October 11, 2024 • 37 mins
Natalie Roberts Day, the Executive Director of Voices of Hope in Lincoln, joins us to share her inspiring journey in victim advocacy and her fervor for empowering youth. Discover how her personal experiences and professional background have shaped her path and learn why equipping young people with the tools to become future community leaders is so crucial. We also celebrate the community's commitment, highlighted by a successful benefit golf tournament hosted by Murray Custom Homes, as Voices of Hope nears its 50th year of service.
Our conversation explores the critical need for community involvement to support violence survivors. We explore the impactful partnership between Voices of Hope and Murray Custom Homes and initiatives like the Healthy Relationships program with Lincoln Public Schools. We hear personal stories of overcoming trauma and discuss the vital role education plays in breaking cycles of abuse. Advocacy is not just about immediate support; it's about creating lasting, positive change for future generations.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to another episode of Stay Modern with
Murray, brought to you by MurrayCustom Homes, where we build
your dream home together.
Now sit back, buckle up andenjoy the ride with your host,
matt Murray.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
What up, what up, everybody.
Thank you for joining us onanother episode of Stay Modern
with Murray.
I am your host, matthew Taylorpinch, hitting for the day for
Matt Murray.
Today we are in the Murraystudio speaking with the
executive director of Voices ofHope here in Lincoln, natalie
Roberts Day.
Natalie, thank you for joiningus today.
I can't thank you enough foreverything you guys do in our
(00:36):
community.
I personally know a lot aboutyou, but could you please tell
our listeners a little bit aboutyourself personally and
professionally, please?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yeah, so I guess, personally and professionally, I
grew up in Lincoln, primarilygraduated from Northeast High
School, and then I went tocollege at Hamlin University up
in St Paul, minnesota, and whileI was there I took a class
called Living in a Rape Culturewhat Are we Doing About it?
And I really had a chance tostart to understand a little bit
more about the impact and justthe scope of the problem of
(01:05):
intimate partner and sexualviolence in our country and also
learn that these forms ofviolence are not fixed or
culturally, historically,something that has to be the way
it is and can be changed.
And so part of that class wasanswering the question what are
we doing about it?
And through that I got to getinvolved in an agency, much like
Voices of Hope up in St Paul,that provided direct service via
(01:27):
a crisis line and via hospitaladvocacy to victims of sexual
violence, and that reallysparked a passion for me.
When I graduated, I went andworked at Friendship Home and
was the children's advocatethere they're a domestic
violence program here inNebraska or here in Lincoln,
excuse me and really kind offell in love with doing this
(01:48):
sort of victim advocacy work.
But alongside that I had alsobeen working as a camp counselor
at YMCA Camp Kataki and reallyfound a passion for working with
youth and supporting them andconnecting them with the
outdoors, and so I actuallysidestepped my career in victim
services for a little bit.
I meant to just do that for ayear or two.
(02:09):
When a full-time positionopened up at Kentucky, I thought
, oh, I'll do that while I'myoung, I'll go and be the
program director there, ended upstaying there 14 years and
really loved the work.
Loved the chance to bring thatpassion for teaching youth in
age-appropriate ways aboutthings like consent and healthy
relationships through thoseprograms, but really missed that
(02:31):
direct service work and so in2017, I started volunteering on
the crisis line of Voices ofHope.
Executive Director of Voicesretired at the end of 2022.
It was the perfect alignment ofwhere I was at in my career
path and my passion and what theagency needed at the time, and
so I was very excited to stepinto the professional role of
(02:54):
Executive Director.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
So where are you originally from?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
So born here in Lincoln, lived in Omaha for a
little bit and, like I said,moved to St Paul for a bit of
time and then primarily havebeen Lincolnite the whole of my
life.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
It's the biggest smallest town I've ever been a
part of.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Oh, genuinely, the amount of times where I will
realize that I am connectingwith someone who I know because
I worked with their camper atKentucky, or because they
graduated from Northeast theyear before or after me.
Whatever it might be, it reallyis just a wealth of different
connections.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
A side note on Camp Kentucky, so we were talking
before we went live.
I coach baseball, soccer,football, everything.
My biggest thing is growing up.
I heard so much about oh, it'syour generation, it's your
generation.
You guys are ruining everythingand nobody would ever do
anything to help us and notsaying you know that we needed
(03:49):
help or anything.
But the one thing that alwaysdrove me crazy is everybody
talks about the youth these days, the kids these days, but
nobody's willing to go out oftheir way to step in and help
those kids.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Oh man, you're keying me up for something that we can
definitely talk about a littlebit later when we get into a
little bit more of what Voicesis doing in our community with
prevention work.
But I'm very excited becausethat is a huge passion of mine
is saying, yes, these youth arestruggling and there is so much
opportunity for growth andsupport and if we can just get
the right pieces into place thenthey can thrive and they can
(04:24):
help change the world for thebetter.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yes, ma'am, you're speaking my language.
I say all the time these arethe people that are going to be
leading our community.
These are the next generationof leaders in our community.
We have to do what we can toput them on the right path
Absolutely.
Let's talk a little bit aboutthe golf tournament.
For those of you that don'tknow Murray Custom Homes, murray
Enterprises.
(04:46):
We hosted a benefit golftournament for Voices of Hope to
help raise money in ourcommunity for your guys'
establishment.
I felt like it was anincredible day.
We had so many people that cameand went.
Throughout the entire day I wasposted up on a whole helping
(05:06):
collect people's money fordonations and everything for
Voices of Hope.
I had a blast.
I know everybody around heredid.
What was the biggest surprise,I would say for you about the
golf tournament?
Speaker 3 (05:14):
I think the biggest surprise for me is just seeing
how enthusiastic everyone wasfor the day and how much people
were really fired up to be ableto give back to an important
cause like Voices in OurCommunity.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yes, ma'am, and it was great seeing you two at the
end of it.
That was an incredibleexperience for all of us here at
Murray Custom Homes.
Give us a bullet pointbreakdown what Voices of Hope
does in the community, how longthey've been around we know how
long you've been a part of itnow, but kind of what do they do
and how would you explain it tosomebody that has no idea what
(05:48):
Voices of Hope is?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Yeah, so I'll start with just how long we've been
around.
So we're coming into our 50thyear here in our community and
Voices has had a couple ofdifferent iterations over the
years, but has been doing thiswork in our community for that
amount of time, has been doingthis work in our community for
that amount of time and we workwith individuals and families
who've experienced domesticviolence, sexual assault, human
trafficking, stalking, intimatepartner violence in its many
(06:12):
different forms, and we do thatthrough a range of services.
So I mentioned the crisis line.
We offer a 24-7 phone supportfor anyone who might need help
with processing.
You know, something that maybehappened 20 years ago and for
some reason, something hasreminded them of it at 2 am and
they just need someone to remindthem.
You're not going crazy.
(06:32):
This is a normal part of thehealing process.
Sometimes someone might becalling our crisis line because
they are actively in a violentor threatening situation and
they are needing help to createsteps toward safety for
themselves and their family.
So we might help with relocationassistance or with getting a
protection order.
We offer walk-in hours Mondaythrough Friday to be able to
(06:55):
connect with people face-to-face, as well as support groups.
We do hospital advocacy.
So whenever someone presentsfor a forensic exam, either for
a sexual assault or for adomestic assault, one of our
advocates is called out toconnect with that victim to make
sure that they know thatthey're not alone, to know that
they have rights, to know thatthey are able to have voice and
(07:16):
choice in a process that isoften scary and confusing, at a
time when power and control havebeen taken away from them.
Our advocates are there to helpgive them that power back and
remind them that they are strongand that they're courageous for
coming and seeking help and wealso, through that range of 24
that there are resources outthere, and get them connected
(07:49):
through the warmest handoffpossible with whatever needs
they might have in our community.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Yeah, how does someone get involved?
If somebody wanted to help, Imean, how would somebody go
about?
You know, not stepping into anexecutive director role, but
maybe a crisis hotline help oranything like that.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Yeah, you know.
So there's a wide range of waysthat you can get involved.
You know, if you are lookingfor that sort of direct service,
you want to be the person whoanswers that phone line.
