Waldoboro will be getting a targeted approach when it comes to domestic and dating violence, thanks to a new half-time community-based advocate position through New Hope for Women.
The position, funded through a private family foundation, will work exclusively in the town as an “intimate partner violence prevention and response advocate,” according to a press release from the organization.
“It is very similar to the advocacy work that we do agency-wide, but this position is focused entirely on the town of Waldoboro,” said Meg Klingelhofer, the organization’s community education director.
The advocate is slated to start work sometime prior to October, according to the press release.
New Hope for Women, which operates in Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Knox, and Waldo counties, offers support in various ways to people affected by domestic and dating violence, and stalking.
Waldoboro Police Chief Bill Labombarde believes the prevalence of domestic violence in town is slightly higher than average, and economic and cultural factors may contribute to that.
“The reason it is above the norm is we have a high poverty rate here, and we have a high substance abuse rate here,” Labombarde said.
Labombarde contends domestic violence, while more in the public eye these days, is not necessarily occurring any more frequently – in Waldoboro or anywhere else.
“It’s a problem everywhere,” Labombarde said. “It’s not that it’s happening more now, we have better reporting and more awareness.”
The new community-based advocate will be another person victims can go to for help, who can assist the victims in getting connected with other resources they need, Labombarde said.
“It’s going to be a great resource for our town,” he said.
Along with the new position, New Hope for Women wants to meet with community members to see exactly what would be helpful in the town and how to publicize resources so everyone affected by the issues can seek help, Klingelhofer said.
“We have this golden opportunity to address any barriers that might be there, because we know that domestic violence lives in minimization, denial, and shame,” she said.
One way having someone in town can help is in overcoming the isolation of a victim: the advocate can quickly meet a caller at a location they are “allowed” to go by their partner, such as a doctor’s office, and help them with safety planning, Klingelhofer said.
The most important part of the advocate’s response will be helping a caller in a way the caller decides is most important, not trading the control of an abusive partner for the control of a helping party, Klingelhofer said.
“We want to make the process work for each individual, and being able to have someone right in the community has a lot of potential,” she said.
The advocate’s position will not be strictly dealing with callers, however. Klingelhofer said the advocate will do a lot of community work, such as assisting with presentations to employers on how to make a safer workplace, or working with medical offices to help them universally screen patients for domestic or dating violence.
“It sends the message that it can’t just be that individual victim” who is affected by such violence, Klingelhofer said. “It’s so common that they ask every patient.”
Presenting a unified front as a community – such as businesses displaying purple and a sign saying they are a community partner in ending domestic and dating violence during October, Domestic Violence Awareness Month – can help bolster those considering reaching out for help, Klingelhofer said.
“That can send an amazing message to someone who’s on the fence,” she said.
For more information on New Hope for Women, visit http://newhopeforwomen.org. To contact their 24-hour crisis hotline, call 800-522-3304.
