October 25, 2025 • 23 mins
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and this year's theme is "With Survivors, Always". In Boston, Jane Doe Inc., the state's coalition against sexual assault and domestic violence, is working each day to ensure survivors have access to the help they need to find safety, healing, and peace. However, state and federal cuts have sparked worry in these organizations over just how much they'll be able to help victims in the short and long-term. Hema Sarang-Suminski, Executive Director of Jane Doe Inc., joins Nichole on the show to talk about their mission, efforts, and resources for those struggling with intimate relationship abuse.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each and every week right here, we come together, we
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. It is great to have you
back with us this week. I'm Nicole Davis. October is
Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the time when the public conversation
turns to education, action and justice. This year's theme for
(00:29):
the month is with Survivors Always in Boston. That is
a motto the team at Jane Doe Inc. Channels each
and every day. They represent a coalition of organizations, advocates,
and resources for those who are struggling with intimate relationship abuse.
I do want to have a content warning here before
we start. We will be talking about different types of
domestic violence, be it mental, physical, financial, emotional, and other ways.
(00:53):
Hey musarng Siminski is the executive director of Jane Doe Inc.
She is here now to talk with us. It is
great to have you on the show. Hey man. Tell
us more about what your mission is over at Jane
Doe Inc. And what you do for survivors.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Sure. Yeah. Jane Do Inc. Is the federally recognized state
coalition both domestic violence and sexual Assault programs were otherwise
known as the Massachusetts Coalition against Sexual Assaults and Domestic Violence.
And what that means is really our role is one
(01:26):
of a convenor of as many of the direct service
programs across the state who want to be part of
the coalition, and also many other partners both within state
agencies and other nonprofit organizations that are collectively doing a
lot of the responsive work to support survivors of intimate
(01:49):
partner violence and sexual harm. And so every state has
a coalition where the Dual Coalition for Massachusetts, and our
primary ways of doing our work work are through policy
and legislative advocacy systems, reform work looking at the courts
and housing systems, DCF various systems that impact survivors, and
(02:13):
then also doing a lot of education and prevention work
to raise awareness about the issue.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Now, let's talk about the issue itself, because I feel
like there's no one type of domestic violence obviously, and
I even know that if we bring technology into the situation,
that expands it even more so for people who might
be thinking, Okay, well, what exactly is domestic violence? What
counts as domestic violence? What would you say to that sure.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
I think that the most important thing to understand about
domestic violence, or sometimes referred to as intimate partner violence
or intimate partner abuse is exactly what you said. There
is no one size fits all definition of what looks like. Unfortunately,
(03:02):
historically in the media, what's most visible is often physical
harm or sexual harm, and the way we look at
that is sort of the outer circle. It's the most visible.
But the reality is at the heart of all forms
of intimate partner abuse or domestic violence is really power
(03:23):
and control, and it is an effort by one partner
to exercise power and control in abusive ways over another.
And what you see is really one person's world or
life becoming smaller in whether it's economically, physically, socially, spiritually,
(03:50):
and the other person's world or life becoming bigger in
those same ways. So that's kind of a basic understanding
of what that can look like. Abuse. It takes many forms.
It can be in the form of financial abuse, it
can be in the form of physical or emotional abuse,
gas lighting, controlling someone's movements, tat Like you said, technology
(04:17):
is a huge issue right now. Surveilling where someone goes,
who do they talk to, even what if they're allowed
to talk in their language of comfort. What does it
mean if someone feels most comfortable in culturally specific community
and their partner says, sorry, you can't have access to that.
(04:38):
Most recently in the news, there's been conversations about course
of control, and that's really looking at the less visible
forms of abuse, and thankfully in Massachusetts now we have
protections from that kind of harm and we're really excited
to have been part of that advocacy effort with some
incredible survivors who brought that issue.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
To It's important to note that gender or sexual identity,
none of that matters when it comes to domestic violence.
I feel like often we hear a lot about you know,
men versus women or so on and so forth, but yeah,
it doesn't matter how you identify domestic violence or intimate violence.
