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Coalition Connection
Your Weekly Source of News, Training Opportunities, and Events
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Through a collective voice, the WCADVSA is committed to provide leadership, education, and systems advocacy to advance social change and end violence. | |
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Welcome to your weekly edition of the Coalition Connection!
Are you having difficulty viewing this e-mail or do you feel like you are missing some of the information in the Connection? If so, click here for help.
We will highlight important information in this section each week in red that requires your action or attention. This week's highlights include:
Opportunity
- WCADVSA Prevention Specialist Position
- Seeking Submissions - Voices of Healing: trans and nonbinary survivors SPEAK OUT
- WCSADVSA Staff Attorney Position
Our Work
- DV Census Count Surveys Due Tomorrow October 1
- Community Safety Network Advocate Shares Insight Into Intimate Partner Violence
- WCADVSA Fall 2021 Board/Membership Meeting and P.E.A.C.E. Awards Going Virtual
- Survivor Storytelling Workshops and Advisory Council Update
Policy Updates
- The Resolve: Urge Congress to Support Survivors in Upcoming Vote
- U.S. National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence and the Role of Faith Communities Call for Input
- A Refresh on WCADVSA Monthly Policy Call September 24 - Everyone's Invited!
Training and Events
- Women's March Saturday, October 2
- RUN WY! Leadership Development Training
- Domestic Violence Awareness Month, #JoinTheChorus
- Taking on Porn: Developing Resilience and Resistance Through Sex Education
- Collaborative Responses to Domestic Violence in Rural Communities Virtual Conference - October 4-5
- Maintain Balance & Harmony: Wellness as Social Change
- Basic Interstate Custody Training for Advocates October 7
- CFPB Financial Education Tools Webinar - October 12
- Rural Women Everywhere Assembly October 19-20
- Family-Centered Toolkit for DV Programs Webinar Series
- Online Healthy Masculinity Training Institute - October 2021
Resources
- Statement on Guilty Verdict in Federal Trial Against R. Kelly
- JWI Civic Action To-Do-List
- Media Fascination with the Petito Mystery Looks Like Racism to Some Native Americans
- BWJP - Se ptember Newsletter
- The BUZZ -September Newsletter
- End Abuse of People with Disabilities Newsletter
- ERAP Updates: Upcoming Systems Enhancements
- JDI News: Supporting Survivors in Prisons, On Campuses, and Everywhere
Spotlight
- 12th Annual P.E.A.C.E. Award Recipients Announced
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WCADVSA Prevention Specialist Position
The Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (WCADVSA) is excited to announce that we are seeking a dynamic and experienced individual to join our team as a Prevention Specialist.
Founded in 1987, the WCADVSA is a social change, non-profit, non-governmental organization that supports statewide needs of domestic violence and sexual assault (DVSA) programs, their communities, and survivors across Wyoming. This position will be hired based on qualifications and organizational needs.
This position will work closely with local DVSA programs, community and state-level partners, and survivors to develop and implement comprehensive primary prevention strategies to end violence through an anti-oppression framework.
As such, the preferred candidate for this position will bring lived experience, and/or three years of related work experience in primary prevention of sexual violence, LGBTQ+ health education, sexual health promotion or other public health fields, and gender-based violence advocacy.
Please review the position description for a full list of position responsibilities and qualifications.
As an organization, the WCADVSA strives to provide a work environment that reflects the needs of employees not only in their work but within the intersections of their personal lives. In doing so, the WCADVSA offers a competitive salary and benefits package.
Please provide a cover letter, resume, and contact information of three professional references to Jody Sanborn, jsanborn@wyomingdvsa.org (preferred)
mail to: PO Box 236, Laramie, WY, 82073,
or hand-deliver to 710 Garfield, Suite 218, Laramie, WY 82073.
Submissions will be accepted until October 18, 2021.
The position may remain open until filled.
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Seeking Submissions -
Voices of Healing: trans and nonbinary survivors SPEAK OUT
FORGE, in partnership with MenHealing, is seeking submissions for a collaborative project called Voices of Healing: trans and nonbinary survivors SPEAK OUT.
