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Portland officials highlight county services, survivor-centered programs during domestic violence awareness presentation
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Summary
Local advocates and Multnomah County prosecutors and crisis responders briefed the Community and Public Safety Committee on survivor services, crisis response hours and a county deflection program, urging continued coordination and funding.
Representatives from Rose City Self Defense, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office and the Multnomah County Domestic Violence Crisis Response Unit told the Portland City Council’s Community and Public Safety Committee on Oct. 21 that survivors need a range of trauma-informed resources, and described how county and community programs work together to serve people in crisis.
The presentations outlined existing services and operating hours, described a county-led deflection program for people who are survivors but end up arrested, and urged continued funding and coordination between law enforcement, hospitals and community providers.
Sarah K. Johnson, representing Rose City Self Defense, described the organization’s trauma-informed empowerment classes for adults and youth and said the program teaches awareness of domestic and dating violence, consent and de-escalation skills before moving into options for escape and, as a last resort, physical self-defense. “Completing an empowerment self defense course reduces victimization by 50 percent,” Johnson said, citing the organization’s forty years of research.
Robin Skarstad, who supervises the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office domestic violence unit, said the unit is staffed with eight attorneys, two interns and two investigators and prosecutes cases ranging from restraining-order violations to complex assaults under Ballot Measure 11. Skarstad described a survivor-centered deflection program that reviews cases where a person arrested may actually be a long-term survivor of domestic violence; those people may be referred to a community partner, the Bradley Engle House, for housing and counseling and in some instances the office will dismiss charges. “Those are the kinds of opportunities that we’re looking for to make a real impact on survivors,” Skarstad said.
Emmy Martinez and Avery Sage, program leads with the Multnomah County Domestic Violence Crisis Response Unit (the DV crew), described on-scene advocacy services colocated with law enforcement at the Gateway campus. The unit provides advocates seven days a week: 7 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday and 1 p.m. to midnight on weekends, the presenters said. The program includes an enhanced response team for high-lethality intimate-partner cases, six domestic violence response advocates who go on scene with law enforcement or to hospitals, an advocate embedded with detectives for longer-term case management, and an elder & vulnerable-adult advocate focused on familial abuse.
Martinez and Sage described typical DV crew services — immediate crisis response, safety planning, culturally specific referrals, help with protective orders and system navigation — and said the unit coordinates closely with Portland Police Bureau, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, hospitals and community partners. “We are survivor led. We will work with somebody regardless of whether or not they want to pursue something criminally,” Sage said, describing the program’s survivor-centered approach.
Speakers and council members also discussed the patchwork nature of funding for domestic-violence services. Skarstad said the survivor-centered deflection program began with grant funding that has since ended; the office has continued to examine and support cases but noted sustainability concerns. Council members urged attention to small but meaningful program cuts that can accumulate when budgets are thin.
Committee members asked for continued collaboration and more information about gaps and funding needs. Councilor Carmen Rubio noted how domestic violence intersects with housing instability, and Councilor Aisha Khan and others thanked presenters for the detail on hours and on-scene coordination so the council can better understand where city support is most effective.
The committee received materials about referral procedures and a comprehensive resource list from the DV crew; presenters offered to follow up with council members and staff with additional case consultation and implementation details.
A copy of the committee agenda shows the presentation was part of Item 2, domestic violence awareness, prevention, response and services, on the Oct. 21 Community and Public Safety Committee agenda.