We do have volunteers that helpsupport that.
They're always backed up bystaff.
So if you're nervous, like whatif I get into a situation that
(08:31):
I don't know what to do, ourstaff are there to help support
you.
But we have our next trainingcoming up in January.
It's a 36-hour training.
So it is a big commitment, butwe want to make sure that the
individuals who are answeringthat line are trauma-informed,
domestic violence informed andwell-prepared to help meet the
needs in our community, and sothat's a great way to get
involved.
If you are not looking for kindof that big of a commitment.
(08:52):
There's so many different waysto help support survivors in our
community.
You know, whether that isfinancially, through something
like the golf tournament thatMurray Custom Homes has helped
generously support, or whetherthat is, you know, donating to
causes like Voices, whether thatis just spreading awareness in
(09:13):
our community, you know, andjust reaching out when you see
something that gives you pauseor makes you worry and saying
like, hey, are you okay, I knowthis place Voices of Hope.
Let me give you their number,if it's safe to do so Just doing
whatever you can do to let thepeople in our community who
might be experiencing violenceknow that they have someone in
(09:35):
their corner and that they don'thave to keep experiencing what
they're experiencing alone.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
So we're going to get personal real quick on my on my
end.
When I was raised by all womenin my, in my family, I was
raised by my mother, mygrandmother, my sister, um, and
I come from, you know, let'sjust be honest, a trauma filled
background, right, my, my motherdid everything she could to
protect my sister and myself.
(10:03):
She worked countless jobs hourson end.
That being said, you know, whenmy sister started dating, you
could see a cycle I call it thevicious cycle, and we have to
break this vicious cycle.
So that's when, you know, whenI heard about Voices of Hope and
Murray partnering, I jumped allover the opportunity to be a
part of it.
Anything I could do to help, Iwant to help, but, all that
(10:26):
being said, you have to I don'tknow how to put this, but not
repeat, that's not the word I'mlooking for but you have to kind
of see.
You know, whole families thatare involved with this Is that,
is that?
Would that be true?
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Yeah, so unfortunately, we do see.
You do see someone who maybe weworked with 10, 20 years ago
who maybe was experiencingintimate partner violence and
maybe their child came to ourchild care for support group or
things like that.
Unfortunately, the reality iswe do see some of those folks
come back needing servicesthemselves when they're an adult
(11:01):
and that's why we are reallycommitted to intervening where
we can.
We started a pilot program withLincoln Public Schools, a
healthy relationships foradolescents group, where we are
working to provide supportgroups during the school day,
because we recognize there's alot of barriers to getting to
some place after school or onthe weekend or things like that.
(11:22):
So during the school day, theopportunity for social workers
who have identified students whomaybe are at risk of
experiencing an unhealthyrelationship or currently
exhibiting patterns of unhealthyrelationships, having them have
a chance and a space to process, to share and to learn about
other ways of experiencingrelationships more healthy, more
(11:44):
equitable, more respectful waysthat a partner might treat you
and we've been seeing somereally great results from that.
We're continuing to try andexpand that work.
We started with two highschools, we're in three now and
we're working on expanding to afourth, hoping to be in all high
schools here in the comingyears and really looking at what
are more ways that we connectwith youth through peer
(12:05):
education and peer supportmodels, what are other ways that
we can create champions in ourcommunity.
To say enough is enough, and weknow that everyone deserves to
live in a world free fromviolence in all its forms and we
know that youth can help.
But also we know that they're ata really volatile time.
(12:26):
You know, some of the mostat-risk time periods are in that
period where they'reestablishing these patterns of
behavior, these norms of what toexpect in a relationship.
And we want to teach them andhelp them understand that, even
if they have been in anexperience where they, you know,
have been in an unhealthy orabusive you know have been in an
unhealthy or abusiverelationship or they've
(12:47):
witnessed abuse in the home thatthere are other ways that those
interactions can feel.
And if you've never seen thatbefore, if no one's ever told
you that that is an option, thenhow are you going to know and
how are you going to strive forthat?
And so trying to do everythingwe can to just build positive
relationships with youth, andone of the cool things is so.
(13:09):
We have an advocate from Voicesgoing into those school
programs alongside a socialworker from the school building,
and so it's not just someonecomes in, pops in and then
bounces at the end of the time.
It's building strongerrelationships and a wider circle
of support with more caringadults, in the hopes that that
trickles down to their intimatepartner relationships as well.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
And I think you nailed it.
The education piece is huge.
So I'm recently nine yearssober, you know, and part of the
sobriety journey was gettingcounseling and I never thought
you know, I don't have a problem, any of that, that was me right
, I'm awesome, I'm perfect, Idon't have any issues.
No, dude, you couldn't havebeen further from the truth.
(13:53):
So it was something that mycounselor had pointed out For me
.
My upbringing was my upbringingand that's all I knew, and that
kind of ties back to thevicious cycle that we were
talking about, the circle.
I kept telling him you know,that's just how my dad and I
bonded, you know, we would goout and I was 12.
We would go fishing and wewould drink together, and
(14:14):
anytime he would pick me up frommy mom, we would drink on the
way there and my counselor waslike stop there, dude, like
that's abuse.
He's like that's not normal.
I'm like, no, that's that's howeverybody hung out with their
dad, right, like he's like noman, you've got this so
backwards.
I say all that to say I thinkthe education piece is huge
(14:34):
because, again, you only knowwhat you know in your upbringing
is your upbringing.
Your story is your story.
So if, if I didn't know thatthat wasn't normal, that you
know you're not supposed to godrink with dad, you're not
supposed to be drinking at 10,11, 12 years old, once that kind
of opened my eyes to you know,I do have a story to tell and I
do think I could help people.
(14:54):
I started going out to highschools and I started with, like
, wahoo High School.
A couple of years back I wentto the Lincoln Treatment Center
up here and gave you knowspeeches and talked about my
journey and my story.
I think the more we get yourguys's story out there and the
(15:14):
options that people do haveavailable to them in our
community, the better, so thatthis podcast is huge.
I want to reach as many peopleas we possibly can to let them
know you know you are not alone.
You do have help and that was alot of the campaign that I did
with the health department whenall the overdoses started
happening.
They said you need to get yourstory out there because if you
can help one person, you knowthat's a win in our community.
(15:36):
I say all that to get to thepoint.
You're, your job has to be a24-7 thing.
It has to be all in all thetime you can't shut off, and I
know that probably takes a tollon you, but at the same time
that's got to be the mostrewarding feeling, right?
Speaker 3 (15:54):
Oh, it's definitely some of the most rewarding work
possible, and I will say that alot of my job is to come to
spaces like this and share aboutthe amazing work that our
frontline advocates are doingand share about the amazing work
that our frontline advocatesare doing, and so I do just want
to name that that.
Well, yes, there's people whomaybe give me a call at 2 am
because we need to maybe find asolution that's beyond our
(16:14):
normal day-to-day operating.
I definitely get some of that,but our frontline advocates are
the ones who really bear thebrunt of the vicarious trauma of
this work and who take on thebulk of that 24-7 responsibility
.
So quick shout out to ourdirect service advocates,
because they are really, reallyamazing.
But, yeah, this work is heavy,it is stressful, and so needing
(16:35):
to put good boundaries ofself-care in place to be able to
show up well in the work isreally really important, and so,
while in some ways like yes,you can't shut it off like that
work is always there, there isalways someone who is needing us
at the hospital, or lawenforcement calling, or someone
calling the crisis line, orsomeone walking through our
(16:57):
doors in active crisis.
We also know that people deserveto show up well in all spaces,
and so trying to find ways forme, as a leader, to model that
and try to figure out how to saylike, yes, I will always be
able to answer your call whenyou need me, but I'm not going
to check my emails today, socall if you need me, or whatever
(17:19):
it might be, finding those tinyways to put those boundaries in
place not only is importantfrom a wellness standpoint, but
it's also what we want ourclients that we're working with
to be able to do, to be able tosay you know, this is where I
hold space for myself and myneeds and I need everyone in my
life to respect that.
