Valley Crisis Center boosts education with new programs

The Valley Crisis Center, which provides advocacy and counseling services to victims of domestic violence in Merced and Mariposa counties, recently launched new programs for its growing number of participants.

Chee Yang, program director at the center, on Wednesday said about 100 more people walked through its offices in 2015 than in 2014 – about 1,700 total. The need for the center’s advocacy and service programs keeps growing, and so does its attempt to be accessible to more people, she said.

The crisis center, known to focus its education and awareness efforts on partner abuse and violence, is seeing a growth in victims of human trafficking, Yang said.

“A lot of people still have that misconception that human trafficking is an outside issue, that it doesn’t happen here, but it does,” Yang said.

Recently, the center received a $10,000 donation from Anberry Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Atwater. This is the second consecutive year that Anberry is making such a donation.

Yang said this extra money helps the center offer overnight shelter and resources to more victims. The donation comes during Human Trafficking Awareness Month, nationally observed in January.

The Valley Crisis Center recently also partnered with the Merced County Office of Education to provide counseling services to students in continuation schools in Merced, Atwater and Los Banos. “Advocates are on site,” Yang said. “These can be students who are simply having a bad day, or are experiencing tension at home or with their peers.”

Also in an attempt to help teens, the center recently started a Teen Leadership Group that meets Thursdays from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the 1960 P St. office. The group is aimed toward young people of ages 13 to 17, and covers topics such as self-image, healthy relationships, bullying and conflict resolution.

February is Teen Dating Violence Month, Yang said. On Feb. 10, advocates wear orange in representation of those who become victims of partner abuse at a young age. According to national studies, one in three teens in the U.S. will experience physical, sexual or emotional abuse by someone they are dating.

“Unfortunately, it’s a lot more common than most would think,” Yang said.

Another new program now available at the Valley Crisis Center is the Parent Support Group. This new program focuses on providing a space for parents who may have been victims of violence. Conversations focus on how to provide a safer environment for their children and how to keep them from becoming victims of the cycle of violence. This group meets Fridays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

The programs are still in their infancy stages and staff hope they will grow and evolve. The largest issue, Yang said, is transportation, and getting participants from their home to the P Street office and back. “But that’s an obstacle we can overcome,” Yang said.

This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Valley Crisis Center boosts education with new programs."