Is intimate violence absolutely.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
I think that's so important to highlight, especially right now
in this culture and climate that we are amidst. For
so long, the only kind of if domestic violence was
even acknowledged, it was really focused on men's bolence against women,
and we know that the rates of harm are really
(05:41):
cut across. Like you said, gender identity, expression, sexual orientation,
immigration status, age, so it's economic status. And because of that,
what is so important right now is that we as providers,
us as a community, we continue to livet adopt the
realities that, yeah, LGBTQ survivors can experience intimate partner abuse
(06:07):
in the same way as survivors who may be in
straight relationships, right and yeah, just really, I think we're
in this time of so much erasure of identities right now. Unfortunately,
some organizations nationally and otherwise who are falling in line
(06:30):
with some of the demands of the present administration and
climate and erasing from their websites or materials or even
referral sources information about what a survivor might need if
they're transgender, or in a same sex relationship, or a
survivor with a disability, or a survivor with uncertain immigration status.
(06:53):
So we want to turn that tide here in Massachusetts
and really make sure that all survivors know that there
are support and services available for them and that no
one needs to be alone as they navigate these really
really hard situations.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
They are very difficult situations, and when you put it
like that, it sounds like such a massive problem because
you're looking at relationships from all over the spectrum. How
do we tackle this as just a society, but also
in your work at Jane Doe, you talk a lot
about work on Beacon Hill and legislative work and advocacy work.
(07:31):
I mean, how do we handle this?
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Yeah, I think the biggest thing we can do right
now is to really pay attention to the relationships we
do have, and that goes for intimate, harder relationships would
also beyond. Let's really we need to lean into one
another right now. There's a real this is a moment
(07:54):
where the power of community is really necessary and apparent.
And when we do that, then we begin to stay curious,
ask questions in non judgmental ways, letting one another know that,
you know, despite how busy our lives can get, despite
our you know, exhaustion from day to day activities, that
(08:18):
we're still around to pay attention to show up. I
actually saw quote recently today about how everybody wants a village.
It's kind of sometimes hard to be a villager because
you have to show up. Yes, you don't want to,
but you still do, of course, And I think that's
really I think right now, one of the most powerful ways,
(08:38):
and this is evidence based of preventing harm is to
connect with our communities, to be in community with one another,
in relationship with one another, to show up, become a
trusted person, and whether it's a young person's life, for
your friend's life, or your parents' life, or remember your sibling,
(09:00):
you let folks know that we can listen and that
we're not alone and reaching out for resources. So that's
the starting point. I know there's many directions to go
from there, but I just don't want to undercut the
importance of this does not need to be reduced to
an academic problem. This is a human relationship and connection problem,
and that's where the solutions lie. Solutions lying.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Yeah, and it can be really difficult, I feel sometimes,
especially again for young people, for people who may not
know somebody that well. But when you notice the symptoms,
you know, you notice your friend pulling back, or you
notice your family member not acting the same, or even
if it is physical, you notice bruising where you hadn't before.
It can be really overwhelming to try to find a
(09:43):
way to talk to that person about it, because of
course you don't want to be like, well, I think
that your relationship is abusive, because who wants to be
the one to say that, But it is important that
we say something, even if it is going to make
life a bit more uncomfortable between you two.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
For a while. Absolutely, yeah, I mean, I think that
that is one of the hardest and most valuable scenarios
that might come up in someone's life. When you're in
the position to hold someone disclosing to you that they
are experiencing harm or like you said, that you're noticing
(10:19):
something and you might want to ask a question or
two about what's going on. And sometimes the most important
thing to do is to if someone is disclosing to
you that they're going through something, is to really listen
and validate their experience. Just let them know that you're
(10:39):
hearing them, and that you know that they're going through
a hard time and that you're here to support. And
it's a human tendency to want to try to solve
problems quickly built and to the extent that we can
resist that a little bit and instead stay open to
the possible ability that every survivor knows their situation best,
(11:06):
every survivor knows how to survive really really harmful settings
and contexts, and so you know, that resilience, that ability
to navigate, to figure out, you know, how to find
a few minutes of safety, to have a conversation with
(11:27):
a trusted person. Those are powerful survivors survival skills, and
as friends and community members. If we can remember that
and as someone's disclosing and not go into that kind
of trap of thinking about someone who's going through this
as helpless or powerless but actually quite powerful, that can
(11:49):
be really, really supportive to a survivor. I think if
you spil to have some resources around. Many organizations including JDI,
have things like market cards, just having some around at
some point, many of us who were part of various
organizations like these, you know, would just take a handful
(12:10):
and we'd have them around, whether it was in our
bathrooms or like at workplaces or leave them at coffee shops.
