Cause for Concern: National Study Shows Reverse in Decade-Long Declines in Teen Abuse of Drugs and Alcohol
2/25/2010 10:17:03 AM
More Teens Using Alcohol, Ecstasy and Marijuana Makes Early Parental Action Even More Critical
New York, NY, March 2, 2010 – After a decade of consistent declines in teen drug abuse, a new national study released today by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America® and MetLife Foundation points to marked upswings in use of drugs that teens are likely to encounter at parties and in other social situations.
According to the 2009 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, sponsored by MetLife Foundation, the number of teens in grades 9-12 that used alcohol in the past month has grown by 11 percent, (from 35 percent in 2008 to 39 percent in 2009), past year Ecstasy use shows a 67 percent increase (from 6 percent in 2008 to 10 percent in 2009) and past year marijuana use shows a 19 percent increase (from 32 percent in 2008 to 38 percent in 2009). The PATS data mark a reverse in the remarkable, sustained declines in several drugs of abuse among teens: methamphetamine (meth) was down by over 60 percent and past month alcohol and marijuana use had decreased a full 30 percent over the past decade from 1998-2008.
Underlying these increases are negative shifts in teen attitudes, particularly a growing belief in the benefits and acceptability of drug use and drinking. The percentage of teens agreeing that “being high feels good” increased significantly from 45 percent in 2008 to 51 percent in 2009, while those saying that “friends usually get high at parties” increased from 69 percent to 75 percent over the same time period. The Partnership/ MetLife Foundation Attitude Tracking Study (PATS) also found a significant drop in the number of teens agreeing strongly that they “don’t want to hang around drug users” – from 35 percent in 2008 to 30 percent in 2009.
“These new PATS data should put all parents on notice that they have to pay closer attention to their kids’ behavior – especially their social interactions – and they must take action just as soon as they think their child may be using drugs or drinking,” said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership.
Dennis White, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation added that “the earlier parents take steps to address a child’s drug or alcohol use, the greater the chance they’ll be effective in preventing a serious problem. We need to be sure parents know when it’s time to act, and how to act when confronted with a substance abuse situation.”
Parents Not Acting Early Enough, Need to Take Immediate Action
The resurgence in teen drug and alcohol use comes at a time when pro-drug cues in popular culture – in film, television and online – abound, and when funding for federal prevention programs has been declining for several years.
This places an even greater burden on parents. Among the parents surveyed for the PATS study, 20 percent say their child (ages 10-19) has already used drugs or alcohol beyond an “experimental” level. Among parents of teens ages 14-19, that percentage jumps to 31 percent, nearly one third.
Disturbingly, among those parents of teens who have used, nearly half (47 percent) either waited to take action or took no action at all – which studies show put those children at greater risk of continued use and negative consequences.
“We’re very troubled by this upswing that has implications not just for parents, who are the main focus of the Partnership’s efforts, but for the country as a whole,” said Partnership Chairman Patricia Russo. “The United States simply can’t afford to let millions of kids struggle through their academic and professional lives hindered by substance abuse. Parents and caregivers need to play a more active role in protecting their families, trust their instincts and take immediate action as soon as they sense a problem.”
Time To Act: Resource to Help Parents Take Immediate Action, Safeguarding Kids From Drugs and Alcohol
Discovering that a teen is using drugs or drinking is often a frightening experience for parents – many feel alone, ashamed, and confused about what to do next. The Partnership encourages parents of children who are using drugs or alcohol to take action as soon as they suspect or know their child is using and provides parents with free, anonymous access, to the most current, research-based information on how to help their child and their family take the next steps. Developed in collaboration with scientists from the Treatment Research Institute, Time To Act, offers step-by-step advice and compassionate guidance from substance abuse experts, family therapists, scientists and fellow parents to help guide families through the process of understanding drug and alcohol use, confronting a child, setting boundaries, and seeking outside help.