And so really trying to modelthrough our work and show up as
(17:43):
advocates in the ways that wehope will inspire the
individuals that we're workingwith to realize that they are
deserving of those same needsbeing met.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
You got to take care number one yourself to be able
to help take care of otherpeople and your self-worth, even
your confidence, right?
That'll show when you're havingthese conversations, when
you're meeting with people andyou're talking to families Like,
if you're not taking care ofyour number one, then how can
you help other people?
Exactly, what does a day-to-dayfor Natalie look like?
Speaker 3 (18:17):
One of the things that I love most about my job is
there is no predictableday-to-day.
Like I said, sometimes it's alot of meetings, either dreaming
big kind of balcony level LikeI said, sometimes it's a lot of
meetings, either dreaming bigkind of balcony level.
What are we going to do to, youknow, really collaborate and
create cross trainings to changesystems?
You know, really look at howcan we make sure that every
place that a domestic violencesurvivor or sexual assault
(18:39):
survivor might be interactingwith whether that's the criminal
justice system, school systems,whatever it might be, because
this touches every walk of lifewe want to make sure that every
space is ready and informed toprovide as much support as
possible.
So that's a lot of.
What I get to do is that sortof high level work, but
sometimes I do get to do thedirect service work.
(19:00):
You know, we are a small staffteam and we're a really
grassroots driven sort ofstarted with advocates just
coming together and figuring out.
You know how do we create outof nothing a response for
individuals experiencingviolence in our community, and
so it's scrappy.
Sometimes it's scrappy whereit's just like, ok, who's
(19:21):
jumping in here, we've got tohave somebody accompany this
person to court.
But we also need somebody to goto the hospital, and every room
is full in our office right nowand all advocates are all hands
on deck.
So number one in that momentjumping in, helping, you know,
answer the phones, get peopleseated to a room, whatever it
might be, and then also doingthe back end work of wow, that
(19:44):
was a really intense day team.
What do we need to createsupport for each other?
You know we've been slammedkind of over and over and over
again.
How do we debrief and how do wemake sure that we're not just
like compartmentalizing andputting that away into a box and
not processing the impact thatthis is having on us?
Because a lot of times, thenature of our work is we are
(20:07):
meeting people at their momentof most extreme crisis.
Maybe they were just beaten upby their partner and so they're
at the hospital and that'sreally heavy, heavy work.
And so what can we do to show upin the ways that people need us
and how do we move forward withthat is a lot of my job is just
(20:28):
figuring out.
How do we get the resourcesthat we need when we identify?
Oh, you know we are reallyseeing a huge uptick in the
number of Spanish-speakingclients that we have.
How do we get moreSpanish-speaking advocates?
That's kind of my job is tofigure out.
How do we get the resourcesthat we need so that the people
who have this passion and thisknowledge can keep on providing
(20:51):
this essential, life-saving workin our community.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
I think you nailed it a couple different times there.
What I hear you talk about andwhat I hear you saying is team
Lots about you guys workingtogether, collaborating,
communication and teamwork.
What is the?
I guess how many employees areemployed with Voices of Hope, or
a roundabout number there?
Speaker 3 (21:13):
Yeah, so roundabout 20 full time staff and then we
have, like I said, some parttime staff and volunteers and on
calls that help us do this workas well.
But it can be a lot.
Last year we served almost2,700 individuals and families,
and so when you're doing themath of what that means per
advocate, we have a very smalladministrative team.
(21:34):
It's a lot of folks doing thatdirect service work, and so it
creates a lot of gaps, itcreates a lot of spaces where we
need help and support, and sohaving partners like Murray who
are willing to say like we knowthat the need is there and we
know you're meeting the need,how can we help you is
(21:54):
incredibly valuable for us.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
It's probably one of my most proud you know moments
of being a part of this the lasttwo years or year and a half,
or however long I've been hereat this point, but this, these
past couple of weeks, have beenmy proudest moments working
alongside you guys.
And you know it's um.
You're, you're benefiting oryou're helping for generations
to come.
It's not just mom, dad or, youknow, mom, sister.
(22:17):
It's again creating thathealthy lifestyle for the kids
that are watching, the youththat are watching.
So you know, hats off to youthat I love helping you tell
your story.
I think the more we can do this, the better.
Let's talk about the age range.
It's got to be.
You know what are the typicalages that come in and see you
guys.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
Yeah, so we primarily work with adults.
So there are other agenciesthat are more focused on kind of
youth who've experienced abuse,things like that.
However, like I said, werecognize that to be able to be
serving adults most effectively,if we want to get into the work
of preventing adults needingour services, that starts with
youth.
And so I mentioned that we havesupport groups.
(22:59):
We do child care in thosesupport groups and those those
like youth specific groupopportunities are great ways to
be teaching small littleinterventions you know hands are
not for hitting ask before youtouch.
All of those little things makea bigger difference than we
realize.
And so, while our programs mightbe adult focused, we're trying
(23:20):
to do everything we can at everycontact point that we have with
the youth, because a lot oftimes mom might come in and
bring kids with or whatever.
It might be where we have thatopportunity, trying to maximize
that to really give that visionfor what a respectful
interaction with youth and childor youth and adult looks like.
(23:41):
And then I mentioned thatpartnership with Lincoln Public
Schools.
We do a lot of differenteducation and awareness
opportunities and so really,again, while adults might be our
primary focus and kind of youknow a lot of our services.
We do have lots of differentways that we are connecting with
(24:02):
youth and connecting withfamilies in our community.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
I'm going to, after this next week sometime, I'm
going to shoot you an email andsee how I can kind of get
involved.
I know we're involved but Iwant to, you know, volunteer and
see what kind of stuff I canhelp out with with the
youth-specific stuff there.
All that being said, I know,because I used to work for the
government, that this line ofwork comes with its hoops, its
(24:27):
challenges.
I can't imagine you guys canjust operate on just a couple
grants that you were given.
So what does it look like tofund a program for you guys?
I know that's getting into theweeds of it and it wasn't on the
notes, but it's something thatinterests me.
I want to know what goes allinto that.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
I'm really glad you asked because actually, at a
time when the needs have neverbeen higher, you know,
post-covid, where people wereisolated in their homes, where
(25:06):
someone is already purposefullyisolating someone from friends
and family the knock-on effectsof that are things that we are
still seeing today in increasein requests for services.
At the same time, we'veexperienced some significant
funding cuts.
So Voices historically had avery large portion of our
program funded through theVictims of Crime Act or VOCA,
and in 2023, they announced a40% cut, which 40%, 40% which
(25:32):
amounted to almost $200,000 forVoices.
That was funding our coreservices, like our direct
walk-ins hospital response, our24-7 response services, and the
need for those 24-7 services hasonly increased, and so we've
been desperately trying to pluggaps, you know, through every
(25:52):
opportunity possible.
But the need is too great andunfortunately, they've announced
the expectation of another 40%cut to that fund.
So I've been, you know, doingeverything I can to let people
know about this and luckily,it's not just Vo voices in this.
You know, reach out tolawmakers if you're interested
(26:30):
in learning more.
The Nebraska Coalition to EndDomestic and Sexual Violence has
some great resources availableto learn more about kind of how
to take action, but it is a timewhen we need help.
Being completely honest, youknow we have always had to
weather different.
(26:50):
You know funding cuts ordifferent things.
You know some donor doesn'thave the ability to donate this
year that's expected but this isa massive cut that, unless
something is done, is going toimpact our ability to provide
those core direct services.
And if we can't provide thosedirect services, then there's no
way that we can have theresources to be dreaming big
(27:13):
toward those next step, futureinterventions to create the
systems and to create thehealthy futures that we are
wanting for our youth.
And so, yeah, any help that isable to be provided not just to
Voices but, like I said, to anycause that you are passionate
about that works with victims isin need right now, in desperate
(27:34):
need.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
So how can people help?
I mean, we've talked a lotabout volunteering and
volunteering time.
How can somebody get a hold ofyou guys?
What can we, what can be done,what can we do?
How do they, how do people help?
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Yeah.
So ways, big and small, youknow, if you have an extra $50
laying around that you are like,yeah, I could donate that
somewhere, this is a great timeto donate that to a victim
services agency.
