Bozeman News

Non-Profits of the Gallatin Valley

The Network Against Sexual and Domestic Violence: Peace Begins

By Alison Grey, 11-01-07

The Gallatin Valley is home to over 200 non-profits. These organizations do not hinge on metropolitan amenities, and are often created to preserve wild places and stimulate communities of the West. As part of our New West economy, NewWest.Net/Bozeman is highlighting Gallatin Valley organizations in a weekly series.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1.3 million women are physically assaulted by their intimate partner every year. Nearly eight million will be raped by an intimate partner and one third of female homicide victims are killed by an intimate partner. In Montana, according to the most recent statistics, there were 11,562 victims of assault reported in 2003.

Founded in 1979 under the belief that every individual in our society has the absolute right to a life free of abuse and oppression and the vision that peace in the world begins with peace at home, The Network Against Sexual and Domestic Violence was created to advocate for, and assist, survivors of violence.

With six board of directors, seven staff members and 15 volunteers, The Network is the only shelter in the Bozeman area, and during the last fiscal year, assisted nearly 800 survivors of abuse, offering a crisis hotline, legal advocacy, a safe haven and the emotional support required to survive an abusive situation.

In October, the group wrapped up Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness month in which businesses around Downtown Bozeman assisted The Network in “Painting the Town Purple,” in order to raise awareness about domestic violence in our community.

The event was a success, but sexual and domestic violence continues both locally and around the world. For Executive Director Emily Tofte raising awareness and advocating for victims and survivors throughout the year, and striving towards every individual’s inherent human right to live free from violence, is vital in creating healthier communities.

NewWest.Net: Why and how did your organization come into being?

The Network: In 1979, the need for a safe-house for women escaping their batterers was apparent. The Network Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse started out as a grassroots organization with a confidential safe-house/emergency shelter location. Since then, The Network’s programs have grown to include counseling services, support groups, legal advocacy, client advocacy, community education for the prevention of future violence, and a 15-bed emergency shelter for women and children fleeing an abusive situation.

NewWest.Net: Why is this organization in Bozeman? What are the advantages and challenges of operating in this area? Are there other non-profits in this area that you partner with or would like to?

The Network: On average, one of every four women experiences violence at the hands of a spouse, former spouse, partner, or someone with whom they have a child in common.

We believe that domestic violence is not a private problem that happens behind
closed doors, but a pervasive social problem that has large impacts on the
overall health of our community.

Because domestic violence and sexual assault tend to be the most underreported crime it is hard to determine exact numbers in Bozeman, but the numbers of women and children served at The Network reflect the national averages. During our last fiscal year, The Network served 796 survivors of domestic violence.

The advantages of The Network remains that we are the only domestic violence shelter in the area. The services we provide are essential to those escaping abusive situations. Many times survivors of domestic violence have no where to go after making the decision to leave their abuser. Because there is not currently a homeless shelter in Bozeman, it is important to the safety of survivors and their children that they have a safe shelter to go to when leaving an abuser. Additionally, The Network collaborates with many agencies to ensure our clients are receiving the best services possible.

One challenge we face continually is funding. We are always looking for additional funding, donations and volunteers to assist us in our effort to develop a community that is safe and free of violence. Generally, domestic violence and sexual abuse are viewed as women’s issues. We believe that this is a pervasive public problem that everyone can assist in stopping regardless of gender. The more people who stand up and speak out against violence in our community the stronger a community we will be.

NewWest.Net: Where are you directing your resources?

The Network: Most of our resources are directed towards providing services to clients and maintaining our shelter. Our small staff focuses on providing the best services to our clients so they are able to permanently escape the violence. Our Community Education Advocate works to provide information to area students about healthy relationships. Additionally, this advocate provides presentations and trainings to community members of all ages about violence in our community. It is through this effort that we will be able to prevent this violence and develop a healthy community which is free of violence.

NewWest.Net: What is your annual operating budget, and can you please break that down between administrative and fund-raising versus program expenses?

The Network: Our 2006-2007 budget is $318,064 with $312,017 in expenses; 17 percent going to administration, two percent to fundraising and 81 percent to direct services.
Most of our funding comes from government grants, but we also receive a large portion of our funding also comes from private foundations and contributions.

NewWest.Net: How are you fulfilling your mission statement?

The Network: We are fulfilling our mission statement through the provision of direct services and dedication to finding new ways in which to prevent violence. We strongly believe that everyone has the fundamental right to live free of violence and free of the fear of violence.

NewWest.Net: What is your most recent success story?

The Network: We have many successes on a daily basis. Due to confidentiality and our commitment to protecting the identities of our clients, it becomes difficult to give a specific success story. The clients that The Network help are faced with so many barriers when trying to leave an abusive situation. We have many clients who, through the use of our services and other community services, have been able to permanently and safely leave their abusers. When leaving come challenges such as finding employment, permanent housing, child care and the fact that when a survivor of this violence is leaving an abuser they are at the highest risk for a fatal attack.

Domestic violence is about power and control over another person. The less power and control an abuser has over a survivor, the more the abuser will try to regain these things. When a survivor is leaving an abuser, a survivor of domestic violence is often at the most risk because this is when the abuser has the least power and control over their victim. It can take a very long time to leave in a safe way, but it does happen.

Our ultimate success story comes in the form of a survivor finding the courage, power and skills they need to leave an abuser. By no means are our only success stories the ones where survivors leave an abuser, because this is not always possible. We see successes everyday with our clients and celebrate all the smaller accomplishments which happen when trying to leave an abuser. 

NewWest.Net: Thank you.

For more information, visit The Network Against Sexual and Domestic Abuse

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