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, a 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 Musaran 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.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
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
of a convenor of as many of the direct service
(01:31):
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
partner violence and sexual harm. And so every state has
(01:53):
a coalition where the dual Coalition for Massachusetts, and our
primary ways of doing our work are through policy and
legislative advocacy systems, reform work looking at the courts and
housing systems, DCF various systems that impact survivors, and then
(02:13):
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?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (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 M
looks like. Unfortunately, historically in the media, what's most visible
(03:06):
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 and control, and it is an
(03:26):
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. Use it takes many forms.
It can be in the form of financial abuse, it
can be in the form of physical or emotional abuse, gaslighting,
(04:12):
controlling someone's movements, tat Like you said, technology 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
(04:33):
partner says, sorry, you can't have access to that. 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
(04:54):
part of that advocacy effort with some incredible survivors who
brought that issue to light.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
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.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Is intimate violence absolutely.
Speaker 3 (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, general 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 lift 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 3 (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. And I think that's really I
think right now one of the most powerful ways, and
(08:38):
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,
(08:59):
to 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 for a while.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
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 something and you
(10:20):
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 hearing them, and that
(10:41):
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.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Problems quickly.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
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, every survivor
knows how to survive really really harmful settings and contexts,
(11:14):
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 a trusted person.
Those are powerful survivors survival skills, and as friends and
(11:35):
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 be really, really supportive
to a survivor. I think if you spil to have
some resources around, many organizations, including JDI, have things like
(12:00):
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 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 3 (12:58):
Right, I mean, if we eat each thought about how
we could leave our present living situation, community, children's school setting,
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.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
As 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 federal level over all of us,
(15:04):
so 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, are a lot of
restrictions on what can be said, what values are at
(15:27):
the heart of the work, what is allowed to be funded,
how can you what survivors are even allowed to support?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
And so.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
JDI is part of Jane Knowing is part of a
number of number of coalitions who join together in a
lawsuit against the administration to really shine a light on
how harmful conditions.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
On the funding are for all survivors.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
So that's one of the backdrops to what programs are
facing because many programs, 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
(16:20):
Massachusetts values and law, we're in this position wondering if
we take this money, 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,
(16:41):
but then by extension survivors. So against this federal landscape
of you know, trying to control funding streams, perhaps not
even refunding some 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.
(17:04):
While we do have state investment, unfortunately, some of the
pressures at the federal level have resulted in a seven
million dollar 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
(17:25):
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 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,
(17:51):
and even amidst tough times, we're really hoping that this
particular issue can be seen for what it is, which
is we prevent 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
(18:15):
the books some of the state context as well as
you know obviously, as we are amidst of government shutdown
and wondering 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
(18:39):
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 keeping our state going. But then also
(19:06):
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.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
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. What we are most concerned about right
(19:40):
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 survivors go? Know, we're also really concerned about
(20:03):
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, a workforce that's filled with survivors.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
That's that's who we're we're drawn to help.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
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 of wondering again, how do
we move together to preserve the expertise that survivor led
(20:55):
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 3 (21:22):
You know, what is really really important to remember is,
you know, hotlines are open. Hotland 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 3 (22:38):
Sure, yeah, we have you can connect with us on
social media is a very sorts.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
So we have Instagram.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
There's so many, so many, so Mandy, so you find
us on social media. Our website is undergoing a transition,
but I'll hope soon to be soon to have any website.
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 3 (23:13):
You can go to Jando 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, a 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 Musaran 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.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
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
of a convenor of as many of the direct service
(01:31):
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
partner violence and sexual harm. And so every state has
(01:53):
a coalition where the dual Coalition for Massachusetts, and our
primary ways of doing our work are through policy and
legislative advocacy systems, reform work looking at the courts and
housing systems, DCF various systems that impact survivors, and then
(02:13):
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?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (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 M
looks like. Unfortunately, historically in the media, what's most visible
(03:06):
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 and control, and it is an
(03:26):
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. Use it takes many forms.
It can be in the form of financial abuse, it
can be in the form of physical or emotional abuse, gaslighting,
(04:12):
controlling someone's movements, tat Like you said, technology 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
(04:33):
partner says, sorry, you can't have access to that. 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
(04:54):
part of that advocacy effort with some incredible survivors who
brought that issue to light.
Speaker 1 (04:59):
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.
Speaker 2 (05:16):
Is intimate violence absolutely.
Speaker 3 (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, general 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 lift 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 3 (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. And I think that's really I
think right now one of the most powerful ways, and
(08:38):
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,
(08:59):
to 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 for a while.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
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 something and you
(10:20):
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 hearing them, and that
(10:41):
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.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Problems quickly.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
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, every survivor
knows how to survive really really harmful settings and contexts,
(11:14):
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 a trusted person.
Those are powerful survivors survival skills, and as friends and
(11:35):
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 be really, really supportive
to a survivor. I think if you spil to have
some resources around, many organizations, including JDI, have things like
(12:00):
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 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 3 (12:58):
Right, I mean, if we eat each thought about how
we could leave our present living situation, community, children's school setting,
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.
Speaker 3 (14:43):
As 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 federal level over all of us,
(15:04):
so 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, are a lot of
restrictions on what can be said, what values are at
(15:27):
the heart of the work, what is allowed to be funded,
how can you what survivors are even allowed to support?
Speaker 2 (15:37):
And so.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
JDI is part of Jane Knowing is part of a
number of number of coalitions who join together in a
lawsuit against the administration to really shine a light on
how harmful conditions.
Speaker 2 (15:56):
On the funding are for all survivors.
Speaker 3 (16:00):
So that's one of the backdrops to what programs are
facing because many programs, 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
(16:20):
Massachusetts values and law, we're in this position wondering if
we take this money, 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,
(16:41):
but then by extension survivors. So against this federal landscape
of you know, trying to control funding streams, perhaps not
even refunding some 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.
(17:04):
While we do have state investment, unfortunately, some of the
pressures at the federal level have resulted in a seven
million dollar 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
(17:25):
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 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,
(17:51):
and even amidst tough times, we're really hoping that this
particular issue can be seen for what it is, which
is we prevent 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
(18:15):
the books some of the state context as well as
you know obviously, as we are amidst of government shutdown
and wondering 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
(18:39):
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 keeping our state going. But then also
(19:06):
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.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
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. What we are most concerned about right
(19:40):
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 survivors go? Know, we're also really concerned about
(20:03):
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, a workforce that's filled with survivors.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
That's that's who we're we're drawn to help.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
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 of wondering again, how do
we move together to preserve the expertise that survivor led
(20:55):
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 3 (21:22):
You know, what is really really important to remember is,
you know, hotlines are open. Hotland 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 3 (22:38):
Sure, yeah, we have you can connect with us on
social media is a very sorts.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
So we have Instagram.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
There's so many, so many, so Mandy, so you find
us on social media. Our website is undergoing a transition,
but I'll hope soon to be soon to have any website.
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 3 (23:13):
You can go to Jando 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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