Because research tells us that kids in grades 7-12 who learn a lot about the dangers of drugs from their parents are up to 50 percent less likely to ever use, parents are encouraged to have frequent ongoing conversations with their children about the dangers of drugs and alcohol and take early action if they suspect their child is using or might have a problem. Parent visitors to drugfree.org can learn to talk with their kids about drugs and alcohol and take charge of the conversation with their kids.
No Improvement in Teen Abuse of Rx and OTC Medicines, Cigarettes, Inhalants, Steroids, Heroin
According to the PATS survey, teen abuse of prescription (Rx) and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines has remained stable with about 1 in 5 teens in grades 9-12 (20 percent) or 3.2 million reporting abuse of a prescription medication at least once in their lives, and 1 in 7 teens (15 percent) or 2.4 million teens reporting abuse of a prescription pain reliever in the past year. Eight percent or 1.3 million teens have reported OTC cough medicine abuse in the past year.
PATS shows more than half or 56 percent of teens in grades 9-12 believe Rx drugs are easier to get than illegal drugs. Also, 62 percent believe most teens get Rx drugs from their own family’s medicine cabinets and 63 percent believe Rx drugs are easy to get from their parent’s medicine cabinet, up significantly from 56 percent just last year.
Teen smoking rates have remained stable with 25 percent of teens reporting smoking cigarettes in the past month. Teen inhalant use remains steady at 10 percent for past year use, yet only 66 percent of teens report that “sniffing or huffing things to get high can kill you,” significantly less than the 70 percent of teens who agreed just last year. Inhalant abuse merits careful monitoring – as attitudes towards inhalant abuse weaken, abuse is more likely to increase. Steroid and heroin use among teens remains low at 5 percent for lifetime use.
The 21st annual national study of 3,287 teens in grades 9-12 and 804 parents is nationally projectable with a +/- 2.3 percent margin of error for the teen sample and +/- 3.5 percent for the parent sample. Conducted for the Partnership and MetLife Foundation by the Roper Public Affairs Division of GfK Custom Research, the 2009 PATS teen study was administered in private, public and parochial schools, while the parents study was conducted through in-home interviews by deKadt Marketing and Research, Inc. For more information or to view the full PATS Report, please visit drugfree.org.
About the Partnership
The Partnership at drugfree.org is a nonprofit organization that helps parents prevent, intervene in and find treatment for drug and alcohol use by their children. Bringing together renowned scientists, parent experts, and communications professionals, the Partnership translates current research on teen behavior, addiction, and treatment into easy to understand resources at drugfree.org. For parents who need help talking with their kids about drugs, alcohol and other risky behaviors, TimeToTalk.org offers tips and tools promoting parent/child communication. Time To Act is a step-by-step guide for parents who believe or are sure that their teens are drinking or using drugs and need to know what to do. Through its “360” suite of community programs, the Partnership educates parents and concerned citizens at the grassroots level on the risks of methamphetamine, non-medical prescription drug use and other emerging drug threats, and promotes parenting and community practices designed to prevent teen substance abuse. The Partnership depends on donations from individuals, corporations, foundations and government. The Partnership thanks SAG/AFTRA and the advertising and media industries for their ongoing generosity.
About MetLife Foundation
For over 20 years, MetLife Foundation has provided support for initiatives focusing on substance abuse prevention and education. Since 1999, the Foundation has collaborated with the Partnership for a Drug-Free America on a national public awareness campaign to help parents and caregivers communicate with children about the risks of drug use. MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on its long-standing tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.metlife.org.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Being a dedicated teacher
I am confused. I have been a teacher for almost 20 years. Okay, not in a single stretch as some of my colleagues. But still.
I spend hours planning lessons that are on different levels, meet different needs, audio, visual, and kinesthetic in nature, and then assess the products of those lessons.I read professional education magazines and research on line for more ideas. I call parents when kids are not doing well, and sometimes when they are improving greatly. I attend events at the school to applaud my kids. Obviously leaving no child behind has always been my intention and it is the same for most of my teacher friends. Now we are talking about IB classes (labor intensive) and designing classes for the web. The legislators have decided students can take on-line courses that are not under our control and obtain credit for classes and we are forced to put the name of our school and system on these classes. When I first heard and found classes on line that I teach our curriculum, I thought okay leave no child behind teach him/her how to circumvent the system. Duh.