The project focuses on using creative expression — words, movement, art — to empower trans survivors to share their story, connect with others, and enhance healing for both themselves and the broader community.
Live SPEAK OUT forums will showcase diverse stories of survivorship and healing from trans and nonbinary survivors who have experienced many kinds of sexual violence. Our aim is to create powerful public moments of resilience and dialogue that challenge the invisibility and isolation of trans and non-binary survivors, and build community.
We invite submissions from folks who identify under the broad umbrella of transgender or non-binary**, who are ages 18+, survivors of sexual victimization,*** who are open to being public about their story/experience; and who are at a point in their healing to focus on creative expression.
To learn more about the SPEAK OUT project, visit our landing page, download the SPEAK OUT flyer, preview the application questions, and open the application form.
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WCADVSA Staff Attorney Position
The WCADVSA Legal Project is funded through a grant received from the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program.
The Legal Project has been funded by OVW since 1998 in competitive grant cycles. Two Staff Attorney positions and a Legal Assistant position are funded to complete the grant goals which include providing direct civil legal services on behalf of victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking statewide.
Located within the WCADVSA's Legal Project office in Ft. Washakie, WY.
Qualifications:
- Licensed to practice law in Wyoming.
- Knowledge of Wyoming courts, laws and procedures.
- Thorough understanding of family law, civil procedure, evidence, ethics and familiarity with criminal law.
- Understanding of issues and willingness to continue to learn about issues related to domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault and a strong commitment to ending violence against women.
- Ability to provide professional, high quality and sensitive legal services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.
- Ability to counsel and advise clients and provide referrals for people who are in crisis.
- Willingness and ability to work with people from varied backgrounds, cultures, ethnicities and abilities.
- Proficiency with computer and Internet technologies and software programs, including Microsoft Word and Excel.
- Ability to work with law office management databases, including ABACUS.
- Strong written and oral communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to manage time, keep detailed statistics, evaluate progress and adjust activities to complete work within established time frames.
- Ability to handle multiple projects and work independently as well as collaboratively.
- Demonstrated team building, limit setting, problem solving, creative/analytical thinking and organizational skills, including report writing and grant writing.
- Demonstrated project management skills, including staff supervision.
- Commitment to collaboration, team-building and professional development of staff.
Click here for complete job description and application process.
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Community Safety Network Advocate Shares Insight into Intimate Partner Violence
by Evan Robinson-Johnson and Alexander Shur,
Jackson Hole News & Guide
Teton County Coroner Dr. Brent Blue ruled Petito’s death a homicide. The exact cause of death is still being determined.
Domestic violence experts, who expected Petito’s death to be ruled a homicide, said Laundrie’s behavior was consistent with what they see in abusive relationships.
“For me it’s a likelihood based on statistics and our familiarity with how abuse and power and control works,” Adrian Croke, director of education and prevention at the Community Safety Network, said Monday.
“Homicide and intimate partner violence are not a rare combination, and that is a sad reality,” she said. “But the more we recognize and talk about it, the more we can be aware and fight it.”
“Calling law enforcement is not always the safest option for everyone,” Croke acknowledged. “But I think the important takeaway is that violence thrives in silence. If we can safely step into situations to offer support, we can really save lives.”
The Safety Network also emphasized that most intimate partner violence doesn’t receive this kind of news coverage. The organization pointed to Wyoming’s high rate of murdered and missing indigenous women, as well as national statistics showing violence against women of color, especially those who are LGBTQ, often goes underreported.
Since 2000, Indigenous people have made up 21% of homicides in Wyoming, even though they are only 3% of the population, according to a Wyoming report on missing and murdered Indigenous people.
Read the complete story here.
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DV Census Count Surveys Due Tomorrow - October 1!
Thank you all the programs who participated in the annual NNEDV Domestic Violence Count and have submitted their data.
We are is so close to reaching 100%!