Most places will be running anend of year campaign.
Voices of Hope will be one ofthem.
So if you wanted to supportVoices directly, you can watch
our social media or sign up forour newsletter and we can let
(28:10):
you know how you can connectwith us directly.
Other ways that you can supportVoices if you have a workplace
that might be interested indoing something like a hygiene
drive.
We give a lot of basic needs topeople because maybe you've left
home with just the clothes onyour back and you're fleeing for
safety and you have nothing,and so if we can just get a few
(28:32):
of those basic needs met for you, then that's just one less
stress at a time when everythingis already chaos.
Similarly, gift card drivesSometimes we're trying to help
someone relocate out of state orto another community and having
you know gas gift cards orgrocery gift cards can help make
sure that they can get frompoint A to point B.
(28:53):
There are so many differentways.
Like I said, you know,sometimes it's just letting
someone know.
Maybe you don't have theresources, but maybe you can let
someone know hey, did you knowthat there are a lot of great
agencies doing this work in ourcommunity and they really need
our help right now?
Yeah, so just lots of differentways that you can get involved,
(29:16):
whether it's spreading the word, donating personally or, like I
said, encouraging lawmakers tocreate sustainable funding
sources, Because, as much as Ilove that Marie is willing to
stand up and do a golftournament for us, what we need
is for these state-mandatedservices to be appropriately
funded, and I get that it's areally hard time for everybody
(29:38):
in so many ways, but the need isnot going anywhere,
unfortunately, and we want to beable to meet that need.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
No, it's never going to get to a point where it's
completely obsolete andeverything's just perfect
because we're all living in ahuman world.
But a hygiene drive, a coatdrive I'm assuming clothing
drive, gift card drive, like yousaid, if you're listening and
it never fails, you knowsomebody will be listening
(30:10):
that's going through it rightnow.
That needs somebody, like you,natalie.
If that person is listening,how do they go about it, getting
services and finding helpthrough you guys?
Speaker 3 (30:21):
Yeah, so there's a range of ways that you can
connect with us.
So if you have the ability andit's safe to do so, you can call
our crisis line at 402-475-7273.
That's a 24 hour line and we'realways ready to reach out and
connect you with support.
(30:42):
Next steps, just be a listeningear to help.
We also have walk-in hours, sowe have 9 to 4 on Monday,
tuesday and Thursday, 1230 to 4on Wednesday and 9 to 1230 on
Friday, and so you can stop by,walk, walk in if you are needing
(31:03):
support, like I said, getting aprotection order, talking
through next steps, just needingsomeone to process with.
And we also recognize that youknow sometimes it's not safe for
someone to call, not safe forsomeone to could just come to
our office, and so we also havethings like a crisis email and
(31:25):
things like that.
So if you visit our website,which is VoicesOfHopeLincolnorg,
then there are differentopportunities to connect and it
can kind of explain in a littlebit more detail all of the
different ways that you are ableto reach out for help and
support.
And just want to let anyone whomight be listening know that
(31:45):
you are not alone and that weare here for you if you ever
need anything and yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
You were talking about what's coming, what's next
, you know, and if money was noobject and you had all the
grants and funding that youneeded, what is next?
Steps for Voices of Hope andfor Natalie here.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
Oh, that's big.
You know, I would start and Iwould just make sure that we had
the resources to meet the needand to meet the different
culturally specific needs in ourcommunity.
I think we do a really greatjob with that through having a
diverse staff and through havinga wide range of partnerships,
but I would love to just expandour team a lot more.
I would love to be in moreschools and I would love to be
(32:30):
starting younger.
You know, my dream is that wecould have a continuum, whether
that's through voices or throughpartnering agencies, where
every youth was receiving acomprehensive, healthy
relationships education as apart of their, you know, just
general day-to-day schooling,and we would love to be a part
of developing all of that.
And so, you know, those are someof our sort of big dreams.
(32:52):
We have a lot of them.
We have a lot of just facilityneeds, and so, you know, if I
had more than a million dollarsyou know you're in the home
industry, you know more than amillion dollars, you know you're
in the home industry, you knowthen I would love to have a
purpose-built space that couldjust meet all of our dreams and
have, you know, massivechildcare spaces, outdoor spaces
(33:13):
so that people could connectwith nature and wellness while
receiving healing.
So you know, we've got lots andlots of big dreams, but I think
we just want to start with.
Just can we have the resourcesthat we need to be able to meet
the current demand?
And that's, that's the hope, Iguess.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
You know, starting to think about how diverse Lincoln
and the surrounding areas are.
You know, it's not just.
You know Hispanic speakingpeople and English speaking
people.
You've got to run into allsorts of different cultures here
in Lincoln.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Oh yeah, it's.
One of my favorite things isthat we are constantly
challenged to learn aboutdifferent populations and you
know what are their culturalnorms and things like that.
And being able to find ways tomeet people where they're at and
walk alongside them in theirjourney and to learn alongside
them is one of my favorite partsof the job.
And, like I said, we have somereally wonderful partners in the
(34:03):
Asian Community and CulturalCenter and El Centro and all of
these different cultural centershere in the community that help
guide our work.
But you know we recognize thatintimate partner violence,
sexual violence, touch alldifferent walks of life, all
different demographics, but alsothat people who are
marginalized, for whateverreason, are at higher risk of
experiencing violence becausethey have less access to
(34:27):
resources, less access to someof the means of power and
control or just more vulnerable.
And so really looking at howcan we make sure that our
services are responsive andadapt to the ever-changing needs
in our community?
Speaker 2 (34:42):
Yes, ma'am, I don't want to hold you for much longer
, but we're almost to myfavorite part.
I like going back in time.
If you could have aconversation with younger
Natalie, what's some advice orwhat would you tell your younger
self to looking forward aheadin life?
Speaker 3 (34:59):
I guess I would tell myself that it matters.
It matters that you care, itmatters that you care, it
matters that you're trying, itmatters that you're showing up
to the work.
And so just you know, keeptrying, keep shining, even when
you are feeling doubtful, andalso that the relationships that
you're going to be forming allalong the way of this journey
(35:20):
are going to follow you and helpyou connect with resources and
support in ways that you wouldnever expect down the line.
And so just invest in that andlet that grow and ripple out.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Yeah, no, and, looking back, the relationships
that you make coming up andgrowing up are not necessarily
going to, you know, follow youfor the rest of your life, but I
do feel like a big part of whatI was taught growing up was
everybody matters.
You know, I'm from a verydiverse town, lexington,
nebraska, way out West, and wehad all walks of life out there
(35:55):
and I wouldn't change that foranything.
I love, I love where I comefrom, because it did make me a
better person.
When you, when you get up tosomewhere like Lincoln or Omaha,
it's not like culture shock,you know.
Again, I want to.
I want to give everybody thephone number that they can call
and then the email and website.
So, if you can go ahead, how dopeople reach you?
One more time, natalie?
Speaker 3 (36:15):
So our 24 hour crisis line is 4 0 2.
4 7, 5, 7, 2 7 3.
Our 802-475-7273.
Our website isVoicesOfHopeLincolnorg and from
that website you can connectwith a range of ways to get in
touch with us.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
Amazing, amazing, amazing.
Again, I want to touch basewith you guys after this weekend
.
I want to be able to help outwith the youth in our community
any way I can.
Anything else that we need tohit on, Natalie, before we get
you out of here.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
Just again want to express our gratitude for you
guys' willingness to stand upand support survivors in our
community and to help us do thiswork, and are grateful for the
opportunity to share a littlebit more today.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
You are an incredible person.
There is not enough gratitudeto go around for you and what
you do.
It's not easy.
We gratitude to go around foryou and what you do.
It's not easy.
We appreciate you.
We appreciate being partnerswith you.
Again, everybody, thank you forjoining us on this Stay Modern
with Murray podcast.
I appreciate everybody'ssupport.
Reach out to Natalievoicesofhopelincolnorg.
402-475-7273.
(37:18):
We look forward to seeing youon the next episode.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
If you have questions or topics you'd like us to
discuss, you can email them toinfo at murraycustomhomescom.
