigating the Public Housing system in San Francisco. We work to ensure they have safe places to life and raise their families. Our advocates at the Housing Authority also educate Property Management and support staff at housing sites across the bay area and to incidents of Domestic Violence onsite. Third, there is say la casa advocate at 850 bryant street and follows up on Police Reports of Domestic Violence to provide the survivor with resources, referrals and support. And finally, as mentioned earlier, in partnership with the department, glide, will have a advocate responding to all Domestic Violence situations. These four programs allow our staff colocated at the hospital, sros, the Housing Authority, hall of justice and bayview to provide advocacy, support, resources and referrals to survivors. Survivors that are navigating complex processes made even more challenging by experiences of trauma. Were proud at la casa to be part of the first line of response to survivors of Domestic Violence and proud to serve as a continued support system to survivors on their path to healing. And of course, were proud to be part of a community of organizations, many of whom are here today, working tirelessly to end Domestic Violence in San Francisco. Thank you. [ applause ] thanks so much, cara. I want to acknowledge the executive director of la casa, kathy black is in the audience and we have another cochair of the council is here and our last speaker is commissioner on the status of women, olgareyers