Avalon
I’m going to continue my “people who help people in Williamsburg” series by talking about the Avalon Center this week. I’m not going to show you a picture of this building – I know where it is, but it does not advertise its location or publish photographs. This is for the safety of the women and children who seek its help. You can learn all about this center at its website, which is the source of the information in this post. https://www.avaloncenter.org/about-us
Here's how Avalon came to be:
In 1978, a study group of local women concerned about violence against women began a task force to study the issue and conduct a needs assessment. Its first location was in the basement of St. Stephen Lutheran Church on Jamestown Road. Avalon’s first service, the Helpline, began in 1980 and was answered in the basement of the local United Methodist Church.
Avalon was originally known as the Williamsburg Task Force on Battered Women. The WTFBW was incorporated in December 1980, and appointed a director. The organization was certified as a tax-exempt, non-profit organization.
Shelter was first provided through a series of safe homes in the community. Twenty victims were served in the first year. As the demand for services grew, a two-bedroom home off Ironbound Road was leased in 1983. One bedroom served as an office for administrative work and answering the Helpline. The shelter and Helpline were staffed primarily by volunteers and part-time staff. The WTFBW became a sexual assault crisis center in 1985.
In 1985 the current 5-acre site was purchased and the existing house became the four-bedroom, 16-bed shelter. An apartment in a converted garage became a one-bedroom transitional apartment. The rest of the space was used as administrative offices.
The name of the WTFBW was changed to Avalon: A Center for Women and Children in 1990.
As more services were provided and the existing shelter’s ability to provide safe, secure shelter lessened, the Board of Directors approved a plan to embark on a campaign to raise funds to build a new emergency shelter and six apartments. The Capital Campaign formally began in 1994. The first formal fundraiser was done by the area realtors. Construction of the project began in March 1998.
Two months later, an Outreach Office on Richmond Road was opened and financed by a grant from Bruton Parish Church. During construction of the new project, the staff relocated to the Outreach Office. Shelter residents were moved to the newly constructed emergency shelter on December 23, 1998. Less than 24 hours later, an ice storm closed the shelter and residents were relocated to a temporary shelter. In February 1999, renovation of the administrative office was completed and the first family occupied one of the six apartments.
With a shelter and six extended-stay apartments in place and a busy community outreach office, Avalon serves as the resource for Greater Williamsburg survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking. Avalon has formal partnerships with the College of William & Mary, local departments of social services, schools, police, Bacon Street, and many other agencies. Avalon participates in the local Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) and provides advocates for hospital and court accompaniment.
By focusing on providing trauma-informed, survivor-led, self-sufficiency-based services; Avalon helps break the cycle of abuse and creates a positive future for about 600 women, men and children in the Williamsburg area every year.
In 2016, Avalon: A Center for Women and Children begins using the name Avalon Center.
Avalon provides a who roster of services. Here’s a list and a brief summary
24-hour Crisis Line
Avalon’s team of trained advocates are available to confidentially talk 24-hours a day, seven days a week to anyone:
experiencing interpersonal violence
in need of crisis intervention for immediate threats
in need of emergency shelter
seeking information and resources on interpersonal violence, strategies for safety, and more
questioning the health of their relationship
This Helpline allows Avalon to provide those in need with immediate tools and support to empower survivors to move toward safety, self-sufficiency and lives free from abuse. Those who are hard of hearing or deaf can dial 711 on their phone for telecommunications relay services. With the use of a language line, advocates are able to communicate in more than 100 languages.
Protecting Yourself
Everyone has the right to live without the fear of abuse. Violence can occur anywhere – at home, at work, or in public. Whether or not you feel you are able to leave an abuser, there are things you can do to make you and your family safer. You may not be able to predict or control your partner’s violence, but you can plan the most effective way to respond to it.
Create a personalized safety plan, which helps you identify steps to better protect you and your children at home, school, work, and in the community. Every situation is different and Avalon’s trained staff can help you develop a safety plan that addresses your needs and concerns. We will also provide resources to help protect a survivor’s personal identity and information to prevent fraud, identity theft, and using information to stalk and harass.
Steps you can take include:
Gathering and storing (in a safe space) important documents such as birth certificates, social security cards, credit cards, personal IDs. If you cannot take the original, try to make a photocopy.
Try to store money in a separate account or an unknown location. This will give you more options if you need to leave.
Relocate by moving across town, across the state, or across the country if possible to put physical distance between you and your batterer
Get a phone with an unlisted number.
Open a PO Box for mail to help prevent financial fraud. Protect your mail by shredding credit card offers and pieces with your personal information
Guard your social security number - do not use it as a password or PIN, and request that agencies remove it from documents.
Check your credit reports to look for fraud or suspicious activity.
Report any suspected fraud to local law enforcement.
Victims of domestic violence are especially vulnerable at work because abusers know where to find them. There are additional steps you can take to protect yourself while at work:
Talk with someone at your workplace you trust regarding your situation.
Notify security of your safety concerns. Provide a picture of the abuser and a copy of protective orders to security, supervisors, and reception area staff.
Have your calls screened, transfer harassing calls to security, or remove your name and number from automated phone directories.
Review the safety of your parking arrangements. Have security escort you to your car, and obtain a parking space near the building entrance.
Ask co-workers to call the police if the abuser threatens or harasses you at work.
Ask for flexible or alternate hours and/or relocate your workspace to a more secure area.