If you liked this episode, besure to subscribe to Stay Modern
with Murray on Apple andSpotify, or check back on our
website and social mediaregularly for the latest
episodes.
Welcome to another episode of Stay Modern with
Murray, brought to you by MurrayCustom Homes, where we build
your dream home together.
Now sit back, buckle up andenjoy the ride with your host,
matt Murray.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
What up, what up, everybody.
Thank you for joining us onanother episode of Stay Modern
with Murray.
I am your host, matthew Taylorpinch, hitting for the day for
Matt Murray.
Today we are in the Murraystudio speaking with the
executive director of Voices ofHope here in Lincoln, natalie
Roberts Day.
Natalie, thank you for joiningus today.
I can't thank you enough foreverything you guys do in our
(00:36):
community.
I personally know a lot aboutyou, but could you please tell
our listeners a little bit aboutyourself personally and
professionally, please?
Speaker 3 (00:44):
Yeah, so I guess, personally and professionally, I
grew up in Lincoln, primarilygraduated from Northeast High
School, and then I went tocollege at Hamlin University up
in St Paul, minnesota, and whileI was there I took a class
called Living in a Rape Culturewhat Are we Doing About it?
And I really had a chance tostart to understand a little bit
more about the impact and justthe scope of the problem of
(01:05):
intimate partner and sexualviolence in our country and also
learn that these forms ofviolence are not fixed or
culturally, historically,something that has to be the way
it is and can be changed.
And so part of that class wasanswering the question what are
we doing about it?
And through that I got to getinvolved in an agency, much like
Voices of Hope up in St Paul,that provided direct service via
(01:27):
a crisis line and via hospitaladvocacy to victims of sexual
violence, and that reallysparked a passion for me.
When I graduated, I went andworked at Friendship Home and
was the children's advocatethere they're a domestic
violence program here inNebraska or here in Lincoln,
excuse me and really kind offell in love with doing this
(01:48):
sort of victim advocacy work.
But alongside that I had alsobeen working as a camp counselor
at YMCA Camp Kataki and reallyfound a passion for working with
youth and supporting them andconnecting them with the
outdoors, and so I actuallysidestepped my career in victim
services for a little bit.
I meant to just do that for ayear or two.
(02:09):
When a full-time positionopened up at Kentucky, I thought
, oh, I'll do that while I'myoung, I'll go and be the
program director there, ended upstaying there 14 years and
really loved the work.
Loved the chance to bring thatpassion for teaching youth in
age-appropriate ways aboutthings like consent and healthy
relationships through thoseprograms, but really missed that
(02:31):
direct service work and so in2017, I started volunteering on
the crisis line of Voices ofHope.
Executive Director of Voicesretired at the end of 2022.
It was the perfect alignment ofwhere I was at in my career
path and my passion and what theagency needed at the time, and
so I was very excited to stepinto the professional role of
(02:54):
Executive Director.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
So where are you originally from?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
So born here in Lincoln, lived in Omaha for a
little bit and, like I said,moved to St Paul for a bit of
time and then primarily havebeen Lincolnite the whole of my
life.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
It's the biggest smallest town I've ever been a
part of.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Oh, genuinely, the amount of times where I will
realize that I am connectingwith someone who I know because
I worked with their camper atKentucky, or because they
graduated from Northeast theyear before or after me.
Whatever it might be, it reallyis just a wealth of different
connections.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
A side note on Camp Kentucky, so we were talking
before we went live.
I coach baseball, soccer,football, everything.
My biggest thing is growing up.
I heard so much about oh, it'syour generation, it's your
generation.
You guys are ruining everythingand nobody would ever do
anything to help us and notsaying you know that we needed
(03:49):
help or anything.
But the one thing that alwaysdrove me crazy is everybody
talks about the youth these days, the kids these days, but
nobody's willing to go out oftheir way to step in and help
those kids.
Speaker 3 (04:00):
Oh man, you're keying me up for something that we can
definitely talk about a littlebit later when we get into a
little bit more of what Voicesis doing in our community with
prevention work.
But I'm very excited becausethat is a huge passion of mine
is saying, yes, these youth arestruggling and there is so much
opportunity for growth andsupport and if we can just get
the right pieces into place thenthey can thrive and they can
(04:24):
help change the world for thebetter.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
Yes, ma'am, you're speaking my language.
I say all the time these arethe people that are going to be
leading our community.
These are the next generationof leaders in our community.
We have to do what we can toput them on the right path
Absolutely.
Let's talk a little bit aboutthe golf tournament.
For those of you that don'tknow Murray Custom Homes, murray
Enterprises.
(04:46):
We hosted a benefit golftournament for Voices of Hope to
help raise money in ourcommunity for your guys'
establishment.
I felt like it was anincredible day.
We had so many people that cameand went.
Throughout the entire day I wasposted up on a whole helping
(05:06):
collect people's money fordonations and everything for
Voices of Hope.
I had a blast.
I know everybody around heredid.
What was the biggest surprise,I would say for you about the
golf tournament?
Speaker 3 (05:14):
I think the biggest surprise for me is just seeing
how enthusiastic everyone wasfor the day and how much people
were really fired up to be ableto give back to an important
cause like Voices in OurCommunity.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yes, ma'am, and it was great seeing you two at the
end of it.
That was an incredibleexperience for all of us here at
Murray Custom Homes.
Give us a bullet pointbreakdown what Voices of Hope
does in the community, how longthey've been around we know how
long you've been a part of itnow, but kind of what do they do
and how would you explain it tosomebody that has no idea what
(05:48):
Voices of Hope is?
Speaker 3 (05:49):
Yeah, so I'll start with just how long we've been
around.
So we're coming into our 50thyear here in our community and
Voices has had a couple ofdifferent iterations over the
years, but has been doing thiswork in our community for that
amount of time, has been doingthis work in our community for
that amount of time and we workwith individuals and families
who've experienced domesticviolence, sexual assault, human
trafficking, stalking, intimatepartner violence in its many
(06:12):
different forms, and we do thatthrough a range of services.
So I mentioned the crisis line.
We offer a 24-7 phone supportfor anyone who might need help
with processing.
You know, something that maybehappened 20 years ago and for
some reason, something hasreminded them of it at 2 am and
they just need someone to remindthem.
You're not going crazy.
(06:32):
This is a normal part of thehealing process.
Sometimes someone might becalling our crisis line because
they are actively in a violentor threatening situation and
they are needing help to createsteps toward safety for
themselves and their family.
So we might help with relocationassistance or with getting a
protection order.
We offer walk-in hours Mondaythrough Friday to be able to
(06:55):
connect with people face-to-face, as well as support groups.
We do hospital advocacy.
So whenever someone presentsfor a forensic exam, either for
a sexual assault or for adomestic assault, one of our
advocates is called out toconnect with that victim to make
sure that they know thatthey're not alone, to know that
they have rights, to know thatthey are able to have voice and
(07:16):
choice in a process that isoften scary and confusing, at a
time when power and control havebeen taken away from them.
Our advocates are there to helpgive them that power back and
remind them that they are strongand that they're courageous for
coming and seeking help and wealso, through that range of 24
that there are resources outthere, and get them connected
(07:49):
through the warmest handoffpossible with whatever needs
they might have in our community.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Yeah, how does someone get involved?
If somebody wanted to help, Imean, how would somebody go
about?
You know, not stepping into anexecutive director role, but
maybe a crisis hotline help oranything like that.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
Yeah, you know.
So there's a wide range of waysthat you can get involved.
You know, if you are lookingfor that sort of direct service,
you want to be the person whoanswers that phone line.
We do have volunteers that helpsupport that.
They're always backed up bystaff.
So if you're nervous, like whatif I get into a situation that
(08:31):
I don't know what to do, ourstaff are there to help support
you.
But we have our next trainingcoming up in January.
It's a 36-hour training.
So it is a big commitment, butwe want to make sure that the
individuals who are answeringthat line are trauma-informed,
domestic violence informed andwell-prepared to help meet the
needs in our community, and sothat's a great way to get
involved.
If you are not looking for kindof that big of a commitment.