If you have not already submitted your data, please take some time to do so as soon as you can. We will be extending the deadline until October 1 to allow people a little more time to get submissions in.
This annual report is instrumental in raising awareness about domestic violence and the incredible work that local domestic violence programs do every day. Year after year, state and local advocates, national experts, journalists and reporters, and policymakers from both sides of the aisle rely on the report to understand the realities faced by advocates and survivors.
As a reminder the remaining programs who have not yet submitted data, the deadline for submission is October 1. We have had a 100% submission rate for the past 6 years - let's keep our streak going.
You can submit your numbers here. Please make sure you have all your data gathered before beginning the form. If you have questions, or need assistance, please connect with the DV Counts team.
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WCADVSA Fall 2021 Board/Membership Meeting, and P.E.A.C.E. Awards Going Virtual.
Silent Witness Ceremony Will Be Held in Person
We are unfortunately seeing an increase in COVID-19 numbers throughout the state, and positive numbers continue to increase even for those who are vaccinated. To do our part to keep ourselves and communities safe we have made the difficult decision to move the Board Meeting, Membership Meeting and P.E.A.C.E. Awards to a virtual setting.
As of today, the Silent Witness Ceremony, Procession and Reception will remain an in-person event.
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WCADVSA Board Meeting is Tuesday, October 5 beginning at 9:00 am
- Zoom link will be sent prior to meeting.
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Membership Meeting begins Wednesday, October 6 at 1:00 pm, continues October 7 from 8:45 am - 3:00 pm and concludes October 8 at 12:00 pm Click here to register.
- Zoom link and agenda will be sent prior to meeting.
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P.E.A.C.E. Awards presentation and celebration will be October 7 beginning at 3:00 pm by clicking here.
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Silent Witness Ceremony, Procession and Reception will be Saturday, October 9 beginning at 9:00 am at Western Wyoming Community College - 2500 College Dr. Rock Springs, WY.
We will continue to send updates as they arise. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
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Survivor Storytelling Workshop and Advisory Council
Survivor Storytelling Workshops
Workshop A: Evenings 7:00-9:00 pm
Tuesday, October 12 & 19
Register here
Workshop B: Mornings 10:00 am - 12:00 noon
Monday, October 11 & 18
Register here
A Virtual Inaugural Convening of the WCADVSA Survivor Advisory Council
Save the Date - Tuesday, October 26- 7:00-9:00 pm
All survivors are invited, especially those who have gone through the story telling workshops. For more information, please contact Tara Muir or Susie Markus.
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The Resolve: Urge Congress to Support Survivors in Upcoming Vote
This week, the U.S. House of Representatives is planning to bring the bipartisan Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act (FVPSA Improvement), H.R. 2119, to the floor for passage.
The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) is at the heart of our nation’s response to domestic violence, ensuring more than 1,500 local domestic violence shelters and programs can provide emergency shelter, crisis counseling, legal assistance, and other life-saving services to more than 1.3 million victims and their children every year. The FVPSA Improvement bill would bolster existing FVPSA programs and increase authorized funding, while expanding access to tribes, tribal coalitions working to end domestic violence, culturally specific programs, and other underserved communities.
Please join us in urging your Representative to vote “YES” on the bipartisan FVPSA Improvement bill. Find our FVPSA fact sheet here.
We are relying on Congress to act to ensure that when survivors take the courageous step to reach out for support, it will be there.
Email your Representative now and tell them Vote "YES" on FVPSA Improvement bill.
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U.S. National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence and the Role of Faith Communities Call for Input
Earlier this week, JWI, in partnership with Ujima, was deeply honored to host and convene a listening session of faith representatives for the White House’s Gender Policy Council as they develop the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence in the United States. The NAP will constitute a strategic, long-term
blueprint designed to address the underlying causes of and prevent gender-based violence, and strengthen the systems that prevent and respond to it.
Now we are turning to you, our key stakeholders, for your insights on how the administration can support faith communities in preventing and responding to gender-based violence. We invite you to add your insights and to provide concrete recommendations through the link below by Monday, October 4th.
