Non-Residential Services

October is Domestic Violence Awareness MonthPO Box 3817
Kingston, NY   12402
(845) 331-7080   9:00am – 5:00pm only (leave message)

Program Director: Emily Trotter-Bodie
Staff: Kayla Montalbo,  Deborah Ashokeji & Graciela Larin-McDonald

Program Hours:  9:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday; some support groups held in the evening. Crisis counseling and information and referral are also available 24 hours a day through the Family Hotline.

PRIMARY FUNCTIONS:   Crisis Counseling and Case Management for survivors of domestic violence who are not seeking residential services and/or are ex-residents; two weekly support groups in Kingston which include a children’s group, one in English and one in Spanish; individual one on one sessions or bilingual support groups in Ellenville and New Paltz, depending on the number of participants available; advocacy for survivors seeking Orders of Protection, temporary custody, and modification of orders from the Family Court; advocacy and translation services for survivors seeking services at the Department of Social Services; a domestic violence education program for people referred by the Department of Social Services Child Protective Services, area courts, and Family of Woodstock’s Homeless Shelters; rapid rehousing for survivors of domestic violence and case management services for participating families; and coordination of the Ulster County Domestic Violence Coordinated Entry System.

ANCILLARY SERVICES: Crisis intervention; information and referrals; community education for the general public; youth outreach, prevention, and education; outreach to the LGBTQ community; outreach to the Hispanic community; and supportive services within the judicial, police, and school systems. The program also gives former residents and group members access to a food pantry, school supplies, and provides holiday gifts, food, and events for former residents and those currently participating in non-residential programming.

Non-residential Children’s Program
The Non-Residential Program provides two weekly groups that serve both adults and their children simultaneously, one for English speakers and one for Spanish speakers. Our non- residential children’s groups target many of the goals described for the residential program groups. Knowledgeable child care staff work to provide a safe environment for children to freely express themselves. A family style meal, modeling positive communication and safe interactions takes place at each group. Individual time with the staff, as needed to offer an opportunity to express feelings about the abuse the children have witnessed and/or endured, is offered whenever possible. Referrals are made to outside agencies when additional services are assessed to be needed.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS:
2021 continued the unprecedented challenges of providing Domestic Violence Services during a pandemic. The COVID-19 health crisis continued to bring about the need for flexibility in our service delivery, continuing with mostly phone and technology-based services to keep everyone safe. Staff continued to face needs for quarantine, family illness, and the need to working with school-age children at home for the first half of the year. Despite these challenges, along with staff turnover, our team adapted and continued to provide support and service to survivors throughout the pandemic.

This was vital as we saw the fruition of our concerns that that a health crisis of this nature, with its increased isolation and stress, would certainly increase domestic violence. Local, state, and nationwide trends continued to support evidence that domestic violence increased in frequency and severity with the pandemic. Staff continued to creatively adapt safety planning strategies while victims were faced with ongoing challenges, shelter space was limited statewide, and typical community resources were not always fully accessible. The emotional toll on staff from the secondary trauma experienced through this time has been enormous. Our team exhibits immense strength and resilience to be able to maintain providing support of this nature during these difficult times.

The program director continued participating in the NYS Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV), the state coalition against domestic violence, which supports efforts to create inclusive programming which practices trauma informed practices. Program participation with NYSCADV enables us to be part of the service provider community of the state, keep informed, and be a part of the collective voice. In 2021 this beneficial participation led to advocacy with OPDV that brought about a restructured grant opportunity that gave domestic violence programs statewide flexible funds to issue for housing. This effort was spearheaded by our Mid-Hudson region. Additionally collective advocacy around some difficult HUD regulations related to data and domestic violence confidentiality have been underway and progressing well. Locally, program leadership are active members of the Ulster County Interagency Council on Domestic Violence, which typically meets monthly. The program actively participates in the Teen Dating Violence Committee.

Emily Trotter-Bodie, the Program Director for the Non-Residential Program has given her notice, and Karen Storch, the Program Director of the Washbourne House, has been promoted to Team Leader with the responsibility over all of the domestic violence programming.