(08:52):
There's so many different waysto help support survivors in our
community.
You know, whether that isfinancially, through something
like the golf tournament thatMurray Custom Homes has helped
generously support, or whetherthat is, you know, donating to
causes like Voices, whether thatis just spreading awareness in
(09:13):
our community, you know, andjust reaching out when you see
something that gives you pauseor makes you worry and saying
like, hey, are you okay, I knowthis place Voices of Hope.
Let me give you their number,if it's safe to do so Just doing
whatever you can do to let thepeople in our community who
might be experiencing violenceknow that they have someone in
(09:35):
their corner and that they don'thave to keep experiencing what
they're experiencing alone.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
So we're going to get personal real quick on my on my
end.
When I was raised by all womenin my, in my family, I was
raised by my mother, mygrandmother, my sister, um, and
I come from, you know, let'sjust be honest, a trauma filled
background, right, my, my motherdid everything she could to
protect my sister and myself.
(10:03):
She worked countless jobs hourson end.
That being said, you know, whenmy sister started dating, you
could see a cycle I call it thevicious cycle, and we have to
break this vicious cycle.
So that's when, you know, whenI heard about Voices of Hope and
Murray partnering, I jumped allover the opportunity to be a
part of it.
Anything I could do to help, Iwant to help, but, all that
(10:26):
being said, you have to I don'tknow how to put this, but not
repeat, that's not the word I'mlooking for but you have to kind
of see.
You know, whole families thatare involved with this Is that,
is that?
Would that be true?
Speaker 3 (10:41):
Yeah, so unfortunately, we do see.
You do see someone who maybe weworked with 10, 20 years ago
who maybe was experiencingintimate partner violence and
maybe their child came to ourchild care for support group or
things like that.
Unfortunately, the reality iswe do see some of those folks
come back needing servicesthemselves when they're an adult
(11:01):
and that's why we are reallycommitted to intervening where
we can.
We started a pilot program withLincoln Public Schools, a
healthy relationships foradolescents group, where we are
working to provide supportgroups during the school day,
because we recognize there's alot of barriers to getting to
some place after school or onthe weekend or things like that.
(11:22):
So during the school day, theopportunity for social workers
who have identified students whomaybe are at risk of
experiencing an unhealthyrelationship or currently
exhibiting patterns of unhealthyrelationships, having them have
a chance and a space to process, to share and to learn about
other ways of experiencingrelationships more healthy, more
(11:44):
equitable, more respectful waysthat a partner might treat you
and we've been seeing somereally great results from that.
We're continuing to try andexpand that work.
We started with two highschools, we're in three now and
we're working on expanding to afourth, hoping to be in all high
schools here in the comingyears and really looking at what
are more ways that we connectwith youth through peer
(12:05):
education and peer supportmodels, what are other ways that
we can create champions in ourcommunity.
To say enough is enough, and weknow that everyone deserves to
live in a world free fromviolence in all its forms and we
know that youth can help.
But also we know that they're ata really volatile time.
(12:26):
You know, some of the mostat-risk time periods are in that
period where they'reestablishing these patterns of
behavior, these norms of what toexpect in a relationship.
And we want to teach them andhelp them understand that, even
if they have been in anexperience where they, you know,
have been in an unhealthy orabusive you know have been in an
unhealthy or abusiverelationship or they've
(12:47):
witnessed abuse in the home thatthere are other ways that those
interactions can feel.
And if you've never seen thatbefore, if no one's ever told
you that that is an option, thenhow are you going to know and
how are you going to strive forthat?
And so trying to do everythingwe can to just build positive
relationships with youth, andone of the cool things is so.
(13:09):
We have an advocate from Voicesgoing into those school
programs alongside a socialworker from the school building,
and so it's not just someonecomes in, pops in and then
bounces at the end of the time.
It's building strongerrelationships and a wider circle
of support with more caringadults, in the hopes that that
trickles down to their intimatepartner relationships as well.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
And I think you nailed it.
The education piece is huge.
So I'm recently nine yearssober, you know, and part of the
sobriety journey was gettingcounseling and I never thought
you know, I don't have a problem, any of that, that was me right
, I'm awesome, I'm perfect, Idon't have any issues.
No, dude, you couldn't havebeen further from the truth.
(13:53):
So it was something that mycounselor had pointed out For me
.
My upbringing was my upbringingand that's all I knew, and that
kind of ties back to thevicious cycle that we were
talking about, the circle.
I kept telling him you know,that's just how my dad and I
bonded, you know, we would goout and I was 12.
We would go fishing and wewould drink together, and
(14:14):
anytime he would pick me up frommy mom, we would drink on the
way there and my counselor waslike stop there, dude, like
that's abuse.
He's like that's not normal.
I'm like, no, that's that's howeverybody hung out with their
dad, right, like he's like noman, you've got this so
backwards.
I say all that to say I thinkthe education piece is huge
(14:34):
because, again, you only knowwhat you know in your upbringing
is your upbringing.
Your story is your story.
So if, if I didn't know thatthat wasn't normal, that you
know you're not supposed to godrink with dad, you're not
supposed to be drinking at 10,11, 12 years old, once that kind
of opened my eyes to you know,I do have a story to tell and I
do think I could help people.
(14:54):
I started going out to highschools and I started with, like
, wahoo High School.
A couple of years back I wentto the Lincoln Treatment Center
up here and gave you knowspeeches and talked about my
journey and my story.
I think the more we get yourguys's story out there and the
(15:14):
options that people do haveavailable to them in our
community, the better, so thatthis podcast is huge.
I want to reach as many peopleas we possibly can to let them
know you know you are not alone.
You do have help and that was alot of the campaign that I did
with the health department whenall the overdoses started
happening.
They said you need to get yourstory out there because if you
can help one person, you knowthat's a win in our community.
(15:36):
I say all that to get to thepoint.
You're, your job has to be a24-7 thing.
It has to be all in all thetime you can't shut off, and I
know that probably takes a tollon you, but at the same time
that's got to be the mostrewarding feeling, right?
Speaker 3 (15:54):
Oh, it's definitely some of the most rewarding work
possible, and I will say that alot of my job is to come to
spaces like this and share aboutthe amazing work that our
frontline advocates are doingand share about the amazing work
that our frontline advocatesare doing, and so I do just want
to name that that.
Well, yes, there's people whomaybe give me a call at 2 am
because we need to maybe find asolution that's beyond our
(16:14):
normal day-to-day operating.
I definitely get some of that,but our frontline advocates are
the ones who really bear thebrunt of the vicarious trauma of
this work and who take on thebulk of that 24-7 responsibility
.
So quick shout out to ourdirect service advocates,
because they are really, reallyamazing.
But, yeah, this work is heavy,it is stressful, and so needing
(16:35):
to put good boundaries ofself-care in place to be able to
show up well in the work isreally really important, and so,
while in some ways like yes,you can't shut it off like that
work is always there, there isalways someone who is needing us
at the hospital, or lawenforcement calling, or someone
calling the crisis line, orsomeone walking through our
(16:57):
doors in active crisis.
We also know that people deserveto show up well in all spaces,
and so trying to find ways forme, as a leader, to model that
and try to figure out how to saylike, yes, I will always be
able to answer your call whenyou need me, but I'm not going
to check my emails today, socall if you need me, or whatever
(17:19):
it might be, finding those tinyways to put those boundaries in
place not only is importantfrom a wellness standpoint, but
it's also what we want ourclients that we're working with
to be able to do, to be able tosay you know, this is where I
hold space for myself and myneeds and I need everyone in my
life to respect that.
And so really trying to modelthrough our work and show up as
(17:43):
advocates in the ways that wehope will inspire the
individuals that we're workingwith to realize that they are
deserving of those same needsbeing met.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
You got to take care number one yourself to be able
to help take care of otherpeople and your self-worth, even
your confidence, right?
That'll show when you're havingthese conversations, when
you're meeting with people andyou're talking to families Like,
if you're not taking care ofyour number one, then how can
you help other people?
Exactly, what does a day-to-dayfor Natalie look like?