Find out about employee/family assistance benefits.
Review the safety of your child care arrangements. Give a picture of your abuser and a copy of the protective order to the daycare provider. If necessary, consider selecting a new daycare site.
Request that all information be treated with confidentiality to provide for your safety and well-being.
Emergency Shelter
Avalon operates the only emergency shelter in the Greater Williamsburg area. Though our primary mission is to serve those affected by domestic and sexual violence, as the only shelter we also serve those experiencing homelessness when space allows.
Our shelter has 20 beds (in addition to cribs), and is a communal living environment with four bedrooms and shared kitchen, living room, and laundry facilities. During a resident’s stay, Avalon staff work to ensure that all basic needs (food, clothing, limited transportation, resources) are met, and work with each client to provide case management, counseling, legal advocacy, and support. All of these services, including shelter, are offered at no cost.
Our emergency shelter is only available to adult female survivors and their dependent children (both male and female up to the age of 18) as long as their children are enrolled in school. When we receive requests for adult males in need of shelter, we assist them in working with other shelters or make arrangements to provide housing outside of the shelter.
Avalon Youth Services
Avalon’s Youth Services (AYS) program offers education, workshops, and advocacy for children and youth through in-school presentations, youth leadership councils, and community events. They also seek to assist children/youth who are victims or witnesses of crimes or who have experienced trauma.
All services are provided at no cost to families and schools, and availability is based on program capacity.
Transitional Housing
Avalon maintains six two-bedroom units, available to shelter residents who need additional support beyond their short-term shelter stay. Transitional housing residents sign a lease with Avalon, and pay a subsidized rent during their stay, which typically lasts from several months to two years.
Transitional housing residents are able to access most of the same services that shelter residents have access to, from basic needs to case management, counseling, legal advocacy, and support. Avalon staff work with these residents to help move them toward self-sufficiency obtain critical services and support needed to move toward more permanent housing situations.
Individual and Group Counseling
Adult Services
Most of us know how important and helpful it can be to talk about your problems with an unbiased, supportive listener. This is way Avalon offers counseling for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking, both past and present. Our counselors work with clients to:
Heal from past traumas
Work towards a safe and self-sufficient future
Provide a safe space to share experience, strength, and perspective with other survivors
Help with resources for those who want to help survivors in their lives.
Community members can make appointments through our Outreach Office. Here, we are able to serve adult men and women, as well as school-aged youth who work with a special children’s counselor. Additionally, we offer a support group for survivors of domestic violence, a group for youth, and we are working towards a support group for survivors of sexual assault. Avalon also offers both individual and group counseling to our emergency shelter and transitional housing residents.
All counseling services through Avalon are provided at no cost.
Youth Services
Avalon offers support groups for school-aged children and teens who have experienced or witnessed domestic or sexual violence. These groups are provided weekly for both residential (emergency shelter and transitional housing) clients and youth in the community. Youth support groups provide:
Age-appropriate information about domestic and sexual violence
Self-esteem building
Conflict resolution skills
Skills for building healthy relationships
Opportunities for youth to share and connect with each other
Individual counseling for school-aged children and teens is also available.
All counseling services through Avalon are provided at no cost.
Community Outreach
Education and Information
Education is one of the main keys to breaking the cycles of abuse and violence. Avalon offers customized presentations and workshops on domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. We are happy to speak to varieties of groups, from civic organizations, religious groups, educational organizations, and more.
We are also happy to present information about Avalon’s programs and services to groups. This allows the community to gain a better understanding of the different options people have, and they can become supporters and advocates for others in their lives.
Awareness
Awareness is another important key to fighting interpersonal violence. By making people more aware of these issues, they become easier to talk about. This helps lessen the feelings of shame and guilt that some survivors have, and can make it easier for those in need to reach out for help, support, and services.
During awareness months, Avalon will set up informational displays in the Williamsburg-James City County Libraries to help spread information. Staff and volunteers also attend community events and conventions to provide the public with information and someone able to answer questions.
Hospital Accompaniment
Hospitals can be a scary place, and many survivors feel shame and guilt for the violence in their lives, and resulting injuries. Avalon has a team of trained staff and volunteers on call 24 hours a day to go to local hospitals to provide advocacy and accompaniment for survivors in need of medical attention. Hospital accompaniment advocates are there solely to support the survivor, help walk the survivor through the process, and to make sure their needs are meant and desires respected.
Legal Advocacy
Understanding and navigating the criminal justice system can be difficult under the best circumstances, but those experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking (especially when mixed with poverty) can face additional hardships. Avalon has two legal advocates, one to work with community members and another to work with residential (emergency shelter and transitional housing) clients.
Legal advocates:
Share critical legal information
Support and assist survivors navigating the legal system
Assist with safety planning
Help form connections with local legal clinics
Accompany survivors to court proceedings
Attend court to introduce Avalon’s services to those with interpersonal violence cases
Organizations like Avalon are not very visible to the public. That’s intentional, because they don’t want abusers to have easy access to the women and children they have abused. However, the contact information on the website makes it easy for victims of abuse to get help. Avalon has a paid staff, but it relies on a corps of volunteers to provide needed services to its clients. The website gives more information about this opportunity.
You may not live in Williamsburg, but there are centers like Avalon in your community. If this cause tugs at your heart, find the center and ask what you can do to help.