IMPACT cville

Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregations Together

You are here: Home / Archives for Drugs & Crime

December 5, 2014 Update

By

This week IMPACT leaders met with the Albemarle Police Department, Addiction Recovery Systems (ARS) Clinic and Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Jail.

We learned some the startling facts:

  • There have been nearly 3,000 reported domestic violence incidents (not arrests) in the last 5 years in Albemarle County
  • At least 50% of all crimes in Albemarle County involves substance abuse as a contributing factor
  • 90% of women treated at the ARS Clinic have experienced some sort of trauma
  • 70% of all female inmates could use substance abuse treatment at the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Jail; there are only 8 spots available at a time and they have trouble filling the minimum of spots because it is voluntary
  • 99.9% of women in the Regional Jail’s therapeutic community program have suffered sexual trauma at some point in their lives

Please take this information and share it with your congregations, friends and family. We cannot allow this gap to continue to widen! IMPACT Research Committee will continue to deliver updates as they unfold!

Initial Focus Determined

By

Crime/Drugs Research Update
• The Crime and Drugs research committee met on November 17th, 2014 to begin work on our initiative.
• The committee is currently led and guided by Janie Pudhorodsky, team member from Church of Incarnation and Rev. Elizabeth Emrey of New Beginnings Christian Community
• Our research began by highlighting trends in stories that were shared by congregation members during our listening process this fall. Out of the 250+ people within our congregations who participated, stories of family and neighbors seem to struggle with substance abuse and crimes that come as a result were prevalent. Many of these stories were regarding women and families. Many shared about the struggle to securing local treatment for those they care about.
• The committee decided to have the initial focus be on the scope of how substance abuse affects women and their families in our area.
• The committee has already been able to schedule the following visits:
o Region Ten
o Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail
o Addiction Recovery Systems Clinic
o Albemarle Police Department
o Sexual Assault Resource Agency (SARA)
o The Women’s Initiative
• We want to prioritize our next meetings with:
o Charlottesville Police Department
o District #9 Probation and Parole
o Shelter of Help in Emergency
o Blue Ridge 1st Step Intensive Outpatient Programs
o Nicole Eramo, University of Virginia Associate Dean of Students

My Sister’s Keeper

By

2014 ANNUAL ASSEMBLY – Crime/Drugs Testimony

Loretta Martin Testimony

Photo Credit: Daily Progress

Loretta Martin, New Beginnings Christian Community

Good evening. My name is Loretta and I would like to take this opportunity to address the assembly about my family’s struggle with finding good drug and alcohol treatment program for women.

My sister is a long term alcohol and drug abuser which has caused a significant effect on her ability to make good choices. She is incapable of accessing resources for herself. My sister has been at the local hospital many times for alcoholism and substance abuse. Many times we have been turned away from the psychiatric floor and told to contact Region Ten during office hours. She is now receiving Social Security but cannot find housing.  I have submitted an application for rapid re-housing which we have not heard anything back yet.

She has been arrested more times that I can count for drunkenness’ in public. It is a non-violent offense, a petty crime, but because there is no safe haven for women she always ends up in jail.  I continue to search for all available community resources to help her find housing but no luck so far.  She was sent to a shelter program in Richmond but that turned out to be a disaster.  My daughter and I ended up driving to Richmond to bring her back to familiar surroundings.  After 2 weeks of being around family and friends the old habits began to re-surface again and she ended up back on the streets.  She is now in Roanoke where she was enrolled in a drug program but according to other family she is no longer in the program.

If there were some programs for women with alcohol/drug problems in the local area, families could stay connected and then maybe the healing would begin.   We have tried all possible avenues to find assistance in the area that would help her with her addictions.  But every time we search for help we are told to go to Roanoke, or another state; somewhere that makes it hard for my family to readily be there for her. I pray that she is O.K. and that God will continue to watch over her. “Am I my sister’s keeper? Yes I am” and I and my family will continue the fight to find the care she needs.

Crime & Drugs Elected as Ministry’s New Focus

By

Election of Crime at Drugs as New Focus

Content for this post was taken from the Daily Progress coverage of our 9th Annual Assembly.

Annual Assembly 2014

For years, Loretta Martin said, her sister has battled drug and alcohol abuse without being able to find adequate rehabilitation programs close to her family. She has been to programs in Richmond and Roanoke, but is “incapable of finding help on her own,” Martin said. She has been turned away from a psychiatric ward and can’t find housing.

“If there was some program for women with alcohol and drug problems in the local areas, families could stay connected and then the healing could begin,” Martin said. “I pray that she is okay and that God will continue to watch after her. Am I my sister’s keeper? Yes, I am. And I and my family will fight to find the care that she needs.

Martin’s story led to the Interfaith Movement Promoting Action by Congregating Together, IMPACT, choosing drugs and crime as its next project.

The nonprofit group, comprised of 27 Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Unitarian Universalist congregations across Charlottesville and Albemarle County, met Monday evening to direct its focus on drugs and crime, housing or education.

Along with Martin, three other members told their stories and leaders encouraged voters to think about their own experiences to make a decision.

Mallika Rodriguez, a single mother, spoke about her struggle to find affordable, convenient and high-quality childcare. She said she had a hard time finding childcare that was able to work with her job schedule, which could change weekly.

“Sometimes when I’ve found a child care center that offered this flexible coverage, I found myself disappointed by the quality of the actual programs, the facilities or even the staff,” Rodriguez said.

Statistics provided from Child Care Aware show that, in 2011, Virginians typically paid between $8,300 and $10,650 a year for full-time care for infants and toddlers. In comparison, the 2012 in-state tuition at the University of Virginia was just more than $12,000.

Stephanie and Dominique Eley told their story of homelessness, stemming from the inability for both of them to keep a job expecting their child. They went through several houses, but never had to spend a night on the streets due to help they received from churches. They are now working with Habitat for Humanity to build their own home.

According to Habitat for Humanity, about 4,000 families in Charlottesville spend more than half of their income on housing.

Of the 254 votes cast Monday, crime and drugs received 116, housing received 80 and education received the remaining 58. Members from 24 congregations voted.

The night also featured a progress report on two earlier initiatives: young adult unemployment and youth mental health.

Through working with IMPACT, UVa Health Systems has applied for a grant that would allow it to take 50 unemployed or underemployed young adults, aged 18-25, for skills training, mentoring and education to help them get employment in the healthcare field, said Patricia Cluff, associate vice president for strategic relations and marketing for UVa Health Systems.

After completion of the program, candidates will then be able to apply for entry level positions at UVa Health Systems.

As for youth mental health, both Fluvanna and Greene counties have been able to install telepsychiatry equipment to help children get psychiatric services, said Region Ten Executive Director Robert Johnson.