These recommendations, along with yours, will be included in a report to the White House Council. Please contact Rachel Apfelbaum, JWI senior policy and advocacy fellow, with any questions.
Read the NAP Summary here.
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A Refresh on WCADVSA Monthly Policy Calls - Everyone's Invited!
If you, survivors, staff, board, members of your community response team or other partners are invited. If they would like to learn more or discuss ideas for fixing state statutes in order to keep survivors safer and hold offenders more accountable - the monthly policy call is where to go!
Upcoming Calls - brown bag it on Zoom!
October 22 12 noon - 1:00 pm
November 12 12 noon - 1:00 pm
December 10 12 noon - 1:00 pm
Contact Tara Muir if you have any questions or topics you would like to discuss.
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Wyoming Webinars, Training and Events | |
Women's March Saturday, October 2
On Saturday, October 2nd, more than 56,000 people across the United States are coming together to march in defense of reproductive freedom and universal abortion access. The Supreme Court's upholding of Texas' six week abortion ban is devastating. The Rally for Abortion Justice is standing up against this ban and the dangerous precedent it sets. Together, real change is in reach. Click below to join a local march.
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RUN WY! Leadership Development Training
ESPC's leadership development training, RUN WY, will be every Thursday in October from 5:00-6:00 p.m. RUN will feature great information and actionable tips and tricks from state and nationally recognized experts and elected officials.
Here’s the schedule for these free, online trainings:
For more information about the series or ESPC’s other nonpartisan work in Wyoming, visit equalitystate.org or email questions to jen@equalitystate.org
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National Webinars, Training and Events | |
Domestic Violence Awareness Month, #JoinTheChorus
Tomorrow is the start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2021.
It couldn’t come at a more urgent time, given the dramatic surge in domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Greater awareness and collective action are critical to stop and prevent the abuse that is killing at least three women per day, including many who never make national headlines. That’s why we’re launching the Join the Chorus initiative in the U.S. tomorrow to urge everyone—leaders, communities, bystanders—to get involved. We’re proud to be joined in the effort by FKA twigs, Rose Byrne, Thandiwe Newton, and other powerful voices.
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Taking on Porn: Developing Resilience and Resistance Through Sex Education
Pornography has become the primary form of sex education for young people. Studies show that the average age of kid's first viewing of porn is between 8 and 11 and that teenagers turn to online pornography to learn about sex.
This conference is the first to explore best practices for developing sex education with a porn-critical lens while examine the key harms of porn -- sexual violence, misogyny, and the increasing sexual commodification, monetization, and exploitation of young people.
Speakers will include experts from government agencies, NGOS, education, and academia from the US, UK, India, Sweden and Turkey.
When: October 2-3 6:00 am - 12:00 pm Click here for more information and to register.
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Collaborative Responses to Domestic Violence in Rural Communities Virtual Conference - October 4-5
Coordinated Community Responses (CCRs) have been recognized as a best practice in reducing domestic violence since the Violence Against Women Act was enacted over 20 years ago and can be particularly effective in rural communities, where close-knit relationships and highly engaged community members provide an ideal jumping off point for collaborative efforts. However, with limited resources that must stretch further than their urban counterparts', it can often be a struggle to implement and sustain this approach.
Recognizing this, ICCR and the Conference on Crimes Against Women are coming together to provide critical training and resources for implementing collaborative, systemic responses to domestic violence in rural communities nationwide.
Click here for more information and to register.
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Maintaining Balance & Harmony: Wellness as Social Change
The work to end gender-based violence exacts a high cost on our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. Too often, our health as advocates and activists is secondary to our social change advocacy and support of survivors. During this time of the pandemic, the toll on advocates seems higher than ever.
Is it possible that ignoring our own well-being can further the very oppression and misogyny that we are trying to end? Might ignoring our own well-being limit our ability to care for others? How can we sustain ourselves during this time of uncertainty to maintain a life of balance?