Speaker 3 (18:17):
One of the things that I love most about my job is
there is no predictableday-to-day.
Like I said, sometimes it's alot of meetings, either dreaming
big kind of balcony level LikeI said, sometimes it's a lot of
meetings, either dreaming bigkind of balcony level.
What are we going to do to, youknow, really collaborate and
create cross trainings to changesystems?
You know, really look at howcan we make sure that every
place that a domestic violencesurvivor or sexual assault
(18:39):
survivor might be interactingwith whether that's the criminal
justice system, school systems,whatever it might be, because
this touches every walk of lifewe want to make sure that every
space is ready and informed toprovide as much support as
possible.
So that's a lot of.
What I get to do is that sortof high level work, but
sometimes I do get to do thedirect service work.
(19:00):
You know, we are a small staffteam and we're a really
grassroots driven sort ofstarted with advocates just
coming together and figuring out.
You know how do we create outof nothing a response for
individuals experiencingviolence in our community, and
so it's scrappy.
Sometimes it's scrappy whereit's just like, ok, who's
(19:21):
jumping in here, we've got tohave somebody accompany this
person to court.
But we also need somebody to goto the hospital, and every room
is full in our office right nowand all advocates are all hands
on deck.
So number one in that momentjumping in, helping, you know,
answer the phones, get peopleseated to a room, whatever it
might be, and then also doingthe back end work of wow, that
(19:44):
was a really intense day team.
What do we need to createsupport for each other?
You know we've been slammedkind of over and over and over
again.
How do we debrief and how do wemake sure that we're not just
like compartmentalizing andputting that away into a box and
not processing the impact thatthis is having on us?
Because a lot of times, thenature of our work is we are
(20:07):
meeting people at their momentof most extreme crisis.
Maybe they were just beaten upby their partner and so they're
at the hospital and that'sreally heavy, heavy work.
And so what can we do to show upin the ways that people need us
and how do we move forward withthat is a lot of my job is just
(20:28):
figuring out.
How do we get the resourcesthat we need when we identify?
Oh, you know we are reallyseeing a huge uptick in the
number of Spanish-speakingclients that we have.
How do we get moreSpanish-speaking advocates?
That's kind of my job is tofigure out.
How do we get the resourcesthat we need so that the people
who have this passion and thisknowledge can keep on providing
(20:51):
this essential, life-saving workin our community.
Speaker 2 (20:54):
I think you nailed it a couple different times there.
What I hear you talk about andwhat I hear you saying is team
Lots about you guys workingtogether, collaborating,
communication and teamwork.
What is the?
I guess how many employees areemployed with Voices of Hope, or
a roundabout number there?
Speaker 3 (21:13):
Yeah, so roundabout 20 full time staff and then we
have, like I said, some parttime staff and volunteers and on
calls that help us do this workas well.
But it can be a lot.
Last year we served almost2,700 individuals and families,
and so when you're doing themath of what that means per
advocate, we have a very smalladministrative team.
(21:34):
It's a lot of folks doing thatdirect service work, and so it
creates a lot of gaps, itcreates a lot of spaces where we
need help and support, and sohaving partners like Murray who
are willing to say like we knowthat the need is there and we
know you're meeting the need,how can we help you is
(21:54):
incredibly valuable for us.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
It's probably one of my most proud you know moments
of being a part of this the lasttwo years or year and a half,
or however long I've been hereat this point, but this, these
past couple of weeks, have beenmy proudest moments working
alongside you guys.
And you know it's um.
You're, you're benefiting oryou're helping for generations
to come.
It's not just mom, dad or, youknow, mom, sister.
(22:17):
It's again creating thathealthy lifestyle for the kids
that are watching, the youththat are watching.
So you know, hats off to youthat I love helping you tell
your story.
I think the more we can do this, the better.
Let's talk about the age range.
It's got to be.
You know what are the typicalages that come in and see you
guys.
Speaker 3 (22:37):
Yeah, so we primarily work with adults.
So there are other agenciesthat are more focused on kind of
youth who've experienced abuse,things like that.
However, like I said, werecognize that to be able to be
serving adults most effectively,if we want to get into the work
of preventing adults needingour services, that starts with
youth.
And so I mentioned that we havesupport groups.
(22:59):
We do child care in thosesupport groups and those those
like youth specific groupopportunities are great ways to
be teaching small littleinterventions you know hands are
not for hitting ask before youtouch.
All of those little things makea bigger difference than we
realize.
And so, while our programs mightbe adult focused, we're trying
(23:20):
to do everything we can at everycontact point that we have with
the youth, because a lot oftimes mom might come in and
bring kids with or whatever.
It might be where we have thatopportunity, trying to maximize
that to really give that visionfor what a respectful
interaction with youth and childor youth and adult looks like.
(23:41):
And then I mentioned thatpartnership with Lincoln Public
Schools.
We do a lot of differenteducation and awareness
opportunities and so really,again, while adults might be our
primary focus and kind of youknow a lot of our services.
We do have lots of differentways that we are connecting with
(24:02):
youth and connecting withfamilies in our community.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
I'm going to, after this next week sometime, I'm
going to shoot you an email andsee how I can kind of get
involved.
I know we're involved but Iwant to, you know, volunteer and
see what kind of stuff I canhelp out with with the
youth-specific stuff there.
All that being said, I know,because I used to work for the
government, that this line ofwork comes with its hoops, its
(24:27):
challenges.
I can't imagine you guys canjust operate on just a couple
grants that you were given.
So what does it look like tofund a program for you guys?
I know that's getting into theweeds of it and it wasn't on the
notes, but it's something thatinterests me.
I want to know what goes allinto that.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
I'm really glad you asked because actually, at a
time when the needs have neverbeen higher, you know,
post-covid, where people wereisolated in their homes, where
(25:06):
someone is already purposefullyisolating someone from friends
and family the knock-on effectsof that are things that we are
still seeing today in increasein requests for services.
At the same time, we'veexperienced some significant
funding cuts.
So Voices historically had avery large portion of our
program funded through theVictims of Crime Act or VOCA,
and in 2023, they announced a40% cut, which 40%, 40% which
(25:32):
amounted to almost $200,000 forVoices.
That was funding our coreservices, like our direct
walk-ins hospital response, our24-7 response services, and the
need for those 24-7 services hasonly increased, and so we've
been desperately trying to pluggaps, you know, through every
(25:52):
opportunity possible.
But the need is too great andunfortunately, they've announced
the expectation of another 40%cut to that fund.
So I've been, you know, doingeverything I can to let people
know about this and luckily,it's not just Vo voices in this.
You know, reach out tolawmakers if you're interested
(26:30):
in learning more.
The Nebraska Coalition to EndDomestic and Sexual Violence has
some great resources availableto learn more about kind of how
to take action, but it is a timewhen we need help.
Being completely honest, youknow we have always had to
weather different.
(26:50):
You know funding cuts ordifferent things.
You know some donor doesn'thave the ability to donate this
year that's expected but this isa massive cut that, unless
something is done, is going toimpact our ability to provide
those core direct services.
And if we can't provide thosedirect services, then there's no
way that we can have theresources to be dreaming big
(27:13):
toward those next step, futureinterventions to create the
systems and to create thehealthy futures that we are
wanting for our youth.
And so, yeah, any help that isable to be provided not just to
Voices but, like I said, to anycause that you are passionate
about that works with victims isin need right now, in desperate
(27:34):
need.
Speaker 2 (27:35):
So how can people help?
I mean, we've talked a lotabout volunteering and
volunteering time.
How can somebody get a hold ofyou guys?
What can we, what can be done,what can we do?
How do they, how do people help?
Speaker 3 (27:47):
Yeah.
So ways, big and small, youknow, if you have an extra $50
laying around that you are like,yeah, I could donate that
somewhere, this is a great timeto donate that to a victim
services agency.
Most places will be running anend of year campaign.
Voices of Hope will be one ofthem.
So if you wanted to supportVoices directly, you can watch
our social media or sign up forour newsletter and we can let
(28:10):
you know how you can connectwith us directly.
Other ways that you can supportVoices if you have a workplace
that might be interested indoing something like a hygiene
drive.
