Modesto Bee
By TIM MORAN  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
last updated: June 02, 2008 04:07:34 AM

Modesto Bee
By TIM MORAN  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
last updated: June 02, 2008 04:07:34 AM

When Elizabeth Iverson became a victim of physical and mental abuse six years ago, she discovered the difficulty of accessing services available to help her in Stanislaus County. A wide variety is available for families in crisis, from legal to medical help, counseling and shelter. But they are not all in one place, and for Iverson, that meant walking with three young children around downtown Modesto in the summer heat.

Iverson received assistance at Haven Women's Center of Stanislaus. There were restraining orders to file with the Modesto Police Department and the Sheriff's Department, and welfare papers to fill out. The district attorney's victim witness
program helped. Still, she had no car, and found herself walking with her children from Haven to the Police Department in Modesto, and to the Community Services Agency in Ceres.

"I carried ice packs and spray bottles to keep my children cool. I was too poor for baby-sitting," Iverson said. "I wish I could have gone somewhere where someone could hold my hand and tell me I was safe." That place may become a reality by the end of this year. Spearheaded by the Stanislaus County district attorney's office and Assistant District Attorney Carol
Shipley, a group of people from private and public agencies is trying to form a "one-stop shop" for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse and child abuse.

Modeled on a center in San Diego County, the Family Justice Center would be a place where each of the about 25 agencies that offer services to those victims would be available in one place. The group is looking at two buildings, one at 100
Poplar Ave., and the other is the county-owned Medical Arts Building at 700 17th St., both in Modesto.

"Stanislaus County is extremely rich in social services," said May Rico, associate director of Haven Women's Center of Stanislaus, a nonprofit agency dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. "But people don't know
about them or don't have transportation to get to them."

The problem is complicated by the emotional turmoil victims are going through, Iverson said. "I lost a lot of weight; it was very unhealthy. I was angry, I was not in a mentally healthy place. A lot of times I wanted to throw in the towel," she said. "If you can't take care of yourself, how can you take care of your kids?"

Proponents of the center believe it will have many benefits. It would help the victim and family by offering help with basic needs such as food, shelter and medical care, by helping victims sign up for such services as food stamps and nutritional supplements for children, qualifying them for health services and getting them a place to stay. It would help law enforcement agencies prosecute the perpetrators, and ultimately break the cycle of abuse and violence in future
generations, Shipley said.

"It's not always a prosecution- oriented purpose," she said. "Victims aren't necessarily ready to leave the family unit or push out the perpetrator. They need to be taught safety and have a place to go to be safe. We just want the violence to
stop."

The need for the center is obvious in the statistics: 2,489 abuse victims were reported in the county in 2006, and the number grew to 2,621 in 2007. The number of incidents that goes unreported adds 40 percent to that number, said Sgt. David Chamberlain of the Modesto Police Department. "A large amount of people don't contact Haven," he said. They may be afraid of the offender or fear the stigma of approaching a social service agency or they might be a drug user and afraid to get in trouble with the law.

Measuring the effectiveness of such a center is difficult, Shipley said. How do you measure events that didn't happen as a result of the effort? She points to statistics from San Diego. Domestic violence homicides have dropped steadily since the Family Justice Center opened there in 2002. Bringing a domestic violence homicide case to trial costs more than $1 million in San Diego County, so the savings are significant.

Before the San Diego center opened, 70 percent of the clients of the city attorney's domestic violence unit didn't want to participate in the prosecution process. Within three years of the center opening, almost 70 percent were willing
to participate, Shipley said. "We know historically that when the support is there, people are able to stay
safe," Rico said.

Finding the money for the center in an era of shrinking public budgets and a weak economy may be a challenge. The Stanislaus effort hopes to begin with private donations, grants and foundation money, Shipley said. "This is a true collaboration between the county, nonprofits and the community," she said. "This is something everyone agrees is important to have in the county."

An advantage to the center is that most of the staffing exists in the various agencies. The center needs to lease a building and hire a staff of four, including an executive director. The center would house all the agencies victims might need, including counseling, job services, financial aid and medical help. Haven Women's Center, for instance, would be in the Family Justice Center and could arrange for emer- gency shelter for victims.

Shipley estimates the cost of startup and first-year operation at $1 million to $1.3 million. Annual costs after that would range from $550,000 to $750,000, depending on the building the center leases, she said. Sue Foster, director of corporate giving for Foster Farms, is a believer in the concept and said the Foster Farms companies have pledged $300,000. She said
she believes $1 million can be raised quickly from a group of 10 to 15 people. "I hope I can twist people's arms," Foster said. "After people really understand the concept, we aren't asking for very much to make a whole lot happen."

Mike Zagaris of PMZ Real Estate, another proponent of the center, agreed. "I've got to believe with all the agencies working together in the same place, communications and services will be improved as well," he said.

As for Iverson, she persevered, got a divorce, went to school to become a psychiatric tech and is independent and supporting her three children. Grit and luck got her through the situation, along with the help of many people, she said.
First Baptist Church in Modesto gave her a van to get around in, and a boyfriend gave her a helping hand.

She is a supporter of the Family Justice Center concept. "It's patterned after San Diego County, and they have an awesome program down there," said Iverson, who has become an advocate for domestic violence victims. She suggested that parenting classes be part of the program. "It helped me change my focus from my hurt and pain to (the children's) level. If
we don't do something, we will have another generation of kids growing up repeating the cycle."

Bee staff writer Tim Moran can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
or 578-2349