Prudence Crandall Center Celebrates the Impact of Local Leaders
New Britain, CT – With tremendous admiration and appreciation, Prudence Crandall Center (PCC) announces the retirement of Board of Directors member Mary Healey, JD after 18 years of dedicated service to the organization. Healey joined the Board in 2003 and helped lead the agency during a period of expansion and transformative change. Drawing on her commitment to the local community and her extensive professional experience, including 10 years as the Consumer Counsel for the State of CT, Healey consistently delivered intellect, passion, and expertise to the PCC Board.
Taking the helm after the late Tony Garro, Healey dedicated her time and talent as the PCC Board President from 2009-2012. As Board President, Healey set PCC on a path of growth and development, helping to open PCC’s ground-breaking supportive housing programs, which offers victims and their families a safe, stable, and affordable home after seeking shelter. Reflecting on her time on the Board, Healey commented, “My service at PCC has been personally meaningful to me and my family. I’ve been honored to be part of an agency that continues to be a leader in a critically important field where it truly saves and transforms lives.”
Among her many talents, Healey was an incredible relationship builder and fundraiser for PCC. Healey helped shepherd PCC’s successful Bright Futures capital campaign in honor of the agency’s 40th anniversary. A tireless advocate for PCC, Healey forged incredible connections within the local community and built a dedicated base of supporters for the agency. Looking towards the future, Healey expressed her unwavering commitment to the cause and the organization. “I know my family and I will continue to be part of the PCC family, supporting its work. I encourage others to do so as well because this agency has had a tremendous impact over the past 50 years, but there is still much work to be done.”
Current PCC Board President Michelle Rosa remarked, “Never one to shy away from the tough questions, Mary encouraged fellow Board members to lead with their heart and make a positive impact. Mary will truly be missed on the Board, but we appreciate her continued support as a PCC advocate in our community.”
During PCC’s most recent Annual Meeting, Board member and Bristol resident Dave Rackliffe (retired Chief Information Officer for Bristol Hospital) was elected Board Treasurer. Rackliffe brings a wealth of experience to the position and looks forward to leading continued financial growth for the organization. PCC thanks Lucia Chubet (Partner, Mugford & DiBella, LLC) for her dedication and leadership as outgoing Board Treasurer and is grateful for her continued commitment as a Board member engaging our Southington community. Joining the Board this year are three new Board members who bring additional critical talent and expertise to the agency’s Board – Brandy Little (Travelers), Brenda Moore (Bristol Housing Authority), and Mary Smith-Floyd (City of New Britain Community Services).
PCC President & CEO, Barbara Damon, commented, “I am incredibly grateful to Mary and the rest of our Board for their leadership and commitment over the past two years, which were particularly challenging for our community and our agency. Their diversity of skills and experiences, coupled with a passion for our mission, made the impossible possible during the pandemic and enables us to move forward.”
For more information, contact Sarah Hawkes at 860-259-3824 or shawkes@prudencecrandall.org
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Prudence Crandall Center was the first domestic violence program in our state and is the only program serving the communities of Bristol, Berlin, Burlington, Kensington, New Britain, Plainville, Plymouth, Southington and Terryville, with 28 units of supportive housing program open to survivors from throughout the state. Services include a 24-hour crisis hotline, emergency shelter, transitional and permanent supportive housing, court advocacy, counseling, and community education and prevention services. For additional information about Prudence Crandall Center or to donate, please visit www.prudencecrandall.org. To access the 24-hour hotline, call toll-free 888-774-2900. All services are free and confidential.
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CT must do more to help children facing trauma at home
As the COVID-19 pandemic has stretched on longer than any of us originally anticipated, the secondary effects of this global crisis continue to play out in communities and homes around the world, and here in Connecticut.
Much attention has rightfully been paid to the impact of the pandemic on various social and economic fronts including mental health, the education achievement gap, workforce problems and more. However, there is another widespread and dire area of concern that has gotten less attention. A shadow pandemic which plays out within our broader public health crisis that is having a particular impact on Connecticut children: domestic violence.
In the early waves of the pandemic, the very measures put in place to combat the virus were also fueling a “nightmare for victims of domestic violence.” As families were asked to isolate at home, victims of domestic violence were given more exposure to domestic abusers. Early estimates and studies showed more than an 8 percent increase in domestic violence incidents in the United States, as well as a dramatic surge in gun sales. And as the pandemic has dragged on, external factors such as income loss have made domestic situations more volatile, compounding the problem.
The impact is especially acute for children. For one, remote learning meant more time at home, often with adult family members either working from home or experiencing unemployment. Beyond that, the pandemic has caused fewer children to interact with a variety of systems intended to offer safety and support. When children are not in school, it prevents the ability of teachers and other professionals to notice irregularities in behavior that could be attributable to experiencing or witnessing abuse at home; in fact, the Connecticut Department of Children and Families has reported substantially fewer referrals from educators over the past year. Many social services that help children have also been moved to virtual rather than in-person contact, limiting access to some children who otherwise may have had access to those services.
Unfortunately, here in Connecticut there is currently zero state funding for the social service workers whose primary job function is helping children impacted by domestic violence: Connecticut’s child and family advocates. These advocates work at our state’s 18 domestic violence organizations, and utilize a number of trauma-informed, evidence-based and resiliency-driven approaches to their work. They support both children and nonoffending parents with critical services including counseling, coordinating basic needs, school or child care enrollment, scheduling transportation, and advocating for the child and nonoffending parent/survivor within the courts and our child welfare system.
Currently, federal pass-through funds pay for only about a quarter of the cost of a full-time advocate at each domestic violence organization, or $11,500 per position. This results in local providers having to either raise funds privately to fully fund a position or have a staff member split their time across various functions, leaving less time for these child-focused purposes. Looking at the number of cases these advocates handle in Connecticut makes the problem starkly clear: over a five-year period from 2017 to 2021, there was an average of 4,313 children served annually by advocates. However, given that each member receives funding for a maximum of 26 percent of their time, that means that federal funding is only supporting advocates for 2.26 hours of service to each child, per year.
Thankfully, state leaders are recognizing that this isn’t a sustainable situation for Connecticut, or its children. Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz recently made a strong and clear call for state action to fund these positions, and to do it this year. Along with the lieutenant governor and key partners in the General Assembly, the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence will seek a total of $1,440,000 in new state funding to cover the cost of 18 full-time child and family advocates. This number is less than .01 percent of Connecticut’s state budget, but it would be a lifeline to thousands of children who experience or witness violence in their homes, including those who have experienced increased exposure during the pandemic.
Providing evidence- and strengths-based resiliency services for children is paramount to the overall safety and stability of Connecticut families, but currently there is simply not a sustainable way to meet those needs. Connecticut can and should do more — it should start with fully funding child and family advocates.
Meghan Scanlon is the president and CEO of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence.