Oasis Empowers Victims of Interpersonal Violence with a Collaborative Approach to Community

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When asked if they have heard of Oasis Shelter Home Inc., most people in our area would say something like, “Yeah, that’s the women’s shelter, right?”

Well…it IS the women’s shelter; but it’s also so much more!

I’d been hearing some great things about this organization, so I sat down with Mellanie Caldera of Oasis to get the scoop on what they’ve been up to, and how they made it happen.

As it turns out, a collaborative approach to community is at the heart of everything.

Background

(Note: we will refer to interpersonal violence as “IPV” in this article).

Oasis Shelter Home Inc. (Oasis) has been housing victims of IPV since 1995. They are the only emergency IPV program spanning the 150 miles between Coos Bay, Oregon and Crescent City, California. In addition to their shelter, Oasis provides outreach and in-shelter services ranging from children and educational programs, to support with navigating the criminal justice system, to distribution of food and other donated items, and more. Oasis has a thriving transitional housing program that recently was awarded funding to expand to Brookings. They also operate a 24 hour, toll-free crisis “hotline.” (Crisis Line: 541-247-7600, Toll Free Crisis Line: 1-800-447-1167)

The Staff of Oasis

A cadre of passionate individuals work at Oasis, working  towards the organization’s mission: “Through shelter, education and advocacy we empower victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and resulting homelessness to achieve a life free from abuse.”

Lea Sevey is the Executive Director and has been with Oasis for 14 years. She uses her Master’s Degree in Human Services to grow and develop the organization and staff on a steady and continuous basis.  Lea is a training ambassador for Shared Hope International, the leading nonprofit human trafficking authority in the world, and is also a local expert witness for IPV crimes. Lea is the Board President for the statewide organization – The Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, and  strategically places her staff on state wide boards with the intention of having the “rural voice” heard throughout Oregon. Mellanie emphasized that she has never worked in an environment more conducive and encouraging to personal and professional growth as in her time working with Lea Sevey and Oasis Shelter Home.

Mellanie Caldera is the Sexual Assault Survivor Advocate/Healthy Relationship Specialist working for Oasis. She supports medical providers, law enforcement, educators, criminal justice system workers, and community action groups with IPV education, and IPV-specific best practices in identifying and responding to domestic violence and sexual assault. She facilitates a weekly support group for IPV survivors. Mellanie is also a Master Trainer for the ACE’s (Adverse Childhood Experience) Study, is part of a cohort of trainers in Coos/Curry County, and is on the ACE’s Steering Committee. She also responds to the crisis line throughout the week, and facilitates clients entering the shelter.  Mellanie responds to call outs from dispatch and medical facilities during the week; Olivia, another Oasis team member, responds on the weekends.

Olivia Davis is the Victims Advocate and Community Projects Coordinator, and is housed in the Curry County Courthouse, opposite the District Attorney’s Victim’s Assistance Advocate office.  She helps Oasis clients navigate the criminal justice system; she attends court with them and assists them in completing and submitting restraining orders. Olivia works directly with a prosecutor and criminal investigator, both of whom are employed by the Curry County District Attorney and funded through a grant that Oasis received from The Office on Violence Against Women.

The new shelter advocate at Oasis is Gretchen Koenig; she is currently undergoing State Certified Advocacy Training. Cara Koenig is the administrative assistant and she assists the bookkeeper, Natalie Paterson, with financial reports. Sandra Turner is the on-call bilingual advocate; she speaks Spanish and is fully trained as an advocate.

Pictured below, the team at Oasis, from left to right: Mellanie Caldera, Lea Sevey, Gretchen Koenig, Cara Koenig, and Olivia Davis.

 

Collaboration

A key to Oasis’s progress is that they don’t operate in a silo. They partner and collaborate heavily with other organizations to provide wraparound services for their clients. This collaborative approach makes it possible for Oasis to offer a broad spectrum, multi-resource approach to the family and the community as a whole.

Mellanie explains: “One organization can not offer complete support to a victim of IPV, as much as we want to. As community partners, we recognize this, but through community group meetings, referrals, and presentations on our individual programs, we have created a solid base of community partnership and inter-organizational collaboration that DOES allow us to offer our clients that complete support.”

Here are just a few of the organizations Oasis partners with:

Brookings, Gold Beach and Port Orford Police Departments
Brookings Harbor High School – Anti-bullying education/Domestic Violence education
Curry Community Health
Curry County District Attorney’s office
Curry County Domestic & Sexual Assault Response Team (DSART) to refine processes on how IPV cases are handled locally
Curry County Sheriff’s Office
Curry Health Network
Department of Human Services
Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s Shu’-‘aa-xuu-dvn (In A Good Way Place) Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program
Wally’s House, a child abuse intervention center in Gold Beach

Mellanie Caldera (bottom right) collaborates with the Curry County Sheriff’s Department.

