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A United Way Agency |
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What
We Do > Exodus Community
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Exodus Community Mission
Statement
To enable women and children who move out of the Family Sunshine Center
family violence shelter to build a better life so they are not forced to
return to an abusive home for economic reasons.
Meeting a Need:
Taking a Look at the Problem
The Exodus Community concept is the direct result of a need expressed
by domestic violence victims and members of the Family Sunshine Center
(FSC) professional staff. This concept became a reality through strategic
planning facilitated by the FSC Board of Directors. Through exit
interviews with shelter residents and case manager evaluations, it was
discovered that a number of abuse victims were returning to the home of
their abusers for financial reasons. A majority of the women seeking
shelter services from the FSC have the skills necessary to obtain minimum
wage jobs. Women in higher income brackets also access FSC services, but
they often have more options when searching for a place to live after
leaving our shelter facility.
In 1997, the minimum wage was raised to $5.15 per hour. At this rate, a
full-time employee generates $824 per month before taxes. Typically, this
amount is not enough to cover basic living expenses such as housing,
utilities, food, clothing, and insurance. And when children are in a
household, the financial challenges become even more complex.
This is not an isolated problem. The American Bar Association published
a brochure entitled, “Why Abuse Victims Stay,”1 which lists a number
of reasons why domestic violence victims return to their abuser. In
particular, this list contains four statements that directly relate to the
need for establishing the Exodus Community.
 | The victim may be without financial resources if she leaves, and may
not have marketable job skills. |
| If the batterer is the primary wage earner, the victim may question
her ability to provide for herself and her children. |
| Batterers may deny the victim access to money or financial records;
batterers may also prohibit victims from working outside the home or
may interfere with victims’ attempts to gain or maintain employment
by refusing to allow victims to go to job interviews or by harassing
victims at their workplace. |
| A victim may feel there is literally no place to go, no affordable
housing, no shelter that can accommodate her and her children. |
1 American Bar Association (2001) Why
Abuse Victims Stay. Retrieved October 25, 2001, from http://www.abanet.org/publiced/domviol.html.
The Vision: One Solution for a Complex Problem
Purpose: The Exodus Community is designed to help keep domestic
violence survivors from being forced to return to an abusive relationship,
due to their financial reliance on an abuser.
Overall Concept: To nurture domestic violence survivors toward
self-sufficiency by helping them set and achieve goals that will give them
an opportunity to better provide for themselves and their families, while
allowing enough time to produce positive, long-term differences in the
lives of the families being served.
In 1997, the FSC Board of Directors incorporated into their five-year
strategic plan, housing to help survivors who are no longer in danger, but
who are not yet self-sufficient (transitional housing). Originally called
“Project Exodus,” a long-term, transitional housing program was
envisioned for family violence survivors, with the following basic concept
in mind:
| To
provide income-based, affordable housing for women and their children
upon exiting the FSC Shelter program. |
| To
allow survivors to have enough time to attain higher educational
and/or career goals. |
| To
offer emotional support and continued counseling services, while
domestic violence survivors are in transition. |
| To
provide a mentoring and life-skills development program. |
The Story Behind the Name
“Exodus Community”
The
name “Exodus” originates from the Biblical account of the Israelites
being led out of the bondage of slavery and into the Promised Land. The
Exodus Community presents this same concept. Family violence victims are
led out of a life of bondage and terror and into a life that offers them
freedom, dignity, and self-sufficiency. |
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