Just how to give help and how to get help.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
You might just want to, you know, run into their
house and pull them out, and you know, but then
what next, right the emotional trigger that you feel you
want to help this person, and you know, for survivors,
I think it's also important to note people say, well,
why didn't she leave earlier? Why didn't they leave earlier,
it can be really, really difficult, especially if you've got
(12:41):
children or pets involved, older family members living in the home.
I mean, there are so many factors that keep people
in these abusive relationships, and it doesn't make them a
bad person. They're just kind of backed into a corner.
That is probably one of the biggest misconceptions I feel
when it comes to survivors.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Right, I mean, if we eat each thought about how
we could leave our present living situation, community, children's school settings,
and how long it would even begin to think about
uprooting our own life for whatever reason, right, we'd be
looking at a long home there. And so that coupled
(13:21):
with the realities of we're in Massachusetts, there's a housing crisis.
How does an individual uproot themselves, maybe from a relationship
where they are being economically supported by their partner, even
for the basics, what does that look like to disengage
and try to seek help. It's a lot of vulnerability
(13:47):
and resources are available. We do have a lot of
state investment in Massachusetts in domestic balance and sexual assault
services and support. There are emergencies, alters available, support of counseling, therapy,
and a range of other services. That are available, and
(14:09):
of course, the need always exceeds what resources exist, and
that's just a reality that unfortunately, far too many survivors
may need to confront as they move through that process.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
I would imagine that right now, in this political climate,
in this economic climate, those resources are eroding even more.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on that.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Yeah, I mean we also I'll talk about both the
state and the federal context. Both are pressing on survivors
right now. You know, in the federal context, we're facing
a really targeted effort, really power and control at the
(15:02):
federal level over all of us, over survivors, over survivor
serving organizations, over honestly every resident in the United States
right now, so many of us are experiencing that kind
of abusive power and control. And so as we think
about that, what we see how that shows up in
specifically in some of the grand streams that go to programs,
(15:22):
are a lot of restrictions on what can be said,
what values are at the heart of the work, what
is allowed to be funded, how can you what survivors
are even allowed to support? And so JDI is part
of Jane Knowing is part of a number of number
(15:43):
of coalitions who join together in a lawsuit against the
administration to really shine a light on how harmful conditions
on the funding are for all survivors. So that's one
of the backdrops to what programs are facing because many programs,
(16:05):
you know, we have LGBTQ specific programs in Massachusetts, we
have immigrants serving programs in Massachusetts, and honestly, any of
us who are wanting to have inclusive and supportive spaces
for all survivors in line with Massachusetts values and law,
we're in this position wondering if we take this money,
(16:28):
are we going to somehow be subject to backlash, false
claims Act suits. You know, there's there's some really scary
consequences that are facing not only programs, but then by
extension survivors. So against this federal landscape of you know,
trying to control funding streams, perhaps not even refunding some
(16:52):
of the funding streams, we have a lot of concern
among programs in massive choose it's about what the next
couple of years are going to look like. While we
do have state investment, Unfortunately, some of the pressures at
the federal level have resulted in a seven million dollar
(17:14):
cut in services for FY twenty six, and so we're
just waiting for details on how that's going to impact
programs right now. You're actually catching us during our week
of action this week with a rally at the state
House and press conference on Thursday. We're really excited about
that to just raise awareness about the impact of cuts
(17:38):
right here, I mean, and this is from our own state. Again,
we're so grateful for the level of investment in services
in Massachusetts, buy our legislature, buyer administration, and even amidst
tough times, we're really hoping that this particular issue can
be seen for what it is, which is we prevent
(18:01):
further harm from happening. It's actually has longer cost savings
implications for the commonwealth. We keep each other safer, right,
and healthier in Massachusetts. So that is the boats some
