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A Safe Harbor for Victims of Intimate Partner Violence
Dr. Dolly Wideman-Scott, the chief executive officer of Domestic Violence Center of Chester County, is spreading awareness of IPV and empowering women to heal.
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In the United States, domestic violence impacts one in three women, who are assaulted, raped, or stalked by intimate partners, at some point in their lifetime. More than half of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former intimate partner, and another one million women are shot by intimate partners each year and survive. Someone must stand up for these victims. In Chester County, that person is a petite, soft-spoken woman named Dr. Dolly Wideman-Scott.
Working for survivors of domestic violence and their dependent children for the past 45 years, Wideman-Scott runs the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County. The center offers safe harbor for domestic violence victims, who often have nowhere to go when their lives are in danger.
Even during the early months of the pandemic, the DVCCC stayed open and its hotline, (888) 711-6270, is always toll-free and answered by a person.
When someone shows up at DVCCC, their healing can begin. Here, Wideman-Scott talks about how her organization supports those in the community who are experiencing domestic violence.
What inspired you to get involved with the organization?
When I was earning an undergraduate degree in social work, I had the opportunity to do an internship with a domestic abuse organization. When I met survivors of domestic violence and their dependent children, I knew it would be my life’s work. I started in advocacy, fighting for laws to support these women.
I stayed there for 16 years and had the chance to be part of the statewide organization, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Then in 1996, the position of chief executive officer for the DVCCC became available, and I’ve had the wonderful privilege of leading the organization ever since.
When I started, DVCCC was primarily known as a shelter, and I said, “We need to do more for survivors of domestic violence!” So we expanded our services to include legal, emotional, and housing support — whatever individuals need to be safe and start over.
How has it changed since you started?
The biggest changes can be seen in the strengthening of laws, especially the Protection From Abuse law, which has been enhanced over time and has made it easier to get a restraining order. There has been a lot of positive change, but change doesn’t happen overnight. It happens over time. We keep working for the best outcome for survivors.
What do you wish people understood about domestic violence?
Domestic violence occurs where you least expect it. I have had to educate people that domestic violence doesn’t just occur in certain neighborhoods. It happens among professionals and within communities of faith.
When we go speak to groups in nice neighborhoods, I have had individuals come up to me afterward and say, “I need to come talk to someone, because I am in an abusive relationship.” It can be verbal abuse, or it can be about money or power. Whether they have been suffering physical, verbal, or other types of abuse, they have woken up and realized, “It’s here, too.”
“We need our women to understand that they will be able to move on. The trauma will be there. But they can begin the healing process.”
What happens when someone dials the hotline?
There is always an individual answering the phone. If you call the hotline, we answer! The hotline is a toll-free number: (888) 711-6270. When you call, we do the lethality assessment and assess whether you are in imminent danger.
We may contact the police, who will show up and go through the legality assessment of 11 questions. They screen for high danger or risk of death. The officer will then step away and engage us. We tell the person about the shelter option if that is something they desire.
What happens at the center?
When someone comes into the shelter program, we ask them a small number of questions, because it is a traumatic experience to leave their homes. We get them settled in. We give them and their children a bag with pajamas and sweatsuits, and we talk to them about what programs and services we offer.
We have three attorneys who can offer legal support, such as applying for orders of protection or establishing custody. New clients learn about what will happen next and about the opportunities that are available that can change their lives. We also arrange for counseling. Those partnerships are key, and we depend on them to provide what our families need to begin the healing process.
How do you find people to come to the program?
We have an office at the Chester County Family Court, and they will refer people to our organization. We also have a partnership with the police, and we have a hotline that is advertised. We are also linked with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
What is your biggest challenge, and how do you overcome it?
Safety. We keep the location of our emergency shelter confidential, due to the safety of the families we serve, as well as the safety of our staff and volunteers. We have security systems around the parameter and the windows have security features.
