208 343-7025
Women should keep this number filed away, especially those who live in remote rural areas of the Gem State. And this is the number to call if you want to get out of an abusive relationship, which may include domestic violence or sexual assault.
That’s the number of the Women’s & Children’s Alliance hotline, where a friendly voice will hear your story and direct you to resources in your area. The WCA fields almost 4,500 calls a year, so don’t think you are alone with this situation.
Bea Black has heard her share of stories during her 17 years as WCA’s executive director, and she cringes at just about every one of those tales.
“It’s chilling what individuals can do to others,” she says.
While listening to horror stories is not the most pleasant aspect of her job, what she does afterward keeps her going to work every day. With a team of 56 who come to the rescue of women and children going through some form of domestic abuse, Black’s role is to promote those efforts.
“These are the real heroes of the story about the WCA. These are the ones helping the people during the worst times of their lives,” she says. “For me as the spokesperson, I have the opportunity to provide education about our services and how those services impact the people in our community.”
Of course, that’s only a snapshot of what she does. A CEO can make, or break, an organization and Black’s record is one of resounding success. She’s not an expert in the field of domestic abuse (her background is as a CPA and entrepreneur), but her work history has helped give the WCA a strong footing. She also knows enough to let the field experts do their jobs.
Within the WCA, there are the “technicians” (guardian angels) who sit with the children and moms who are going through monumental pain. The court advocates who tirelessly work on obtaining restraining orders. The counselors who help clients process their trauma. And the case managers who help figure out what’s next in the victims’ lives, starting with the basics.
Black lists some of the questions: “Do I need a job? Do I need to learn how to drive, because I’ve never been allowed to handle a vehicle? Do I need to get a GED, because I never finished school?”
Then, there are people who work at the WCA shelter – supplying a safe temporary home for abuse victims. Women and children can stay up to seven months, but the average stay is 90-120 days. The WCA also works with other community agencies to provide low-cost housing.
“We have two buildings with a total of 30 rooms. At the end of last month we had 27 women and 20 kids that were sheltered. In a year, we serve over 200 women and children,” Black says. “Our mission is safety, healing and freedom from domestic abuse and sexual assault.”
The WCA doesn’t win them all. Some women, for whatever the reason are unable to break the cycle. And some abuse cases are not as clear-cut as others.
“We use the term ‘abuse’ because it’s a broader term. Domestic abuse is more ambiguous, because in many cases there are no black eyes or broken arms. There often is no outward sign of abuse, but it’s there. It’s all about control and the eventual outcome depends on how fixated that control is,” Black says.
“Not everybody is going to be able to break the cycle and move forward,” she says. “It takes an average of seven attempts for someone to leave an abusive situation. It’s like breaking a bad habit, such as smoking or alcohol abuse.”
But it’s the success stories that make the WCA such a valuable lifeline. Black tells a story about a mother and three daughters who moved into the WCA shelter, and some of the challenges that went with that transition.
“I could hear the difference in their voices and the ways they interacted,” she said. “When the girls started counseling, there was anger and unpleasant interaction – particularly with the older ones. The mom gained some culinary skills and ended up taking a job in a grocery store, and you could tell that the kids were much happier. They were admiring what their mom had done.”
The work and challenges of the WCA are incredibly difficult, as Black will attest, but the victories are worth celebrating.
“I tell people that I have the best job in the world,” Black says.
Chuck Malloy, a long-time Idaho journalist and columnist, is a writer with the Idaho Nonprofit Center/Idaho Community Foundation. He may be reached at ctmalloy@outlook.com
(image/Idaho Community Foundation)
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