of the state context as well as you know obviously,
as we are amidst of government shut down and wondering
(18:23):
what appropriations will hold for some of the federal funding streams,
trying to do whatever we can to keep the values
and all of the expertise that has really been the
product of decades of work in this field intact.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Sure the uncertainty of not knowing where the money is
coming from. What are you hearing from people on Beacon Hill,
Because clearly you've had a lot of support in the past,
and I can't imagine how difficult that's got to be
a for lawmakers on Beacon Hill who are now dealing
with all these federal cuts that are so that funding
is so important to keeping our state going. But then
(19:06):
also what are you hearing from individual organizations about how
to deal with this uncertainty as well?
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yeah, the uncertainty is brutal. It is you know, programs
are in a place of contingency planning, but not able
to fully gather or grasp what all of the factors
maybe in the coming few months or certainly years ahead.
(19:37):
What we are most concerned about right now from programs
are the ability to continue to provide adequate sheltering services.
We know some of the state cuts will impact residential
programs in Massachusetts again amidst a housing crisis. Where will
(19:58):
survivors go. No, We're also really concerned about the ability
to continue to provide culturally specific services here. That is
a big concern as well, especially given some of the
attacks on those services at the federal level. Will we
be able to continue to employ, honestly a survivor UH,
(20:22):
a workforce that's filled with survivors. That's that's who were
we are drawn to help. And the special sol and
Domestic violence workforce in Massachusetts is comprised of brilliant advocates,
so many of whom are bringing their own lived experience
to this work. And so we sit in this place
(20:45):
of wondering again, how do we move together to preserve
the expertise that survivor led wisdom that really is, you know,
so essential for keeping other survivors safer through really difficult times.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
I just want to make it clear though, that if
somebody is listening and they're finding themselves or realizing that
they're in an intimate abuse relationship, all of this uncertainty
should not stop them from reaching out for help. I
want to make that very clear.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
You know, what is really really important to remember is,
you know, hotlines are open. Hotline stayed open through COVID,
through really through so many ups and downs. And this
is not the first time this field has faced challenges
by any means, and so even through these challenges, what
(21:43):
we are advocating for are enough or even more resources
to meet the complex needs of survivors. But absolutely there
is help available. Advocates are available to talk to, listen,
shelter still available, and so certainly if you are in
(22:05):
a situation or you know someone in a situation who
needs help, those resources will continue to stay open and available,
and in order to be as responsive as possible for
all survivors, we need this level of investment to continue.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Well, where can people then find out more about the
advocacy work you're doing, not just person to person, but
with organizations on Beacon Hill? And where can they just
connect with you to keep in touch with what's going on.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Sure, yeah, we have you can connect with us on
social media is a very sorts. So we have Instagram.
There's so many, so many, sobody, so you can find
us on social media. Our website is undergoing a transition,
but I'll hope soon to be soon to have any website.
(23:00):
But we do have a website at Jane Doo dot org.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
And if somebody is listening again, if there is a
listener who's listening right now, who happens to want help
but isn't sure where to go about it, what is
the best way for them to go about that?
Speaker 2 (23:13):
You can go to Janedo dot org slash find help okay,
and that will offer a list of a searchable database
programs near you. If there is an emergency, certainly, we
have a safe link hotline in Massachusetts that can be contacted,
and of course, if it's safe to do so, folks
(23:35):
can choose to call in one line as well.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Hey Ma, this is great information, and thank you for
the just the look in the insight into what's happening
with your organizations. I appreciate all your work on this.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
I appreciate Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join me again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
From WBZ News Radio in Boston. This is New England Weekend.
