{"id":2457134,"date":"2020-04-13T22:56:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-14T04:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-area-nonprofits-predict-increase-in-domestic-violence-abuse-calls-as-pandemic-continues\/"},"modified":"2020-04-14T08:05:31","modified_gmt":"2020-04-14T14:05:31","slug":"aspen-area-nonprofits-predict-increase-in-domestic-violence-abuse-calls-as-pandemic-continues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/aspen-area-nonprofits-predict-increase-in-domestic-violence-abuse-calls-as-pandemic-continues\/","title":{"rendered":"Aspen-area nonprofits predict increase in domestic violence, abuse calls as pandemic continues"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.6140350877193\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-324304-401\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled gallery-container\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/response-atd-041320-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/response-atd-041320-1-1024x705.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Response\u2019s Hannah Horn works at her table in Carbondale on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, Response staff have shifted to working from home, conducting all of their crisis invervention services and case management check-ins with clients virtually. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times).\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"1.4617563739377\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13.643059490085\">\n<p><strong>Response\u2019s Hannah Horn works at her table in Carbondale on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, Response staff have shifted to working from home, conducting all of their crisis invervention services and case management check-ins with clients virtually. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times).<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-area-nonprofits-predict-increase-in-domestic-violence-abuse-calls-as-pandemic-continues\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/response-atd-041320-1-1024x705.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/response-atd-041320-1.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/response-atd-041320-1-1024x705.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/response-atd-041320-1-1024x705.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Response\u2019s Hannah Horn works at her table in Carbondale on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, Response staff have shifted to working from home, conducting all of their crisis invervention services and case management check-ins with clients virtually. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times).\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/response-atd-041320-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/response-atd-041320-1-1-664x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | Response advocate Hannah Horn poses for a portrait in her home in Carbondale on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. During the COVID-19 crisis, Horn has worked to ensure her clients keep their emotional safety and well-being at the top of their priority lists, giving them tips and strategies to stay as calm and grounded as possible during the pandemic. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"swift-gallery-slide h-100\" readability=\"1.4676258992806\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"13.697841726619\">\n<p><strong>Response advocate Hannah Horn poses for a portrait in her home in Carbondale on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. During the COVID-19 crisis, Horn has worked to ensure her clients keep their emotional safety and well-being at the top of their priority lists, giving them tips and strategies to stay as calm and grounded as possible during the pandemic. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<br \/><a class=\"buy-link\" href=\"http:\/\/aspentimes.mycapture.com\/mycapture\/remoteimage.asp?backtext=Return+to+AspenTimes.com&amp;backurl=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-area-nonprofits-predict-increase-in-domestic-violence-abuse-calls-as-pandemic-continues\/&amp;image=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/response-atd-041320-1-1-664x1024.jpg&amp;notes=https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/response-atd-041320-1-1.jpg\"><i class=\"fas fa-shopping-cart\"><\/i> Buy Photo<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/response-atd-041320-1-1-664x1024.jpg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/04\/response-atd-041320-1-1-664x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Response advocate Hannah Horn poses for a portrait in her home in Carbondale on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. During the COVID-19 crisis, Horn has worked to ensure her clients keep their emotional safety and well-being at the top of their priority lists, giving them tips and strategies to stay as calm and grounded as possible during the pandemic. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-area-nonprofits-predict-increase-in-domestic-violence-abuse-calls-as-pandemic-continues\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-area-nonprofits-predict-increase-in-domestic-violence-abuse-calls-as-pandemic-continues\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">When Pitkin County officials issued the stay-at-home public health order March 23, the purpose and intent was to ensure as many people self-quarantine and self-isolate at home as possible to drastically slow the spread of COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">By limiting people\u2019s movement outside of their home to essential trips and services like visiting the grocery store or post office, health officials emphasized that more locals would be <a id=\"N0x21b5530N0x23518a0:N0x21b5530N0x2347a40\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/coronavirus\/\">protected from the novel coronavirus<\/a>, less people would have severe cases of COVID-19 and more lives would be saved.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">But for some Aspen area locals, being forced to stay at home presents a different physical threat that may seem like more of an immediate danger than the coronavirus: domestic violence and sexual abuse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s very true that domestic violence victims are in a lot more danger in situations like this or any sort of natural disaster when there isn\u2019t free movement or open access to their support systems,\u201d Shannon Meyer, executive director of the Response nonprofit, said recently.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/at-banner-paypal.jpg)\" class=\"col-xl-8 p-3 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/donate\/?utm_source=article&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_campaign=donation&amp;utm_term=&amp;utm_content=mid-article\">Donate<\/a><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThere\u2019s additional stress around job loss and economic security and kids being home right now, and there\u2019s also a lot less opportunity for a victim to reach out without their abuser knowing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Response is a local nonprofit that aims to educate people on domestic violence and sexual abuse and to support survivors from Aspen to El Jebel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Up until recently, Meyer said Response staff hadn\u2019t seen a drastic increase in requests for help from new domestic violence victims as a result of the COVID-19 crisis and its subsequent stay-at-home orders, which in Pitkin County have been <a id=\"N0x21b5530N0x2351900:N0x21b5530N0x2347da0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/pitkin-county-lengthens-stay-at-home-order-to-april-30-limits-group-down-to-5-people\/\">extended to April 30<\/a> and could go longer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">However, the nonprofit as of Monday has received 83 crisis calls since the start of 2020, up from 65 calls over the same period last year, Meyer said, and over the past week three domestic violence victims have reached out in need of emergency shelter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Because Response only had received two emergency shelter requests since the start of 2020, the recent increase signals to Meyer that the nonprofit may be seeing the start of an increase in crisis cases \u2014 aligning with domestic violence trends that have been identified in other countries further along with their coronavirus outbreaks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Since the local COVID-19 outbreak began, Meyer said her staff has shifted to working from home and conducting all of Response\u2019s free crisis intervention services and case management remotely through telehealth calls.