Domestic Violence Awareness Month

The DSS graphic for the #BeAnUPstander
social media campaign (click to enlarge)

by Dennis Tivey, Communication and Outreach Coordinator

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. You can be part of the solution! Read on to learn how you can distribute resource information to clients, learn more about domestic violence, and take part in October public awareness events, all thanks to our friends at Domestic Violence Solutions (DVS).

• Distribute info:
• This printable, bilingual brochure describes the services offered by DVS, and includes the phone numbers for their Crisis and Information Lines. Please print and distribute as many as you need.
• We will also be sending wallet-size resource information cards for clients to each office, to be made available at the reception windows and interview rooms. Clients can tuck these discreetly into a wallet or shoe.
• Learn about domestic violence:
• Many of you attended the Domestic Violence Prevention training sessions held at DSS in Santa Maria and Santa Barbara on August 28. If you didn't get a chance to go but you know someone who did, why not talk with them about what they learned, or see if they can discuss it at the next unit meeting?
• You can learn some of the basics of domestic violence here. DVS also offers training classes and support groups (see their website for more information).
• Take part:
• You can honor victims and survivors of intimate partner violence by participating in a Candlelight Vigil. The vigils start at 6:00 p.m. sharp, at:
• Lompoc: October 11, Civic Center Plaza (flyer)
• Santa Maria: October 18, SMHS, Ethel Pope Auditorium (flyer)
• Santa Barbara: October 25, Paseo Nuevo shopping center (flyer)
• Vigils also include a Memorial Walk. If you'd like to get a few friends together (4-5 or more), DVS can provide a banner for you to carry; just RSVP on behalf of your group to juliab@dvsolutions.org.
• DSS is taking part in the #BeAnUpstander social media campaign: every day, the DVS Facebook and Instagram accounts will carry a graphic and message from a DVS partner. You can share these messages on your own social media too.