Each and every week right here, we come together, we
talk about all the topics important to you and the
place where you live. It is great to have you
back with us this week. I'm Nicole Davis. October is
Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the time when the public conversation
turns to education, action and justice. This year's theme for
(00:29):
the month is with Survivors Always in Boston. That is
a motto the team at Jane Doe Inc. Channels each
and every day. They represent a coalition of organizations, advocates,
and resources for those who are struggling with intimate relationship abuse.
I do want to have a content warning here before
we start. We will be talking about different types of
domestic violence, be it mental, physical, financial, emotional, and other ways.
(00:53):
Hey musarng Siminski is the executive director of Jane Doe Inc.
She is here now to talk with us. It is
great to have you on the show. Hey man. Tell
us more about what your mission is over at Jane
Doe Inc. And what you do for survivors.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Sure. Yeah. Jane Do Inc. Is the federally recognized state
coalition both domestic violence and sexual Assault programs were otherwise
known as the Massachusetts Coalition against Sexual Assaults and Domestic Violence.
And what that means is really our role is one
(01:26):
of a convenor of as many of the direct service
programs across the state who want to be part of
the coalition, and also many other partners both within state
agencies and other nonprofit organizations that are collectively doing a
lot of the responsive work to support survivors of intimate
(01:49):
partner violence and sexual harm. And so every state has
a coalition where the Dual Coalition for Massachusetts, and our
primary ways of doing our work work are through policy
and legislative advocacy systems, reform work looking at the courts
and housing systems, DCF various systems that impact survivors, and
(02:13):
then also doing a lot of education and prevention work
to raise awareness about the issue.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Now, let's talk about the issue itself, because I feel
like there's no one type of domestic violence obviously, and
I even know that if we bring technology into the situation,
that expands it even more so for people who might
be thinking, Okay, well, what exactly is domestic violence? What
counts as domestic violence? What would you say to that sure.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
I think that the most important thing to understand about
domestic violence, or sometimes referred to as intimate partner violence
or intimate partner abuse is exactly what you said. There
is no one size fits all definition of what looks like. Unfortunately,
(03:02):
historically in the media, what's most visible is often physical
harm or sexual harm, and the way we look at
that is sort of the outer circle. It's the most visible.
But the reality is at the heart of all forms
of intimate partner abuse or domestic violence is really power
(03:23):
and control, and it is an effort by one partner
to exercise power and control in abusive ways over another.
And what you see is really one person's world or
life becoming smaller in whether it's economically, physically, socially, spiritually,
(03:50):
and the other person's world or life becoming bigger in
those same ways. So that's kind of a basic understanding
of what that can look like. Abuse. It takes many forms.
It can be in the form of financial abuse, it
can be in the form of physical or emotional abuse,
gas lighting, controlling someone's movements, tat Like you said, technology
(04:17):
is a huge issue right now. Surveilling where someone goes,
who do they talk to, even what if they're allowed
to talk in their language of comfort. What does it
mean if someone feels most comfortable in culturally specific community
and their partner says, sorry, you can't have access to that.
(04:38):
Most recently in the news, there's been conversations about course
of control, and that's really looking at the less visible
forms of abuse, and thankfully in Massachusetts now we have
protections from that kind of harm and we're really excited
to have been part of that advocacy effort with some
incredible survivors who brought that issue.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
To It's important to note that gender or sexual identity,
none of that matters when it comes to domestic violence.
I feel like often we hear a lot about you know,
men versus women or so on and so forth, but yeah,
it doesn't matter how you identify domestic violence or intimate violence.
