DuPage County to use new tool to help domestic violence survivors
DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. (CBS) – Advocates for survivors of domestic violence in DuPage County say they're seeing more people come to them for service.
But how do they find people who are too scared to reach out? Advocates told CBS 2's Sara Machi they have a new tool and they think they're the first to use it.
Staff at DuPage County's emergency domestic violence shelter were setting up for a spring fling, marking a new season and a new chapter for the women and children staying here.
"You know the pandemic really showed us that people staying at home was not safe," said Alexandra Milkent, the program supervisor.
Milkent said they have 41 beds at the center but responded to more than 12,000 domestic violence hotline and police calls last fiscal year.
This fiscal year, they're on track for more than 13,000.
"Where we saw most of our clients accessing services last year would be through the hotline or through the court during the pandemic, and now that the pandemic is over, we're seeing people come more in person on site to access services safely," Milkent said.
But now, they have a new tool.
"The whole idea is to provide victims and survivors with as much protection as we can," said Robert Berlin, the DuPage County State's Attorney.
Representatives from the court system said their first responders historically handed domestic violence survivors a piece of paper with numbers and information on organizations that could help, something that might cause anger if an abuser found it. Now, they're armed with QR codes that pull up a website advertising an unrelated product or service, but instead links survivors to the agencies that can help.
"It allows the victims to get ready to leave, whenever they're ready to leave, instead of having to hide a piece of paper, they can just hide it in their phone," said John Caldwell, a firemedic EMT with the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District.
Milkent said in situations of life and death, she welcomes any tool that brings people here to safety.
"We serve all of DuPage and we know we're not serving everyone," she said.
The team said their goal is to put this website into other languages, starting with Spanish. They said they also hope to share this strategy with other departments because they believe it is the first of its kind, particularly in Illinois.
If you or anyone you know needs help right now, you can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.
You can also text "START" to 88788 or chat online at thehotline.org.