We have a partnership with law enforcement, and if there were an issue, the police would be here within minutes. Fortunately we have not had any breaches. If we see any individuals lurking around outside, police will escort them away.
Can you explain the day-to-day operations?
We spend time with each individual to ensure that whatever services they need are available to them. That includes counseling, since they need to understand that what they have experienced is not their fault. It is the perpetrator’s fault.
We explain to them that there are laws to protect them, that the abuser can go to jail, that it is a crime to be violent against a partner, and that the perpetrator will be prosecuted. We need our women to understand that they will be able to move on. The trauma will be there. But they can begin the healing process.
What kind of housing do you find for domestic violence survivors and their kids?
Along with the shelter, we now have 18 independent housing units. It is a start for the families. We have a wonderful relationship with the housing authority, and we can help our families get housing that is affordable.
We let individuals know we are here to support them. And all of our work is confidential. We can only divulge information with their signed consent.
What type of donations do you need?
So many people want to give to these women and children. It can be money or in-kind goods. Individuals who are in our shelter programs often leave with just the clothes on their backs and their children. Some of the supplies they need are toiletries and personal items. We love to supply them with gift cards, since we want the moms to shop for themselves. But we also need emergency clothes like sweats, hats, and gloves. Children need school supplies.
How does someone benefit from the clinic; what are the primary services?
The healing is going to be lifelong. We connect individuals with counselors who will provide them with primary services, and we have [those services] for both the adults and the children. They can continue to understand the trauma they have experienced.
Our program is service-oriented. We offer legal help, trauma-informed counseling, and free representation for individuals going to court for abuse orders and custody issues. And we help undocumented individuals become documented under the Violence Against Women Act.
What impact are you having on the lives of the clients you work with?
Relationships don’t happen overnight. So in order to end them, it’s not an overnight process. While our clients go through that ending, we are helping them stay safe. We are giving them the tools and techniques for how to remain safe. Even when they leave the relationship, they still need to learn to be safe. Technology is wonderful, but it can help you be found and you really have to learn how to stay safe.
What do you wish people knew about the survivors you serve?
They need to understand that individuals have gotten killed — and children have gotten killed — because of situations where family members have tried to “help” by telling someone where the family has gone.
You really need to believe someone when they tell you they are in a dangerous situation. You never know how dangerous it could be, and you have to respect that. You have to say, “I don’t want it on my conscience.” There are so many horror stories of individuals who have been found and killed. At DVCCC, we do everything we can to make sure this kind of thing doesn’t happen.
PHILLY QUICK ROUND
Favorite Philadelphia-based performing artist? Patti LaBelle
Favorite place to eat or food: My favorite food is seafood.
Favorite place to relax: At my home in my backyard. I do love to visit museums, and every spring and summer I will do the Philly Tour. We will go to as many museums as we can in a couple of days and just have fun. The Constitution Center, right near the Liberty Bell.
Favorite Philadelphia small business? Gold+Water Co. Handcrafted soaps, bath and body products, candles, etc. It’s owned by a survivor of domestic violence.
Favorite Philly sports team? The Phillies. The Phillies support DV programs, and every August or September, they have a DV night for us. They wear the purple shirts and socks. They acknowledge us, and I have gotten to go there, and we have dinner in their team room. They treat us extremely well. They have received the training from the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
You don’t know Philly until you’ve… danced in the rain where the LOVE sign is and been embraced by the community.
Why I love Philly and want to give back: I love Philly and want to give back because Philly does care for each and every person. And it really does show the love by giving to many, many organizations, as well as individuals.
LUCY DANZIGER is a journalist, an author, and the former editor-in-chief of Self Magazine, Women’s Sports & Fitness, and The Beet.
Philly Gives content is supported by the Philadelphia Foundation, William Penn Foundation, and The Lenfest Institute; and produced independently by INQStudio. To learn more about Philly Gives, including how to donate, visit phillygives.org.