To transform society, we must transform ourselves to embody resilience instead of despair, health instead of burnout, nourishment instead of overwork and overload.
This webinar on October 6 at 1:00 pm will frame wellness as a necessary extension of social change advocacy. We will examine the obstacles to addressing our self-care, especially in the face of the current health crisis, and explore concrete solutions.
Click here for more info and to register.
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Basic Interstate Custody Training for Advocates October 7
Has a domestic violence survivor ever asked you if she can leave the state with her children? Have you ever worked with a survivor who has fled to your state with her children for safety? Do you know what to do when a court in one state has entered a custody order and a court in another state has entered a protection order about the same children?
The LRC, in partnership with the Battered Women’s Justice Project, will be offering a webinar on basic interstate custody issues. This webinar on October 7 at 10:00 am will provide participants with an overview of the various federal and state laws that govern interstate custody cases. It is designed for attorneys, victim advocates, and other community partners who wish to understand the basic framework of how these laws fit together.
Click here for more information and to register.
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CFPB Financial Education Tools Webinar - October 12
Our commitment to you is to provide you with free valuable tools and resources that you can use to better serve your client communities. Accordingly, Consumer Action is hosting a free webinar on October 12 at 1:00 pm with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to highlight the Bureau’s research, free tools and multilingual materials for low- and moderate-income and limited-English-speaking consumers. During the webinar, the CFPB financial education team will walk you through the agency’s website, showing you how to download and order free materials that you can distribute in the communities you serve.
If your goal is to empower people to reach their financial goals and build wealth, this webinar is for you!
Click here for more information and to register.
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Rural Women Everywhere Assembly October 19-20
Registration is now open for Rural Women Everywhere, October 19 & 20, a two-day event will celebrate the voices, contributions, and leadership of women across the countryside.
We'll examine the ways rural and Native women are participating in the work of building more welcoming and inclusive communities.
Programming will feature keynotes, roundtable conversations, and breakout sessions spotlighting women's experiences and reflections.
We'll hear from women journalists, organizers and activists, indigenous leaders, artists and poets, lawyers and professors, faith leaders, and young women, who are building bridges and crossing borders to connect us to one another and the places we call home.
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Family-Centered Toolkit for DV Programs Webinar Series
NCDVTMH is pleased to announce the forthcoming Family-Centered Toolkit for Domestic Violence Programs – a new resource to expand organizational capacity for family-centered programming. Historically, the DV field has separated services for adults and services for children and youth, rather than taking an integrated approach that centers the relationships between adult survivors and their children. NCDVTMH’s Family-Centered Toolkit for Domestic Violence Programs helps programs envision and implement an integrated approach that supports parent-child relationships and families with a range of culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and developmentally sensitive services.
Webinars are Wednesday at 12:30 pm October 20, 27 and November 3
Click here for more information and to register.
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Online Healthy Masculinity Training Institute - October 2021
During Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2021, increase your skill set to positively engage men and boys in the prevention of gender-based violence. Men Can Stop Rape is excited to offer our highly praised and effective online Healthy Masculinity Training Institute (HMTI) this October. As a three-part online series, the training institute is an opportunity to develop virtual primary prevention skills at an affordable fee, network with professionals across time zones and industries, and be a part of the healthy masculinity movement.
HMTI Dates and Registration:
No matter where you are in the country or world, HMTI will help you move from theory to practice, from awareness to action, when mobilizing men and boys. Participants will learn the scientific theories, strength-based approach, and dynamic exercises that are part of MCSR's 24-year history, including our current socially distancing practices for mobilizing boys and men.
Learn more about the HMTI and see our evaluation data here on our website. Add yourself to our distribution list by filling out our form here!