Lately I have had the good fortune to meet ladies in business and outside of the education field. I have already learned so much from them. I have also found out there are many opportunities for my female students that I can't wait to be able to suggest these opportunities to them. I have been reinvigorated by these dynamic women. I listen to their conversations and realize I do not know all their vocabulary in the businesses they do. Their organization tactics are mind boggling. I plug into this energy and want more. When time allows, I discuss with them books they are reading and books their children are reading in their classes. Or what they read (when appropriate) when they were in high school. I realize how far behind I am and how much more I can do for my students if I am out and about and not submerged at the one school.
How do you find the time? It is a balancing act isn't it.
I spend hours planning lessons that are on different levels, meet different needs, audio, visual, and kinesthetic in nature, and then assess the products of those lessons.I read professional education magazines and research on line for more ideas. I call parents when kids are not doing well, and sometimes when they are improving greatly. I attend events at the school to applaud my kids. Obviously leaving no child behind has always been my intention and it is the same for most of my teacher friends. Now we are talking about IB classes (labor intensive) and designing classes for the web. The legislators have decided students can take on-line courses that are not under our control and obtain credit for classes and we are forced to put the name of our school and system on these classes. When I first heard and found classes on line that I teach our curriculum, I thought okay leave no child behind teach him/her how to circumvent the system. Duh.
Lately I have had the good fortune to meet ladies in business and outside of the education field. I have already learned so much from them. I have also found out there are many opportunities for my female students that I can't wait to be able to suggest these opportunities to them. I have been reinvigorated by these dynamic women. I listen to their conversations and realize I do not know all their vocabulary in the businesses they do. Their organization tactics are mind boggling. I plug into this energy and want more. When time allows, I discuss with them books they are reading and books their children are reading in their classes. Or what they read (when appropriate) when they were in high school. I realize how far behind I am and how much more I can do for my students if I am out and about and not submerged at the one school.
How do you find the time? It is a balancing act isn't it.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Life-long Learning
I am shifting some of my blogs away from prescription drugs and teens now that I am writing another novel. After the Tears Dry is a new adventure for me and I will cover that at another time. Right now, it is fun to shift to other things that
I am learning from my students and new women friends.
I am in the middle of my twenty-first year of teaching. I smile when I realize how much I learn from my students. Or better yet when I give advice to students that I still don’t follow myself. Just last week I said to a young woman, “Katy (not her real name), why are you here?” The dark circles under her eyes and the pallor of her skin coupled with a hoarse voice and runny nose told how miserable she was feeling. She looked at me and half smiled and said, “I have so much to do. I didn’t want to have to make up stuff too.” I offered that if she really could not cope anymore during the period she was in class with me to let me know and I would send her down to the nurse. She smiled and nodded her head.
I started to come down with the current cold or flu that is making its way through Kilbourne (where I work) last Saturday. This is the week of interims, parent conferences, the student-faculty game, and Annual Pancake Breakfast. Most high school weeks seem to be like this. I dragged myself to school yesterday when Katy looked at me and said, “K-Horn, why are you here?” I smiled and told her. I needed to make lesson plans and schedule things so I could take off tomorrow to sleep and get well myself. She nodded at me and said, ”Good.”
In years past I would tough it out. It usually would result in an upper respiratory infection, a horrible exhausting cough, laryngitis, and/or a few lectures from my husband. But this year brings another first. I am following my own advice. I am home during school hours. After sleeping 12 hours, going through at least one box of Puffs©, and letting a wonderful qualified substitute cover my classes for a day, I am feeling better. The result will be I will make all my parent conferences without spreading the Kilbourne Kold; I will not have been sharp with a class or kid, and I will still have been able to keep my classes on schedule or at least be able to bring them back on schedule if they miss something today. One thing though I will miss. I really love watching my colleagues play and usually beat the basketball intramural champs.
I am learning from my students and new women friends.
