NextStep Domestic Violence Project adapting new ways to help amid pandemic

by Sarah Craighead Dedmon

Machias Valley News Observer

Calls to Maine domestic violence hotlines went up 20 percent between April and June, a number only slightly more worrisome than what happened in March, when they went down.

“It was so quiet it was eerie,” said Dorathy Martel, executive director of the NextStep Domestic Violence Project. “I think it’s because people hadn’t worked out how to reach out when the person abusing them was at home.”

New data collect ty the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence (MCEDV) confirms what Martel and others already knew — the pandemic has created new problems for survivors of domestic violence. In the first two weeks of the pandemic lockdown, which took place in March, calls to hotlines dropped by 15 percent. Once they rebounded, calls both increased and lasted 19 percent longer, suggesting increasingly complex situations, too.

“I wouldn’t say that the numbers [of people we’re serving] are necessarily higher, but speaking anecdotally, the abuse we’re seeing seems more violent,” said Martel. “It does seem like people are in pretty scary predicaments right now.”

Even amidst the challenges, Martel says she wants the community to know that NextStep is here and ready to help.

“We do try hard to problem solve,” said Martel. “This is true pandemic or no pandemic.”

One of the top priorities and biggest challenges during the pandemic has been finding. Housing for survivors who need to leave home. NextStep operates the only shelter of any kind in Washing country and can normally house six families at a time. But with coronavirus guidelines, it can house only two. So when shelters are full, NextStep advocates are finding other ways to help.

“The ideal is, can we find a way to help you be safe at home?” said Martel, adding that advocates will help survivors work through legal hurdles to create safety. “We also work with other shelters around the state, we’ll call around and see if they have room, but all the shelters are in the same boat, having to spread people around.”

According to the MCEDV report, Maine shelters served about the same number of people between April and June of 2020 as they did in 2019, but to provide necessary spacing, their use of hotels increased 2,560 percent. The number of nights people stayed also increased, by 17 percent “suggesting that finding safe, affordable housing is even more difficult right now than it was before the pandemic.”

Community Caring Collaborative Executive Director Charley Martin-Berry works with dozens of agencies around Washington County and says she is concerned that people who need help might not reach out if they perceive an agency is strained during the pandemic.

“People should call. If they’re feeling stuck, they should call and call again,” said Martin-Berry. “We want community members to recognize that the organizations are trying to figure these things out and input from people who need the services and support will help us. It’s going to take time, but we want people to help us imagine a way forward together.”

Showdowns in the courts are also complicating matters, especially in Machias and Calais where courthouse spaces are already relatively small.

“In order to keep people far enough apart, courts have had to limit the number of people in there at a time,” said Martel. “Things that used to take a couple of weeks or a month are taking many months. People are waiting on resolutions on things that affect their safety.”

That’s been eye opening because it’s nobody’s fault it’s the pandemic, but if you’re the person who is experiencing that, it’s scary and it’s frustrating.”

The good news is that shelters like NextStep are adapting to work with survivors remotely. MCEDV data shows electronic contacts were up 145 percent last quarter, and calls form advocates to survivors are up 50 percent, too.

“This increase reflects the fact that advocates have been checking in over the phone with the individuals with whom they’d been working before the pandemic who they could not see in person,” said Rooney.

A survey of people using Maine domestic violence center services between April and June reveals that 97 percent felt the centers could meet their needs without connecting in person, but 72 percent indicated they had “elevated safety concerns” due to COVID-129 and social distancing.

A survey of people using Maine domestic violence center services between April and June reveals that 97 percent felt the centers could meet their needs without connecting in person, but 72 percent indicated they had “elevated safety concerns” due to COVID-19 and social distancing.

Martel says it is important to remember that the only people who can stop domestic violence are the people who are perpetrating it.

“It happens because somebody chooses to make it happen,” said Martel. “If we’re getting angry and frustrated, that’s who we should be getting angry at.”

Rooney agrees and suggests everyone should be alert to signs that abuse is happening.

“We have heard so much concern in the public’s eye about victims and survivors of domestic violence,” said Rooney. “But I really want the public to understand that we need to have our eyes and ears open for the people in our life who are actually perpetrating this abuse, and to try to intervene with them and send the message that that behavior is not alright.”