If you have any questions, please reach out to training@mencanstoprape.org
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Click here to view a variety of upcoming webinars, national training, and conferences. | | | |
Statement on Guilty Verdict in Federal Trial Against R. Kelly
On Monday, NAESV released the following statement after a federal jury in New York found R. Kelly guilty on charges of racketeering and sex trafficking:
“We're with the survivors who spoke up about R. Kelly and those who felt they couldn't. We’re grateful to the Black women activists who refused to let the survivors be silenced and ensured R. Kelly was held accountable. Whether or not they come forward, survivors are paying attention and are impacted by high profile cases. All survivors deserve the kind of accountability they want and the support they need to heal.” –Monika Johnson Hostler, NAESV President
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JWI Civic Action To-Do List
1) According to the Guttmacher Institute, 12 million women each year experience abortion-related complications requiring medical treatment due to unsafe abortions resulting from lack of access to abortion services.
In a nutshell: It is crucial to put in place laws and policies that protect women's access to safe abortion in the U.S. and abroad. Take action: Email your House Representatives to pass the Abortion in Health Care Everywhere Act which would repeal the Helms Amendment; attend the Rally for Abortion Justice on October 2nd; and register for a webinar on advocating for reproductive justice around the globe.
2) According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 15,181 homicides and other fatal shootings so far in 2021. In a nutshell: The Giffords Law Center found that community violence intervention programs can reduce gun violence by as much as 60%.
Take action: Email your Congress members and call for their support for $5 billion in community violence intervention funding; find volunteer opportunities with the Community Justice Action Fund and post on social media during their Week of Action.
3) Despite comprising over 50 percent of the world's population, women are underrepresented at all levels of public sector decision-making. At the current rate of progress, it will take 145.5 years to achieve gender parity in political participation. In a nutshell: The Girls LEAD Act combats the underrepresentation of women at all levels of public sector decision-making by specifically addressing the civic and political involvement and leadership of adolescent girls.
Take action: Email your Congress members asking them to pass the Girls LEAD Act, and join Girls Not Brides and the Coalition for Adolescent Girls for a virtual lobby day on Thursday, October 7th.
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Media Fascination With The Petito Mystery Looks Like Racism to Some Native Americans
by Kamila Kidelska, NPR
The FBI has confirmed that remains found in Wyoming Sunday are the body of 22-year-old Gabrielle Petito. The mystery around the death of the photogenic young white woman with a carefree social media presence has been headline news across the country.
And that's frustrating to people who say the media ignores an epidemic of missing and murdered Native American women in the state. Since 2000, Indigenous people have made up 21% of homicides in Wyoming, even though they are only 3% of the population. That's
according to a state report released in January.
Cara Chambers, chair of the task force that released the report says only 30% of Indigenous homicide victims had any media coverage. That number is closer to 51% for whites.
"The themes and media portrayal of homicide victims that when you had an Indigenous victim, the articles were more likely to have negative character framing," Chambers said, "more violent and graphic language, really focusing more on sort of like where the homicide occurred versus anything about the victim."
Chambers says those kinds of portrayals can deter people from reporting that their loved ones are missing to the media or police.
"It's kind of heart-wrenching, when we look at a white woman who goes missing and is able to get so much immediate attention," said Lynnette Grey Bull, who is Northern Arapaho and a leading advocate for improving Wyoming's response to missing and murdered indigenous women.
"It should be the same, if an African American person goes missing, or a Hispanic person goes missing, a Native American ... we should have the same type of equal efforts that are being done in these cases."
Both she and Chambers hope more people will recognize differences in the urgency and attention cases of missing Indigenous women get, leading to an improved public response.
Click here to listen to the complete story.
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BWJP - September Newsletter
BWJP is proud to present a new podcast that shines a light on gender-based violence. Join us as we talk to advocates from across the United States about their role as advocates and what systems can do to truly help survivors. Listen to the trailer now and enjoy the series beginning September 20th!
Other highlights include:
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The BUZZ - September Newsletter
Hello from the Navigators with Enroll Wyoming. Yes it is time for The September Buzz Newsletter to be in your inbox again and like always there is a lot to report. Here are the highlights:
- 5 Steps Can Help Someone Who Is Suicidal
- A Message About Vaccinations from CRMC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Chapman
- Emergency Rental Assistance Program
- Become A Super Dad!