I am in the middle of my twenty-first year of teaching. I smile when I realize how much I learn from my students. Or better yet when I give advice to students that I still don’t follow myself. Just last week I said to a young woman, “Katy (not her real name), why are you here?” The dark circles under her eyes and the pallor of her skin coupled with a hoarse voice and runny nose told how miserable she was feeling. She looked at me and half smiled and said, “I have so much to do. I didn’t want to have to make up stuff too.” I offered that if she really could not cope anymore during the period she was in class with me to let me know and I would send her down to the nurse. She smiled and nodded her head.
I started to come down with the current cold or flu that is making its way through Kilbourne (where I work) last Saturday. This is the week of interims, parent conferences, the student-faculty game, and Annual Pancake Breakfast. Most high school weeks seem to be like this. I dragged myself to school yesterday when Katy looked at me and said, “K-Horn, why are you here?” I smiled and told her. I needed to make lesson plans and schedule things so I could take off tomorrow to sleep and get well myself. She nodded at me and said, ”Good.”
In years past I would tough it out. It usually would result in an upper respiratory infection, a horrible exhausting cough, laryngitis, and/or a few lectures from my husband. But this year brings another first. I am following my own advice. I am home during school hours. After sleeping 12 hours, going through at least one box of Puffs©, and letting a wonderful qualified substitute cover my classes for a day, I am feeling better. The result will be I will make all my parent conferences without spreading the Kilbourne Kold; I will not have been sharp with a class or kid, and I will still have been able to keep my classes on schedule or at least be able to bring them back on schedule if they miss something today. One thing though I will miss. I really love watching my colleagues play and usually beat the basketball intramural champs.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
A new twist for this generation
In the sixties, seventies and eighties, it was not unusual for the news to announce another death of a rock star or actor. Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Jimmy Hendrix, Nick Adams, John Belushi, Judy Garland, Andy Gibbs, Ricky Nelson, Elvis, Jim Morrison and Marilyn Monroe are just a few. These icons are still celebrated and the mourning still strikes me as wasted energy.
Society has a new twist on the overdose. These are occurring with the use of prescription drugs. The list is growing. Heath Ledger,Anna Nicole Smith and her son, and now allegedly Brittany Murphy. Remember we can't count icon Michael Jackson. He was taking lots of prescription drugs but his death is listed as a homicide, seemingly by his doctor.
Society has a new twist on the overdose. These are occurring with the use of prescription drugs. The list is growing. Heath Ledger,Anna Nicole Smith and her son, and now allegedly Brittany Murphy. Remember we can't count icon Michael Jackson. He was taking lots of prescription drugs but his death is listed as a homicide, seemingly by his doctor.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Well, perhaps this is a start....
Drugmakers, FDA move to curb painkiller abuse
WASHINGTON — Pharmaceutical executives are laying out plans to prevent the misuse of prescription painkillers, under pressure from regulators trying to prevent hundreds of fatal overdoses each year.
Johnson & Johnson, King Pharmaceuticals and other drugmakers want to use patient medication guides, letters to doctors and additional physician training to curb inappropriate use and prescribing of painkillers.
The Food and Drug Administration sent letters to 16 drugmakers in February ordering them to design so-called risk management plans for their drugs. The companies are now presenting their joint proposal to the agency.
The companies produce 24 opioid drugs — including morphine, oxycodone and methadone — which are often abused for their euphoric effect.
I guess this is a start in the right direction but I am not getting how people who take these drugs do not realize at the start that they are addictive. I am not sure the individuals who are told by their doctors (they are, aren't they?) and their pharmacists (mine does) that they are addictive would stop and read a letter. Plus the kids who are stealing these because they want the mind alternating experiences and release, are they going to read these letters? I think not.
WASHINGTON — Pharmaceutical executives are laying out plans to prevent the misuse of prescription painkillers, under pressure from regulators trying to prevent hundreds of fatal overdoses each year.
Johnson & Johnson, King Pharmaceuticals and other drugmakers want to use patient medication guides, letters to doctors and additional physician training to curb inappropriate use and prescribing of painkillers.
