Promoting Economic Independence for Domestic Violence Survivors
October is Domestic Violence Awareness and Action Month, and WE is excited to share the next stages of our work to support the economic independence of domestic violence survivors in Chicago!
Although people of all socio-economic groups experience domestic violence, 40 percent of Illinois survivors can be classified as having a low socio-economic status. And 99 percent of domestic violence survivors are subjected to economic abuse, making it extremely difficult for survivors to chart a path to safety and healing.
In January, Women Employed (WE) released Intersecting Barriers: Challenges to Economic Empowerment for Domestic Violence Survivors—a report which sought to better understand the barriers to economic independence by gathering the insights of survivors, domestic violence advocates, and workforce development professionals representing 23 Chicagoland organizations, including Life Span. The report explores the intersection of barriers that survivors face in their journey to economic security.
As a collaborative effort to address those challenges, Women Employed is seeking to partner with domestic violence organizations in piloting a specialized version of our Career Foundations Curriculum, WE’s career exploration course. For many survivors, economic abuse has restricted their knowledge of what job or career options exist that they are suited for, or what the path is to enter those careers. Career Foundations is designed to help participants develop a practical career pathway plan leading to sustainable careers with family-supporting wages. Informed by the Intersecting Barriers research, WE is launching a pilot domestic violence version of Career Foundations which is sensitive to the needs of survivors while maintaining its signature flexibility and customizability.
This pilot version will be delivered in two phases: the first, delivered by a domestic violence organization, involves self-reflection and career exploration. The second, delivered by a partner workforce development or adult education organization, involves more information about local career pathway resources, programs of study, and planning for the pursuit of a sustainable career.
Through our research and the experiences of survivors and service providers, it is clear we must build relationships and pathways from domestic violence agencies to community-based organizations offering services that will guide survivors to a path of financial and economic security. However, there are challenges with training, confidentiality restrictions, lack of knowledge, limited resources, language barriers, the impact of financial abuse, and limited coordination of existing resources.
In addition to our Career Foundations Consortium partners, we will be continuing work with Life Span as our lead domestic violence service provider partner in launching the Career Foundations domestic violence pilot, testing recommendations to mitigate these challenges and improve how survivors connect to a career pathway that leads to meaningful employment, promoting economic independence.
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