- Wyoming Nonprofit Network Leadership Summit
- Donated Goods and Materials Needed for Habitat for Humanity Homes
- Zonta Club of Cheyenne Hope Bags
Click here to read complete newsletter
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End Abuse of People with Disabilities Newsletter
The End Abuse of People with Disabilities monthly newsletter is our opportunity to spotlight promising practices, programs, and resources at the intersection of domestic violence, sexual assault, and disability. This month we highlight resources to help you and the self-advocates you work with address domestic and sexual violence and introduce our new curriculum, Peer to Peer: Bridging the Gap Through Self-Advocacy.
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ERAP Updates: Upcoming System Enhancements
We are making system enhancements to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), allowing us to open up federal funding from ERA2 for applications. The State of Wyoming received the minimum grant award for both ERA1 ($200M) and ERA2 ($152M). Of the ERA2 funds, Wyoming has received the initial 40% disbursement of $60.8M.
Under ERA2 funding, we will be able to expand the maximum assistance allotment from 15 months to 18 months. Additionally, renters will be eligible for assistance if their hardship occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic versus ERA1, which requires their hardship to have occurred because of COVID.
Renters will use the same online application system for ERA1 and ERA2 funds. The system will determine which category of funding to use based on the applicant’s responses.
Funding Update
As of Sept. 24, ERAP has approved a total of 1,647 applications, or 46% of submitted applications, paying a total of $5.5M in assistance. Of the rental payments, $4.3M went to landlords, $888K to renters and $390K to utilities. To see county specific information, click here to see the map.
ERAP Fraud Reporting Form
Getting eligible Wyoming residents rental assistance is very important to us, but we also need to make sure the money is going to the right people. Wyoming has implemented reasonable security protocols for each application to protect our state and its coffers against any future audits and to avoid future federal demands for repayment. Additionally, we have created a form to report suspected fraud. (Click here for the form)
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS
The Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault provides legal aid services for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. Call 307-755-0992 or visit wyomingdvsa.org/legal-program.
ERAP Resources
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Online: Learn more about ERAP online at dfs.wyo.gov/erap.
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In Person: If you need assistance with an application, there are community based organizations set up in each county to provide help. (Click here for an updated list)
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Via Phone: The call center is open 9 a.m. - 6 p.m., Monday - Friday. The toll-free number is 1-877-WYO-ERAP (1-877-996-3727).
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Flyer: Download the ERAP flyer to learn more about the program and to share with those who may be interested in the program. Download here
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JDI News: Supporting survivors in Prisons,
On Campuses, and Everywhere
Just a few of the items on our radar along with supporting programs to continue addressing safety for survivors and employees during this ongoing pandemic, advocating for housing and other resources for survivors, educating decision makers about the impact of mandatory reporting, and working to undo the harmful ramifications of white supremacy culture on survivors and advocates alike.
- Building UP People Not Prisons
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Preparing for the 4th annual #ReimagineManhood Symposium December 16 and December 17
- Supporting advocates and students to adapt to the new state law and federal guidance to address sexual assault on college campuses
- Advocating for reproductive justice, language access and more
Click here to read more.
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12th Annual P.E.A.C.E. Awards Recipients Announced
We are overjoyed to share the names of the incredible individuals who have been selected as the 12th Annual P.E.A.C.E. Award recipients. Please join us in celebrating and honoring the following women on Thursday, October 7 from 3:00 - 5:00 pm by clicking here.
Congratulations:
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Outstanding Advocate - Debrah Bindle
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Leadership in Advocacy - Katrina Harnish
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Partners in Advocacy - "The Sanderson Sisters" AKA:
- Maria Oroz
- Leisa Reiter
- Vaneesa Weekly
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Lifetime Contribution
- Robin Clover
- Chesie Lee
- Starr Sonne
- Sandy Stevens
If you would like to send a congratulatory message, please email Pam and she will forward your message.
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