Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

[Katherine Hanna <>]

Hi All,

 

Below are the responses from 6 institutions regarding alternative housing/shelter options for student IPV survivors. Thank you to all who responded; this information is very helpful!

 

 

Alternative Housing: Campus Responses

 

Hi All,
 
For survivors of intimate partner violence, in addition to the local dv shelter, what other options does your campus have available for interim/short-term housing options? Please respond to the following questions below and email directly. Let me know if I do or do not have your permission to share your results with the listserv.
 
1. Do you have a campus or off-campus safe housing option? If so, what is the criteria for allowing student survivors to stay at this location?

2. Beyond the local dv shelter, what housing options do you provide to students who are in a physically abusive relationship that involves a student survivor (who lives off campus) and a non-student perpetrator? What about when they are both students living off campus? If they currently live off campus are they permitted to move into on-campus housing or is it viewed by legal as a threat to the campus community?
 
 
Thanks!
Katie

 

 

 ~~~~~

 Hi Katie,
 
In response to your question about DV housing on the listserve, UC Berkeley maintains a safe house in our family housing community.  It is a furnished apt. that a student can stay in for up to 2 weeks while alternative arrangements are being made.  The 2 weeks isn’t firm, but a guideline.  Student must be referred by a staff member who is working with her/him.  The apt. can also accommodate children. There are rules that go with staying in the apt….no guests, confidentiality, etc.
 
One of the questions we’ve been discussing of late is whether to use the safe house when there is a potential homicide risk due to the danger to the community.  This is also a concern, of course, if the student wants to permanently move into family housing.  We don’t currently have a protocol on this, but will likely put one in place this year.  For the more high risk situations, I try to get a woman into a local shelter; but they are often full.
 
Please let me know if you have further questions.  It’s fine to share my answer.
 
Good luck,

 

 Paula

 

Paula Flamm, LCSW

Social Services Manager

University Health Services/Tang Center

510.642.9114 (Phone)

510.643.0211 (FAX)

 

 

fromGretchen Krull <>

Hi- We have two rooms on campus that are reserved  as Rand R rooms- they are used for a variety of reasons.  It is not  a secure setting, but it does remove them form their room and makes it more difficult ot e contact- good luck with this-Gretchen

 

 

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Yes, you can share this information.  I’ll attach our protocol we have with residential life.  We call it alternative housing because the term “safe” made some people nervous in that we cannot guarantee safety.  The document is labeled to not be distributed but that simply means they didn’t want it to be put out there to everyone – they wanted the referrals to come from advocates and I think had concerns that distributing it to students might create problems.  So in terms of sharing it with other universities – it is fine.
 
1.  Do you have a campus or off-campus safe housing option?
Yes – on campus residence hall rooms.
 
2.  If so, what is the criteria for allowing student survivors to stay at this location?
We have it set up that we (advocates) would do a threat assessment with the person and we would contact housing for for a room.  So unless it poses a threat to others that live in the dorms, they would provide housing on campus.
 
3.   Beyond the local dv shelter, what housing options do you provide to
students who are in a physically abusive relationship that involves a
student survivor (who lives off campus) and a non-student perpetrator?
 
Same as above. If a student already lived on campus, they would offer to move them to a different residence hall.  If they live off campus, regardless of the offender’s student status, they would have the option of a safe room on campus. It is set up to be temp.  Within 5 days or so, the student would need to develop a plan with an advocate.  That could be that they will stay on campus for a month and then would need to pay a pro-rated amount or they could have the option of signing a lease for the rest of the year. 
 
What
about when they are both students living off campus? If they currently live
off campus are they permitted to move into on-campus housing or is it viewed
by legal as a threat to the campus community?
 
Same as above.  If the offender is a student, we would encourage the victim to consider reporting through the campus conduct process, offer to help with obtaining no contact orders etc.
 
 
Lee LaDue
Asst. Director/Coordinator - Gender Violence
Prevention Program
St. Cloud State University Women's Center
720 4th Ave. S.
St. Cloud, MN 56301
320/308-3995

 

 

Alternative Housing Protocol – Student in Crisis

The Department of Residential Life and the Gender Violence Task Force have created an Alternative Housing Protocol on campus to provide temporary emergency housing for students in crisis that allows them a safe and supportive environment, privacy and access to academics and campus resources.

Crises include the following:

 

·Reasonably perceived or actual threats to personal safety

o   Threat is defined as “verbal or nonverbal language that would cause a person fear of imminent serious bodily harm”

·Sexual or physical assaults

·Threatening or stalking behavior

·Other extreme unforeseen circumstances including being a victim of a serious crime.  

 

The Department of Residential Life will attempt to identify residence hall spaces each semester that can be made available for alternative housing.  Due to the need for privacy and safety, staff members from the Residential Life Leadership Team and the Women’s Center will collaborate to identify several possibilities for Alternative Housing rooms.  In the event that rooms are in use and/or unavailable, the coordinating Leadership Team member will notify the advocate at the Women’s Center who will check into alternative possibilities off campus.  Alternative housing cannot be guaranteed in every situation.

 

Residential Life Staff Protocol:

1.       If the presenting situation develops during normal business hours an advocate at the Women’s Center may contact the Department of Residential Life, and work with one of the Associate Directors or the Director of Residential Life.

2.       If the presenting situation develops outside of normal business hours, then the situation will be reviewed by a Residential Life Leadership Team member and an advocate at the Women’s Center.   They will work to identify and determine the availability of Alternative Housing.  If a room is available, the appropriate staff will coordinate with the student regarding availability.   If the presenting situation is deemed to be unsafe for other residents, the student will be referred to a Women’s Center Advocate to search for more appropriate housing alternatives.

