National Resource Center for Reaching Victims Logo Women of Color Network Logo Girls and Women of Color: COVID-19 Listening Session Resources The past few weeks have brought significant and unprecedented changes to our lives and work. While everyone is impacted by the COVID-19 public health crisis, the impact is far greater on people from underserved communities, including girls and women of color. Prior to COVID-19, girls and women of color were already underserved by victim services despite experiencing higher rates of victimization. They also have access to fewer resources, which compounds the challenges they already face and the new challenges created by COVID-19. To ensure girls and women of color are at the center of all COVID-19 response efforts, we sought to better understand the impact this health crisis is having on survivorsŐ needs and better resource the crime victim services field to respond to their needs. Through the girls and women of color listening session some of the unique challenges facing survivors from this underserved community surfaced. In addition, promising strategies and resources were shared. This document is a compilation of those strategies and resources. What Programs are Doing & Other Tips Ą Sanctuary for Families has an amazing COVID 19 safety plan sheet for Domestic Violence victims. Ą Meeting with judges over Skype. Ą ŇInterestingly enough, landlords have been much more willing to work with survivors who have third party rental assistance or a steady source of income. It has been one of the only benefits I have seen.Ó Ą Texting is a great way for victims to reach out. Ą Editing support group curriculum to make it more online friendly, following Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) guidelines through an online platform Ą ŇIn my city, an officer refused to arrest due to limited jail space. I had to email the chief of police to resolve this. The defendant was arrested.Ó Ą ŇWe run a support group about exploration to healing so we have decided to add a day specifically just for talking about COVID-19.Ó Ą Calling every day when victims report so that they have someone to talk to if they have questions that didn't come up before. Ą Using Clocktree for telehealth for therapy and crisis counseling sessions. It is HIPAA-compliant. Ą ŇMy agency is placing videos on Facebook weekly by our therapists to focus on mindfulness, grief, Yoga etc.Ó Ą Using ResourceConnect for web chat with survivors Ą Emphasizing Social Media outreach especially with Sexual Assault Awareness Month so that people are aware of what resources are available. Ą ŇOur staff is having coffee & update meetings every couple days so that we can provide support to one another and take a breather before starting the day. We do this through Zoom.Ó Ą ŇSafe words for clients has been super helpful, so if I call or text and get their safe word I know that they can't talk or are in danger.Ó Ą Sanvello app: for mental health support. Ą Amazon provides free streaming access to more than 40 childrenŐs educational programming with a free Amazon account. Ą ŇOur agency is doing Sexual Assault Nurse Exams (SANE) via phone. We have asked our local hospitals to call us when a survivor arrives and we speak to the survivor as long as she or he needs us.Ó Ą ŇMy agency is placing videos on Facebook weekly by our therapists to focus on mindfulness practices, Yoga, Grief etc... it has really helped our clients who follow us on Facebook.Ó Ą Having daily staff meetings at the beginning of the day to stay connected to each other. Ą Unlocking Us: Brene Browns new podcast Ą Gruveo: an app to use for support groups. It is VAWA and Victims of Crime Act (VOCA)-compliant. Ą Native Wellness Institute: ŇEvery day, 7 days a week for the next several weeks, we will offer our Native Wellness Power Hour at Noon Pacific Time. Storytelling, workshops, teachings and more! Please tune in each day at Noon Pacific Time on our Native Wellness Institute Facebook page, we'll go Live. Each week we will have a new flyer announcing the next line up. If you do not have Facebook the videos will be available on the homepage of our website (scroll to the bottom of the page for the videos).Ó Ą Using WhatsApp Business to contact with clients who only have WhatsApp to not use personal number (& maintain boundaries). Helpful Meditation and Other Resources Ą Virtual Travel: National Aquarium live camera Ą Smithsonian live zoo-cams:4 animals on camera (naked mole-rate, lion, giant panda, and elephant) Ą Google Earth Camera Ą Virtual Tours National Parks Ą Museums, Historic Sites, Zoos Ą Music, Arts and Education: Concerts Ą Guided Meditation App Ą Headspace Online Ą Heartfulness Meditation Ą Lumos Transforms in their program Anchoring Resilience for Turbulent Times