Is intimate violence absolutely.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
I think that's so important to highlight, especially right now
in this culture and climate that we are amidst. For
so long, the only kind of if domestic violence was
even acknowledged, it was really focused on men's bolence against women,
and we know that the rates of harm are really
(05:41):
cut across. Like you said, gender identity, expression, sexual orientation,
immigration status, age, so it's economic status. And because of that,
what is so important right now is that we as providers,
us as a community, we continue to livet adopt the
realities that, yeah, LGBTQ survivors can experience intimate partner abuse
(06:07):
in the same way as survivors who may be in
straight relationships, right and yeah, just really, I think we're
in this time of so much erasure of identities right now. Unfortunately,
some organizations nationally and otherwise who are falling in line
(06:30):
with some of the demands of the present administration and
climate and erasing from their websites or materials or even
referral sources information about what a survivor might need if
they're transgender, or in a same sex relationship, or a
survivor with a disability, or a survivor with uncertain immigration status.
(06:53):
So we want to turn that tide here in Massachusetts
and really make sure that all survivors know that there
are support and services available for them and that no
one needs to be alone as they navigate these really
really hard situations.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
They are very difficult situations, and when you put it
like that, it sounds like such a massive problem because
you're looking at relationships from all over the spectrum. How
do we tackle this as just a society, but also
in your work at Jane Doe, you talk a lot
about work on Beacon Hill and legislative work and advocacy work.
(07:31):
I mean, how do we handle this?
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Yeah, I think the biggest thing we can do right
now is to really pay attention to the relationships we
do have, and that goes for intimate, harder relationships would
also beyond. Let's really we need to lean into one
another right now. There's a real this is a moment
(07:54):
where the power of community is really necessary and apparent.
And when we do that, then we begin to stay curious,
ask questions in non judgmental ways, letting one another know that,
you know, despite how busy our lives can get, despite
our you know, exhaustion from day to day activities, that
(08:18):
we're still around to pay attention to show up. I
actually saw quote recently today about how everybody wants a village.
It's kind of sometimes hard to be a villager because
you have to show up. Yes, you don't want to,
but you still do, of course, And I think that's
really I think right now, one of the most powerful ways,
(08:38):
and this is evidence based of preventing harm is to
connect with our communities, to be in community with one another,
in relationship with one another, to show up, become a
trusted person, and whether it's a young person's life, for
your friend's life, or your parents' life, or remember your sibling,
(09:00):
you let folks know that we can listen and that
we're not alone and reaching out for resources. So that's
the starting point. I know there's many directions to go
from there, but I just don't want to undercut the
importance of this does not need to be reduced to
an academic problem. This is a human relationship and connection problem,
and that's where the solutions lie. Solutions lying.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Yeah, and it can be really difficult, I feel sometimes,
especially again for young people, for people who may not
know somebody that well. But when you notice the symptoms,
you know, you notice your friend pulling back, or you
notice your family member not acting the same, or even
if it is physical, you notice bruising where you hadn't before.
It can be really overwhelming to try to find a
(09:43):
way to talk to that person about it, because of
course you don't want to be like, well, I think
that your relationship is abusive, because who wants to be
the one to say that, But it is important that
we say something, even if it is going to make
life a bit more uncomfortable between you two.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
For a while. Absolutely, yeah, I mean, I think that
that is one of the hardest and most valuable scenarios
that might come up in someone's life. When you're in
the position to hold someone disclosing to you that they
are experiencing harm or like you said, that you're noticing
(10:19):
something and you might want to ask a question or
two about what's going on. And sometimes the most important
thing to do is to if someone is disclosing to
you that they're going through something, is to really listen
and validate their experience. Just let them know that you're
(10:39):
hearing them, and that you know that they're going through
a hard time and that you're here to support. And
it's a human tendency to want to try to solve
problems quickly built and to the extent that we can
resist that a little bit and instead stay open to
the possible ability that every survivor knows their situation best,
(11:06):
every survivor knows how to survive really really harmful settings
and contexts, and so you know, that resilience, that ability
to navigate, to figure out, you know, how to find
a few minutes of safety, to have a conversation with
(11:27):
a trusted person. Those are powerful survivors survival skills, and
as friends and community members. If we can remember that
and as someone's disclosing and not go into that kind
of trap of thinking about someone who's going through this
as helpless or powerless but actually quite powerful, that can
(11:49):
be really, really supportive to a survivor. I think if
you spil to have some resources around. Many organizations including JDI,
have things like market cards, just having some around at
some point, many of us who were part of various
organizations like these, you know, would just take a handful
(12:10):
and we'd have them around, whether it was in our
bathrooms or like at workplaces or leave them at coffee shops.