3.       The Residential Life Leadership Team member will work with appropriate housing staff to facilitate the check in process.  This includes notifying the Room Assignments Coordinator that a space has been temporarily filled through this process.  This notification needs to occur by the next business day at the latest.

4.       The Residential Life Leadership Team member will inform the appropriate Residence Hall Director about the arrival of a new resident.  Information that needs to be communicated includes:  name of student, approximate time of arrival and length of expected stay, and if appropriate, reason for staying there temporarily.

5.       The Residence Hall Director coordinating this process will inform the Residential Life Leadership Team, via email, that an Alternative Housing room currently is being used and the likely length of stay of the resident using the space; the length of stay will not exceed 72 business hours, depending on the issues surrounding the case.  Within this period of time, Residential Life staff will review the case.  This is beneficial so that all members of the Leadership Team know the room currently is not available if other situations arise.

6.       The Residence Hall Director will inform the appropriate Community Advisor and the General Maintenance Worker (GMW) that the room is being occupied.  The GMW should inform their appropriate staff that a student is staying in the Alternative Housing room.

7.       At the appropriate time, the student should coordinate check-out with the Residence Hall Director.

8.       If the student is not currently working with an advocate from the Women’s Center, the RHD will speak to the student and make a referral to the Women’s Center.  The Women’s Center will complete a safety assessment with the student and assist with safety planning upon exit from the Alternative Housing room.

9.       The Residence Hall Director will inform the GMW that the room has been vacated and is ready to be cleaned.

10.   The Residence Hall Director will inform the Leadership Team that the room is now available for use.

11.   If all Alternative Housing rooms are in use, the involved Residence Hall Director/Leadership Team member may contact the Room Assignment Coordinator to determine if alternate space is available on campus. 

 

These protocol steps may be enacted by the Leadership Team member when other student crisis situations arise, that may not include an advocate and/or University representative.  When the situation presents itself, follow the steps as outlined to identify alternative housing space to assist the student in need.

 

* Note that Alternative Housing may be provided on a temporary basis to off-campus students, if necessary.    Off-campus students will not be required to sign the housing contract as a prerequisite for utilizing the Alternative Housing option for a length of stay of seven days or less.  Off-campus students who stay more than seven days in alternative housing may be subject to weekly housing fees.

 

 

Adopted August, 2009

 

 

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From Kile, Marilyn J <>

1. Safe housing is provided for students living in the residence halls if an unoccupied room is available.
2. Off campus students or staff/faculty may purchase housing per night in a special residence hall if there is space available.
 

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Jodi Caldwell <>

One of our local hotels, Springhill Marriott, has offered to provide a free hotel room for any victim until secure housing can be located for that individual.  The crisis advocate contacts the hotel and the victim is registered as any other guest would be registered.
 
Please note that our office phone numbers have changed, as of May 1, 2008....
 
Jodi K. Caldwell, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Chair, Sexual Assault Response Team
Assistant Director, Counseling & Career Development Center
Georgia Southern University
P. O. Box 8011
Statesboro, GA 30460
(912) 478-5541
(912) 478-0834 (fax)

 

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Rebecca Harrington
Health Educator
SUNY Oneonta

1. we have an extra room in one of our residence halls that is a "safe room", in truth, it's a room that occasionally has some leaky roof issues so it can't be issued out as a room for students in the regular way. If needed this is used to get us from Friday to Monday (basically emergency short term use) when campus is fully staffed to deal with the issue.
The protocol is that the room is accessed through University Police. A victim or advocate would contact UPD and the room would be opened to them. We keep it stocked with bedding, towels and other necessities so one could get in and not need to take much. The student in need can bring a friend.
As soon as possible residence life reviews the situation and can move the student to a safer permanent location (in the case that perp & victim live in same building).
Our community program also offers a safe house.

 

2. we haven't come across the issue yet of a commuter student requesting services although it was decided that it would be available to them short-term until a better long term solution could be devised and put into place. We've not come across an issue with a non-student perpetrator, but I think our response would be the same-safety of our student first.

 

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On Wed, May 26, 2010 at 12:00 PM, Katherine Hanna <> wrote:

Hi All,

 

For survivors of intimate partner violence, in addition to the local dv shelter, what other options does your campus have available for interim/short-term housing options? Please respond to the following questions below and email  directly. Let me know if I do or do not have your permission to share your results with the listserv.

 

1. Do you have a campus or off-campus safe housing option? If so, what is the criteria for allowing student survivors to stay at this location?

2. Beyond the local dv shelter, what housing options do you provide to students who are in a physically abusive relationship that involves a student survivor (who lives off campus) and a non-student perpetrator? What about when they are both students living off campus? If they currently live off campus are they permitted to move into on-campus housing or is it viewed by legal as a threat to the campus community?

 

 

Thanks!

Katie

--
Katie Hanna, PCC
Women's Health Advocate
Flora Stone Mather Center for Women
Case Western Reserve University
309 Thwing Center,  10900 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106-7175
Phone: (216) 368-8639  
Fax: (216) 368-0977
Email:
www.case.edu/provost/centerforwomen

Please note that email is not a secure form of communication; confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

-- 
Katie Hanna, PCC
Women's Health Advocate
Flora Stone Mather Center for Women

Case Western Reserve University
309 Thwing Center,  10900 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106-7175
Phone: (216) 368-8639  
Fax: (216) 368-0977
Email: 

www.case.edu/provost/centerforwomen 

Please note that email is not a secure form of communication; confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.