Despite the setbacks, the program already has a strong team in place. A 24-hour hotline offers residents access to advice or someone to talk to in a time of crisis. A support group, meeting twice each month, targets women living in both the counties of Powhatan and Goochland. In the first half of the session, we target women's health and safety issues. The support group offers women a forum to address their personal experiences and concerns.
Volunteers also perform another vital function to victims of domestic abuse.
They help by accompanying women in court. Obtaining a restraining order or pursuing another form of legal action can be a traumatic experience for these women, but volunteer advocates make the process less intimidating. The program offers individual counseling for women who need help or guidance. Individual counseling is non-threatening. Many women just need their fears and experiences to be validated,' Cason-Card said.