Just how to give help and how to get help.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
You might just want to, you know, run into their
house and pull them out, and you know, but then
what next, right the emotional trigger that you feel you
want to help this person, and you know, for survivors,
I think it's also important to note people say, well,
why didn't she leave earlier? Why didn't they leave earlier,
it can be really, really difficult, especially if you've got
(12:41):
children or pets involved, older family members living in the home.
I mean, there are so many factors that keep people
in these abusive relationships, and it doesn't make them a
bad person. They're just kind of backed into a corner.
That is probably one of the biggest misconceptions I feel
when it comes to survivors.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Right, I mean, if we eat each thought about how
we could leave our present living situation, community, children's school settings,
and how long it would even begin to think about
uprooting our own life for whatever reason, right, we'd be
looking at a long home there. And so that coupled
(13:21):
with the realities of we're in Massachusetts, there's a housing crisis.
How does an individual uproot themselves, maybe from a relationship
where they are being economically supported by their partner, even
for the basics, what does that look like to disengage
and try to seek help. It's a lot of vulnerability
(13:47):
and resources are available. We do have a lot of
state investment in Massachusetts in domestic balance and sexual assault
services and support. There are emergencies, alters available, support of counseling, therapy,
and a range of other services. That are available, and
(14:09):
of course, the need always exceeds what resources exist, and
that's just a reality that unfortunately, far too many survivors
may need to confront as they move through that process.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
I would imagine that right now, in this political climate,
in this economic climate, those resources are eroding even more.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on that.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Yeah, I mean we also I'll talk about both the
state and the federal context. Both are pressing on survivors
right now. You know, in the federal context, we're facing
a really targeted effort, really power and control at the
(15:02):
federal level over all of us, over survivors, over survivor
serving organizations, over honestly every resident in the United States
right now, so many of us are experiencing that kind
of abusive power and control. And so as we think
about that, what we see how that shows up in
specifically in some of the grand streams that go to programs,
(15:22):
are a lot of restrictions on what can be said,
what values are at the heart of the work, what
is allowed to be funded, how can you what survivors
are even allowed to support? And so JDI is part
of Jane Knowing is part of a number of number
(15:43):
of coalitions who join together in a lawsuit against the
administration to really shine a light on how harmful conditions
on the funding are for all survivors. So that's one
of the backdrops to what programs are facing because many programs,
(16:05):
you know, we have LGBTQ specific programs in Massachusetts, we
have immigrants serving programs in Massachusetts, and honestly, any of
us who are wanting to have inclusive and supportive spaces
for all survivors in line with Massachusetts values and law,
we're in this position wondering if we take this money,
(16:28):
are we going to somehow be subject to backlash, false
claims Act suits. You know, there's there's some really scary
consequences that are facing not only programs, but then by
extension survivors. So against this federal landscape of you know,
trying to control funding streams, perhaps not even refunding some
(16:52):
of the funding streams, we have a lot of concern
among programs in massive choose it's about what the next
couple of years are going to look like. While we
do have state investment, Unfortunately, some of the pressures at
the federal level have resulted in a seven million dollar
(17:14):
cut in services for FY twenty six, and so we're
just waiting for details on how that's going to impact
programs right now. You're actually catching us during our week
of action this week with a rally at the state
House and press conference on Thursday. We're really excited about
that to just raise awareness about the impact of cuts
(17:38):
right here, I mean, and this is from our own state. Again,
we're so grateful for the level of investment in services
in Massachusetts, buy our legislature, buyer administration, and even amidst
tough times, we're really hoping that this particular issue can
be seen for what it is, which is we prevent
(18:01):
further harm from happening. It's actually has longer cost savings
implications for the commonwealth. We keep each other safer, right,
and healthier in Massachusetts. So that is the boats some
of the state context as well as you know obviously,
as we are amidst of government shut down and wondering
(18:23):
what appropriations will hold for some of the federal funding streams,
trying to do whatever we can to keep the values
and all of the expertise that has really been the
product of decades of work in this field intact.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
Sure the uncertainty of not knowing where the money is
coming from. What are you hearing from people on Beacon Hill,
Because clearly you've had a lot of support in the past,
and I can't imagine how difficult that's got to be
a for lawmakers on Beacon Hill who are now dealing
with all these federal cuts that are so that funding
is so important to keeping our state going. But then
(19:06):
also what are you hearing from individual organizations about how
to deal with this uncertainty as well?