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Response also launched a <a id=\"N0x21b5530N0x2351a20:N0x21b5530N0x2348070\" href=\"https:\/\/www.responsehelps.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">chat option on its website<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i>, allowing victims to communicate with staff via text instead of over the phone. The nonprofit is still operating its call-in crisis line 24 hours a day and is still able to provide housing assistance, including emergency shelter stays at downvalley hotels, to clients in need. All Response services and information are available in English and Spanish.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Furthermore, Meyer said staff is even working with area essential workers in grocery stores and pharmacies to recognize signs of domestic violence and use the safe word \u201cMask 19\u201d for victims to use if they are with their abuser but need help.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI think anytime there\u2019s an external crisis situation it\u2019s only going to exacerbate whatever internal crisis may be going on in a relationship,\u201d Meyer said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re really pushing to ensure people know our services are still available to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Similar to Response, the River Bridge Regional Center \u2014 which is a Glenwood Springs-based organization that <a id=\"N0x21b5530N0x2351b40:N0x21b5530N0x23482b0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.riverbridgerc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">provides collaborative services to child abuse victims and their families<\/a><i class=\"fas fa-external-link-alt\"><\/i> in Pitkin, Eagle, Garfield and Rio Blanco counties \u2014 also is anticipating an increase in child abuse reporting and need for forensic interviews in the weeks ahead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">On April 5, Blythe Chapman, executive director of River Bridge, said it was unusual how few forensic interviews had been conducted since the COVID-19 outbreak and scary because she didn\u2019t feel the numbers reflect what\u2019s actually happening.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Forensic interviews are fact-finding, developmentally appropriate discussions between children who may be experiencing maltreatment or have been a victim of a crime and highly trained professionals, according to the River Bridge website.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">By Monday, Chapman said the nonprofit child advocacy center had gotten busier and is seeing more referrals, and that she feels things will get even busier once stay at home orders are lifted.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe don\u2019t think that child sexual abuse or abuse in general is happening less frequently right now. We do think it\u2019s probably happening more,\u201d Chapman said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cIt\u2019s really scary for us considering we know it\u2019s happening and it\u2019s not being reported. \u2026 We expect the need to come in waves as things continue to change with the coronavirus.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">River Bridge is still conducting forensic interviews and exams in-person but with fewer people involved and with screening for COVID-19 symptoms for the parents, children and interviewers involved. However, Chapman said the child advocacy center is exploring what virtual forensic interviewing would look like just in case that becomes the best and safest way to help potential victims moving forward.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Some of the center\u2019s other services, including mental health, have made the full transition to virtual telehealth and staff is still on-call and available 24\/7 for any emergency situations, Chapman said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">To be able to deal with the unknown but expected increase in child abuse reports, Chapman emphasized the most important thing her staff can do to prepare is stay healthy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">She also said she wants the community to know that the River Bridge Regional Center is open, still offering virtual and in-person services and remains a safe place for children who may be experiencing abuse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe truth is it\u2019s been a lot of scrambling figuring out what\u2019s going to happen, what the next step is and how do we continue to provide services,\u201d Chapman said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The River Bridge Regional Center and Response have taken a hit financially because of the pandemic. The nonprofits\u2019 biggest annual fundraisers had to be canceled or postponed and both are seeking out additional funding opportunities to keep their staff paychecks whole.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Regardless, the organizations and their staff are working to ensure their levels of service and support for abuse survivors does not drop and victims still know how to find them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI think my biggest concern is people will think because there\u2019s a stay-at-home order they shouldn\u2019t report abuse right now and we want people to know that\u2019s not true,\u201d Chapman said. \u201cIf a report comes in it will be taken care of so we want the community to keep reporting. If you see something, say something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:mvincent@aspentimes.com\">mvincent@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-area-nonprofits-predict-increase-in-domestic-violence-abuse-calls-as-pandemic-continues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Response\u2019s Hannah Horn works at her table in Carbondale on Wednesday, April 8, 2020. As a result of the COVID-19 crisis, Response staff have shifted to working from home, conducting all of their crisis invervention services and case management check-ins with clients virtually. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times).Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times Buy Photo Response advocate Hannah [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2457134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 04:15:02","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2457134"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2457151,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2457134\/revisions\/2457151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2457134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2457134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2457134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}