July 1 marked the first full year of existence for Chatham County’s domestic violence and abuse 24-hour hotline, and while there hasn’t necessarily been a surge in calls since the coronavirus pandemic started, domestic violence advocates still think there’s cause for heightened concern.
“We know that domestic violence is happening every day,” said Renita Foxx, the director of Chatham County Court Programs, which includes the county’s Family Violence Services division. “When I say it’s not active — I don’t know of anyone’s hotline or any agency’s hotlines that are reflecting the actual number of acts that are actually being (done) against women.”
Since stay-at-home orders were put in place across the country to prevent the spread of COVID-19, multiple media outlets have written about a potential rise in incidents of domestic violence during COVID-19. Victims and survivors of abuse are more likely to be left with their abusers all day and with less chance for a way out, advocates say.
“Any reprieve with an abuser at work, and possibly children at school, is most likely not available,” Tamsey Hill, program director of Second Bloom of Chatham, told the News + Record in April. “Also, tensions can intensify with the uncertainty, loss of power and control, and anxiety of living through a pandemic, and the repercussions a pandemic can have financially and socially on a family. As tensions increase, so does the possibility of abuse.”
Though there hasn’t necessarily been an upward trend in calls locally since the pandemic started, Foxx said the hotline has seen more calls in recent months. Because it is the hotline’s first full year of operation, though, she said that increase could also be related to increased awareness of the service.
The hotline was started by Chatham Family Violence Prevention Services and Second Bloom, a nonprofit organization focused on domestic violence and sexual assault awareness and services in the county. Currently, Foxx said the two organizations are working to more widely promote the joint hotline within the community.
As one of the Family Violence Services division’s primary partners, Second Bloom has “been filling in the holes with service” over the last few months, Foxx said. The nonprofit fundraised to provide new and donated cell phones for abuse victims and survivors in the community and followed guidelines set by the state government and the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence to continue helping survivors, even with new socially distances policies.
During this time, Foxx said community relationships are especially important for the work she and her staff does.
“The last month has challenged many agencies, and has challenged our staff and volunteers in numerous ways, but we’ve also learned how valuable community partnerships can be,” she said. “What we’ve learned over the past couple months is that one agency cannot provide all the services needed to help individuals overcome hardships and struggles. So being able to form those community bonds in partnership is very crucial to helping individuals recover.”
For Foxx’s team and other Chatham resources, remaining accessible and flexible throughout the coronavirus pandemic has been a big goal. Not only do some of their policies and guidelines look very different under new COVID-19 health and safety codes, but the behavior of victims could also potentially look different — some will call at different times of night, appear in different areas or struggle to articulate their stories.
“Sometimes agencies can get stuck in patterns,” Foxx said. “But if we can provide patience and just guidance, hopefully we can get some support that they need. We’re just trying our best to make sure that we’re still present, even though we can’t physically stand side-by-side.”
Moving forward, the county will continue to increase advertising efforts for the hotline and hopes to host volunteer trainings in September; Foxx said anyone interested in volunteering can reach out through the hotline number as well. And as restrictions in North Carolina continue to be let up, Foxx said there should still be heightened concern for those living in situations of abuse.
“I want to make sure and reiterate to anyone who may be reading this article who is seeing violence at home, or if you have a loved one or a friend who is experiencing violence, that they’re not alone, and help is available,” she said. “They can call us up at any point in time and it’s confidential — we’ll do our best to provide them with the resources and the support that they need.”
The county’s hotline is available 24/7 at 919-545-STOP (7867).
Reporter Hannah McClellan can be reached at hannah@chathamnr.com.