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Yeah, the uncertainty is brutal. It is you know, programs
are in a place of contingency planning, but not able
to fully gather or grasp what all of the factors
maybe in the coming few months or certainly years ahead.
(19:37):
What we are most concerned about right now from programs
are the ability to continue to provide adequate sheltering services.
We know some of the state cuts will impact residential
programs in Massachusetts again amidst a housing crisis. Where will
(19:58):
survivors go. No, We're also really concerned about the ability
to continue to provide culturally specific services here. That is
a big concern as well, especially given some of the
attacks on those services at the federal level. Will we
be able to continue to employ, honestly a survivor UH,
(20:22):
a workforce that's filled with survivors. That's that's who were
we are drawn to help. And the special sol and
Domestic violence workforce in Massachusetts is comprised of brilliant advocates,
so many of whom are bringing their own lived experience
to this work. And so we sit in this place
(20:45):
of wondering again, how do we move together to preserve
the expertise that survivor led wisdom that really is, you know,
so essential for keeping other survivors safer through really difficult times.
Speaker 1 (21:06):
I just want to make it clear though, that if
somebody is listening and they're finding themselves or realizing that
they're in an intimate abuse relationship, all of this uncertainty
should not stop them from reaching out for help. I
want to make that very clear.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
You know, what is really really important to remember is,
you know, hotlines are open. Hotline stayed open through COVID,
through really through so many ups and downs. And this
is not the first time this field has faced challenges
by any means, and so even through these challenges, what
(21:43):
we are advocating for are enough or even more resources
to meet the complex needs of survivors. But absolutely there
is help available. Advocates are available to talk to, listen,
shelter still available, and so certainly if you are in
(22:05):
a situation or you know someone in a situation who
needs help, those resources will continue to stay open and available,
and in order to be as responsive as possible for
all survivors, we need this level of investment to continue.
Speaker 1 (22:25):
Well, where can people then find out more about the
advocacy work you're doing, not just person to person, but
with organizations on Beacon Hill? And where can they just
connect with you to keep in touch with what's going on.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
Sure, yeah, we have you can connect with us on
social media is a very sorts. So we have Instagram.
There's so many, so many, sobody, so you can find
us on social media. Our website is undergoing a transition,
but I'll hope soon to be soon to have any website.
(23:00):
But we do have a website at Jane Doo dot org.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
And if somebody is listening again, if there is a
listener who's listening right now, who happens to want help
but isn't sure where to go about it, what is
the best way for them to go about that?
Speaker 2 (23:13):
You can go to Janedo dot org slash find help okay,
and that will offer a list of a searchable database
programs near you. If there is an emergency, certainly, we
have a safe link hotline in Massachusetts that can be contacted,
and of course, if it's safe to do so, folks
(23:35):
can choose to call in one line as well.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Hey Ma, this is great information, and thank you for
the just the look in the insight into what's happening
with your organizations. I appreciate all your work on this.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
I appreciate Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Have a safe and healthy weekend. Please join me again
next week for another edition of the show. I'm Nicole
Davis from WBZ News Radio on iHeartRadio.
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