 

Successes 

Here are a few stories which illustrate Oasis’ most recent success stories:

SAFE Exams/SANE Training

In 2017 Oasis, the SATF (Sexual Assault Task Force), Curry County District Attorney and Curry Health Network signed an agreement to bring SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) training to Curry County and for SAFE (Sexual Assault Forensic Exam) exams to be conducted here for the first time since 2008. Previously, local victims of a sexual assault had to be referred away to either Medford or Crescent City in order to receive the SAFE exam.

Curry General Hospital worked closely with Oasis on their process for facilitating SAFE exams to ensure best care as well as privacy. The first completed SAFE exam occurred in the last quarter of 2017.  SANE training is scheduled for March 26-30, 2018, and will be facilitated by Oregon Department of Justice Sexual Assault Task Force and held at the  SWOCC Curry Campus in Brookings.  (Mellanie will attend the full week of training to host the information and support table, and to provide crisis counseling should any of the participants require it.)

 

Senate Bill 795

Senate Bill 795 passed the state legislature in the 2017 regular session. It mandated that as of January 1st, 2018,  first responders and ER staff must make all reasonable attempts to have an advocate present with a victim of sexual assault at the time and location of presentation.

Oasis will be the first point of contact in our local area; in the event of a sexual assault incident, either Mellanie or one of her colleagues will be called in to stay with the victim and help that person through the investigative process. As Mellanie explains, Oasis is victim-centered and trauma-informed and thus understands the language victims speak. For instance, victims of trauma might not necessarily remember events in chronological order, but that might be how law enforcement is asking their questions. “The advocate can help ease communication between victims and responders,” says Mellanie.

$500,000 Federal Grant to Fund Three New Positions

Oasis was awarded a $500,000 federal grant allowing them funding for 3 positions: a legal advocate, a deputy district attorney and a part-time investigator. Director Lea Sevey applied for this grant in an effort to increase prioritization of cases involving domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking and elder abuse within the DA’s Office. (To read about the grant in the Curry Coastal Pilot, click here.)

Working with BHHS & Within Local Shelters

Oasis offered Brookings Harbor High School  faculty and staff training for bullying and cyberbullying prevention, and human trafficking education and prevention. Oasis also works with schools to make sure that children living in shelters are able to get to school and daycare and can eat breakfast and lunch (McKinny Vento Act).

How You Can Help Oasis:

When asked what Oasis needs from the community, Mellanie responds, “more opportunities to provide awareness for IPV. IPV is still a topic that gets swept under that rug. People don’t always want to talk about it openly.” Oasis also posts a monthly wish list to their Facebook Page. Right now, they are looking for a volunteer with some handyman skills who can help with general maintenance on a regular basis. The shelter also frequently needs twin-bed-sized bedding, blankets, and pillows.

Resources for Survivor Support:

About Wild Rivers Connect:

Wild Rivers Connect provides networking opportunities and resources for nonprofits in Curry and Del Norte Counties. Oasis Shelter Home, Inc. has a listing on the Wild Rivers Connect (WRC) website and regularly attends nonprofit leader networking luncheons. “WRC has, during their regular meetings and luncheons, offered a platform from which to present our programs and update community partners and community members on collaborative programs we are working on as well as the growth and changes within our own programs,” explains Mellanie.  If you have questions about how WRC can help your nonprofit organization, please contact us.

 

Meet Executive Director Lea Sevey and learn more about Oasis in this video

 

 

Food Bank Responds Creatively to Community Need

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Nonprofit Profile: Brookings-Harbor Food Bank

“Give people an opportunity to give, and they will.”

–Pamela Winebarger, Executive Director of the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank

During the Chetco Bar Fire in August of 2017, there was a 400% increase in people coming to the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank. In August alone, the numbers went from a normal 1800 people helped, to over 4300; the need tripled. The Brookings-Harbor Food Bank stopped requiring income verification- anyone who needed food during the crisis got some- and they started handing out weekly boxes instead of the normal monthly one.

Since that time, the food bank has still seen some increase in their numbers. Their daily counter food, where individuals can come to the food bank daily and receive protein rich items, such as a boiled egg, chicken and several other items, sees 800-900 individuals monthly for the daily program. Approximately 400 food boxes go out monthly, feeding around 1200 people. Weekly snack packs go out to many children ages 2-17. 2017 was their biggest year thus far with over 3,900 children receiving snack packs.

With this ongoing and increased need for food in the community, the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank has had to respond creatively. I recently interviewed Pamela Winebarger, the Executive Director of the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank to get the story.

