HAVRE, Mont. (NMB) – District 4 HRDC’s Domestic Abuse Program changed their name to Victim Services to let the public know they are here to help in more ways than one.
Victim Services Specialist Jennifer Jordan said their program works with victims from Hill, Blaine and liberty counties and they felt this new name was a better fit for their various services.
“It has been the Domestic Abuse Program for a long time, and we felt that even though we do provide services to victims of domestic abuse, we didn’t want it to be so exclusive. We do want to include those members of the public that are needing our services for things that aren’t related to domestic violence like our support groups and our anger management groups. Our orders of protections sometimes don’t necessarily mean that there was domestic abuse in the home. It can mean harassment cases or stalking. So, we didn’t want people to feel like they couldn’t come to us because it wasn’t necessarily domestic abuse.”
Jordan said one of their services provides Emergency Shelters for victims and these temporary shelters help the individual get back on their feet.
“We try to have people into transitional housing within 30 days. That is not to say we have a limit, or we kick people out. We just really try to help them fast track and get into their own home within a 30-day period.”
Jordan said they average about 20 new incidents a month but with COVID-19 they’ve seen a spike.
“There has been a big spike in incidents we’ve seen locally. We know that nationally it has been a problem as well that it has increased. I think that tensions in the house, you know, are rising and victims are more isolated, so it kinda puts them at more risk. So, we’re hoping to get this out there to also encourage people to reach out to us.”
Jordan said they have a 24-hour Victim Advocacy Crisis Line so people can reach out to them wherever and whenever they need assistance.
Victim Services is for anyone who qualifies and is not based on income.
For help call the Crisis Line at (406) 265-2222 or visit hrdc4.org for more information.