We give a lot of basic needs topeople because maybe you've left
home with just the clothes onyour back and you're fleeing for
safety and you have nothing,and so if we can just get a few
(28:32):
of those basic needs met for you, then that's just one less
stress at a time when everythingis already chaos.
Similarly, gift card drivesSometimes we're trying to help
someone relocate out of state orto another community and having
you know gas gift cards orgrocery gift cards can help make
sure that they can get frompoint A to point B.
(28:53):
There are so many differentways.
Like I said, you know,sometimes it's just letting
someone know.
Maybe you don't have theresources, but maybe you can let
someone know hey, did you knowthat there are a lot of great
agencies doing this work in ourcommunity and they really need
our help right now?
Yeah, so just lots of differentways that you can get involved,
(29:16):
whether it's spreading the word, donating personally or, like I
said, encouraging lawmakers tocreate sustainable funding
sources, Because, as much as Ilove that Marie is willing to
stand up and do a golftournament for us, what we need
is for these state-mandatedservices to be appropriately
funded, and I get that it's areally hard time for everybody
(29:38):
in so many ways, but the need isnot going anywhere,
unfortunately, and we want to beable to meet that need.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
No, it's never going to get to a point where it's
completely obsolete andeverything's just perfect
because we're all living in ahuman world.
But a hygiene drive, a coatdrive I'm assuming clothing
drive, gift card drive, like yousaid, if you're listening and
it never fails, you knowsomebody will be listening
(30:10):
that's going through it rightnow.
That needs somebody, like you,natalie.
If that person is listening,how do they go about it, getting
services and finding helpthrough you guys?
Speaker 3 (30:21):
Yeah, so there's a range of ways that you can
connect with us.
So if you have the ability andit's safe to do so, you can call
our crisis line at 402-475-7273.
That's a 24 hour line and we'realways ready to reach out and
connect you with support.
(30:42):
Next steps, just be a listeningear to help.
We also have walk-in hours, sowe have 9 to 4 on Monday,
tuesday and Thursday, 1230 to 4on Wednesday and 9 to 1230 on
Friday, and so you can stop by,walk, walk in if you are needing
(31:03):
support, like I said, getting aprotection order, talking
through next steps, just needingsomeone to process with.
And we also recognize that youknow sometimes it's not safe for
someone to call, not safe forsomeone to could just come to
our office, and so we also havethings like a crisis email and
(31:25):
things like that.
So if you visit our website,which is VoicesOfHopeLincolnorg,
then there are differentopportunities to connect and it
can kind of explain in a littlebit more detail all of the
different ways that you are ableto reach out for help and
support.
And just want to let anyone whomight be listening know that
(31:45):
you are not alone and that weare here for you if you ever
need anything and yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
You were talking about what's coming, what's next
, you know, and if money was noobject and you had all the
grants and funding that youneeded, what is next?
Steps for Voices of Hope andfor Natalie here.
Speaker 3 (32:07):
Oh, that's big.
You know, I would start and Iwould just make sure that we had
the resources to meet the needand to meet the different
culturally specific needs in ourcommunity.
I think we do a really greatjob with that through having a
diverse staff and through havinga wide range of partnerships,
but I would love to just expandour team a lot more.
I would love to be in moreschools and I would love to be
(32:30):
starting younger.
You know, my dream is that wecould have a continuum, whether
that's through voices or throughpartnering agencies, where
every youth was receiving acomprehensive, healthy
relationships education as apart of their, you know, just
general day-to-day schooling,and we would love to be a part
of developing all of that.
And so, you know, those are someof our sort of big dreams.
(32:52):
We have a lot of them.
We have a lot of just facilityneeds, and so, you know, if I
had more than a million dollarsyou know you're in the home
industry, you know more than amillion dollars, you know you're
in the home industry, you knowthen I would love to have a
purpose-built space that couldjust meet all of our dreams and
have, you know, massivechildcare spaces, outdoor spaces
(33:13):
so that people could connectwith nature and wellness while
receiving healing.
So you know, we've got lots andlots of big dreams, but I think
we just want to start with.
Just can we have the resourcesthat we need to be able to meet
the current demand?
And that's, that's the hope, Iguess.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
You know, starting to think about how diverse Lincoln
and the surrounding areas are.
You know, it's not just.
You know Hispanic speakingpeople and English speaking
people.
You've got to run into allsorts of different cultures here
in Lincoln.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Oh yeah, it's.
One of my favorite things isthat we are constantly
challenged to learn aboutdifferent populations and you
know what are their culturalnorms and things like that.
And being able to find ways tomeet people where they're at and
walk alongside them in theirjourney and to learn alongside
them is one of my favorite partsof the job.
And, like I said, we have somereally wonderful partners in the
(34:03):
Asian Community and CulturalCenter and El Centro and all of
these different cultural centershere in the community that help
guide our work.
But you know we recognize thatintimate partner violence,
sexual violence, touch alldifferent walks of life, all
different demographics, but alsothat people who are
marginalized, for whateverreason, are at higher risk of
experiencing violence becausethey have less access to
(34:27):
resources, less access to someof the means of power and
control or just more vulnerable.
And so really looking at howcan we make sure that our
services are responsive andadapt to the ever-changing needs
in our community?
Speaker 2 (34:42):
Yes, ma'am, I don't want to hold you for much longer
, but we're almost to myfavorite part.
I like going back in time.
If you could have aconversation with younger
Natalie, what's some advice orwhat would you tell your younger
self to looking forward aheadin life?
Speaker 3 (34:59):
I guess I would tell myself that it matters.
It matters that you care, itmatters that you care, it
matters that you're trying, itmatters that you're showing up
to the work.
And so just you know, keeptrying, keep shining, even when
you are feeling doubtful, andalso that the relationships that
you're going to be forming allalong the way of this journey
(35:20):
are going to follow you and helpyou connect with resources and
support in ways that you wouldnever expect down the line.
And so just invest in that andlet that grow and ripple out.
Speaker 2 (35:31):
Yeah, no, and, looking back, the relationships
that you make coming up andgrowing up are not necessarily
going to, you know, follow youfor the rest of your life, but I
do feel like a big part of whatI was taught growing up was
everybody matters.
You know, I'm from a verydiverse town, lexington,
nebraska, way out West, and wehad all walks of life out there
(35:55):
and I wouldn't change that foranything.
I love, I love where I comefrom, because it did make me a
better person.
When you, when you get up tosomewhere like Lincoln or Omaha,
it's not like culture shock,you know.
Again, I want to.
I want to give everybody thephone number that they can call
and then the email and website.
So, if you can go ahead, how dopeople reach you?
One more time, natalie?
Speaker 3 (36:15):
So our 24 hour crisis line is 4 0 2.
4 7, 5, 7, 2 7 3.
Our 802-475-7273.
Our website isVoicesOfHopeLincolnorg and from
that website you can connectwith a range of ways to get in
touch with us.
Speaker 2 (36:31):
Amazing, amazing, amazing.
Again, I want to touch basewith you guys after this weekend
.
I want to be able to help outwith the youth in our community
any way I can.
Anything else that we need tohit on, Natalie, before we get
you out of here.
Speaker 3 (36:45):
Just again want to express our gratitude for you
guys' willingness to stand upand support survivors in our
community and to help us do thiswork, and are grateful for the
opportunity to share a littlebit more today.
Speaker 2 (36:55):
You are an incredible person.
There is not enough gratitudeto go around for you and what
you do.
It's not easy.
We gratitude to go around foryou and what you do.
It's not easy.
We appreciate you.
We appreciate being partnerswith you.
Again, everybody, thank you forjoining us on this Stay Modern
with Murray podcast.
I appreciate everybody'ssupport.
Reach out to Natalievoicesofhopelincolnorg.
402-475-7273.
(37:18):
We look forward to seeing youon the next episode.
Speaker 1 (37:20):
If you have questions or topics you'd like us to
discuss, you can email them toinfo at murraycustomhomescom.
If you liked this episode, besure to subscribe to Stay Modern
with Murray on Apple andSpotify, or check back on our
website and social mediaregularly for the latest
episodes.
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