How It All Got Started:

Brookings-Harbor Food Bank was established in 1984 by local citizens who saw a need for food assistance in Brookings. In 2017, they served 29,684 individuals in the Brookings-Harbor area through their daily counter, food box and snack pack programs. Pamela Winebarger has been their Executive Director since April 2017. She has over 6 years’ experience managing a food bank in California and Nevada. Before that, she spent over 30 years in social service type work, helping people from all stages of life.

 

Meeting the Community Need:

When asked what she attributes the food bank’s successes towards, Pamela responds that networking and being proactive have been crucial to their success. “Nonprofits have to reach out to others, see what they are doing. Go out and get information.” Pamela does this in a variety of ways: she attends the St. Tim’s soup kitchen once a month on Saturdays, as her schedule allows, and she regularly attends Wild Rivers Connect luncheons to network with other nonprofit leaders in the community. She also works to get the word out about what is going on at the food bank.

Pamela attributes support from organizations and individuals in the community to their success as well. “Those people keep us in a place where we can help other people.” Their list of community partners is long: The Oregon Food Bank, South Coast Food Share, Wild Rivers Community Foundation, Chetco Grange, Emblem Club, Church of the Nazarene, Rotary Club, High School garden program, Girl Scouts, Grocery Outlet, Dollar Tree, Bi Mart, Fred Meyer, The Salvation Army, Oregon Coast Community Action, multiple churches, civic organizations, and the list goes on!

Volunteers are also crucial for the day-to-day operations of the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank and really step up in times of crisis. Pamela reflects on the Chetco Bar Fire: “Thank goodness for our Food bank manager, Carolita Briggs, and the 18-20 other volunteers who pushed themselves all of August and September, during the worst of it,” Pamela recalls, “they were a Godsend, and I had to be constantly making sure they would take a break and not push themselves so hard!”

In addition to accepting donations, Pamela applies for grants to support their programs. She recently received a grant to increase protein items, like yogurt, cheese, and tuna, in the snack packs that go to children. She is seeking a grant to increase the protein of their counter options for people coming in daily, which was over 10,000 people last year. Protein and carbohydrates are crucial to sustain people who are hungry.

 

Projects in the Works:

The Brookings-Harbor Food Bank is always on the lookout for creative solutions to the increased need in the community. Sometimes that means learning from programs that already exist instead of reinventing the wheel. They are working on two new projects, Full Plate Partners and the Neighborhood Food Project to engage donors. “A lot of people want to donate, but they don’t know how,” says Pamela. “This makes it easy.”

Full Plate Partners is a donation program that began in Eureka, California. People in the community that choose to participate are sent 12 pre-addressed envelopes; this makes it easy for them to send a monthly donation to the Food Bank. Brookings-Harbor Food Bank is rolling out the Full Plate Partners locally, and Pamela is working with Del Norte Office Supply for supplies. Pamela thinks this a great method for many nonprofits, not only food banks, to engage their donors. People are responding well, “I have had such an outpouring of positive feedback,” says Pamela. Whenever she shows people the envelopes, they want to sign up for the program.

Example of a Full Plate Partner packet.

The Brookings-Harbor Food Bank also has plans to support a Neighborhood Food Project in the Brookings area. This program started in Medford in 2008 and has been successfully introduced in many other communities across the U.S., both rural and urban. This is how it works: a volunteer called a neighborhood coordinator recruits neighbors to participate in the program. The neighbors each receive a green reusable bag, and when they visit the grocery store, they purchase an extra non-perishable food item and store it at home in the bag. Every two months, the bags are collected and participants receive a new empty bag. It is a way of enlisting long term donors and making it simple to donate. Currently the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank is looking for a volunteer to head up coordination for this project.

This video shows a Neighborhood Food Project in action:

How to Donate:

Money and food donations are always appreciated at the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank. With monetary donations, the food bank is able to purchase food at a lower price. However, if you do want to donate food, they are always in need of protein packed items such as peanut butter and tuna. Visit their wish list here. A note for all the gardeners out there: Brookings-Harbor Food Banks is able to accept donations of fresh produce from home gardens!

To contact the Brookings-Harbor Food Bank visit their website here or come network with Pamela at the next Wild Rivers Connect luncheon. Sign up here to join the Wild Rivers Connect email list.

Fresh produce donations are accepted!

About Wild Rivers Connect:

Wild Rivers Connect provides networking opportunities and resources for nonprofits in Curry and Del Norte Counties. The Brookings-Harbor Food Bank has a listing on the Wild Rivers Connect (WRC) website. If you have questions about how WRC can help your nonprofit organization, please contact us.

Article based on an interview conducted with Pamela Winebarger on February 5, 2018.