Wednesday, December 20, 2000
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Wednesday, December 20, 2000 |
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Domestic violence victims trying to hold on for the holiday season By JOHN
MUNFORD December is usually a slow month for the staff of the Fayette County Council on Domestic Violence. With the holidays approaching, many victims are trying to hold their families together so the children can experience the holidays, said FCCDV Executive Director Linda Wells. "We have a lot of women saying, 'I'm just holding on until after the holidays.'" Wells said. Statistics show that families are at greater risk of violence when the victim tries to leave with the children, she added. "The abuser feels like his control is threatened," Wells said. "Women are at far greater risk when they decide to leave." The holiday season gives some victims hope that their family troubles will finally change, Wells added. But by the time Christmas comes, many victims have already decided to leave their abuser, she added. "Everybody wants to believe that this time, that it's different... but it isn't," Wells said. Even though the agency experiences a dropoff in victims in December the agency has already helped 13 family violence victims this month, Wells said. Usually, the agency handles half that many cases all December, she added. This year has already been busier than 1999, with 356 clients served as of Monday morning up from 330 a year ago, Wells said. The FCCDV serves Fayette, Spalding, Pike and Upson counties, but approximately 80 percent of its clients are from Fayette County, Wells said. The agency offers a variety of free services for victims of family violence, including: Legal representation for seeking temporary protective orders. Emergency counseling. A weekly support group that meets Thursdays from 7 - 8:30 p.m. A food pantry that also has toiletries and personal hygiene items for victims trying to get on their feet after leaving their abusers. FCCDV also has a transitional house program for families, although it charges a minimal operating cost, Wells said. The Lighthouse consists of five apartments, the largest of which could house a mother and up to five or six children, she added. The maximum monthly fee for that apartment is $450. Victims at Lighthouse must either work full-time, go to school full-time or do both part-time, Wells added. For information, phone FCCDV at 770-460-1604.
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