The Food and Drug Administration sent letters to 16 drugmakers in February ordering them to design so-called risk management plans for their drugs. The companies are now presenting their joint proposal to the agency.
The companies produce 24 opioid drugs — including morphine, oxycodone and methadone — which are often abused for their euphoric effect.
I guess this is a start in the right direction but I am not getting how people who take these drugs do not realize at the start that they are addictive. I am not sure the individuals who are told by their doctors (they are, aren't they?) and their pharmacists (mine does) that they are addictive would stop and read a letter. Plus the kids who are stealing these because they want the mind alternating experiences and release, are they going to read these letters? I think not.
Courson Perspective Ever Fresh for Doping in NFL, Culture
Interesting perspective from an older man that experienced the intrusion of Perscription drugs in his life. It could serve to be a good FYI for today's high school teens.
Courson Perspective Ever Fresh for Doping in NFL, Culture
Courson Perspective Ever Fresh for Doping in NFL, Culture
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Women and Children in Jeopardy
I am not sure how we can let this happen. The spiral of so many things start in abusive
situations. If we do not stop the beginning of the spiral we will never catch up with the problems.
11/29/09 7:52 AM
Shelters for women in jeopardy | The Columbus Dispatch
Page 1 of 3
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/11/26/DV_Shelter.ART_ART_11-26-09_B1_ALFQANV.html
COURTNEY
HERGESHEIMER | DISPATCH
Jennifer and her children spent
six months at New Directions,
a Mount Vernon domestic-
violence shelter.
|
Shelters for women in jeopardy
Lack of steady revenue menaces homes for battered women
Thursday, November 26, 2009 3:26 AM
BY JILL RIEPENHOFF
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
A shelter for battered women in Knox County turned away 25
abuse victims a month last year.
There wasn't enough room at New Directions.
For those women -- many with children -- the best the shelter
could offer was money to cover a night or two in a motel. With
nowhere else to go, most returned to their abusive homes.
Knox County, about an hour northeast of Columbus, is not an
anomaly. On one day last fall, domestic-violence shelters across
Ohio turned away a total of 58 victims because they didn't have
room.
Advocates worry that the demand will worsen because Ohio's 72
shelters don't have enough money to meet victims' needs. Some
teeter on extinction.
Unlike domestic-violence shelters in half of the other states,
Ohio's are not funded by the state or through court fees and fines.
Their income is from a mix of federal and private sources --
money that is dwindling in the flagging economy.
The Dispatch analyzed federal tax returns from 45 nonprofit
domestic-violence shelters in the state and, after adjusting for
inflation, found that:
• More than a third of the shelters are bringing in less money than
they did five years ago. Among those is Choices, the only
domestic-violence shelter in Franklin County. Its revenue has
declined 14 percent in that time.
11/29/09 7:52 AM
Shelters for women in jeopardy | The Columbus Dispatch
Page 2 of 3
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/11/26/DV_Shelter.ART_ART_11-26-09_B1_ALFQANV.html
|
• More than a third posted deficits on their most-recently filed tax
return, including seven of the 11 shelters in central Ohio.
• Of the shelters that ended the year in the red, the median
amount of reserves was about $32,000. In central Ohio, the median amount of reserves was less
than $8,000.
• The median increase in revenue in the past five years was 8 percent, while expenses remained
relatively unchanged.
The financial data, however, don't show the real story, said Nancy Neylon, executive director of the
Ohio Domestic Violence Network.
Shelters across the state have laid off or furloughed workers to try to make ends meet. Some no
longer have 24-hour staffing. Some employees are volunteering to staff the crisis hot lines;
otherwise, there would be no one to answer a call from a victim in trouble.
"Without a solution, a number of them will close within the next three years," Neylon said.
The situation troubles Gov. Ted Strickland.
"There are many social needs that are going without the level of resources they need or even that
they had in the past. In part, it's a result of the economy," Strickland said. "It's a troubling thing.
Sometimes, these shelters are the only real way these victims can be kept safe, because if the
aggressor knows the whereabouts, it can be dangerous to them and the children."
Thirteen years ago, a task force assembled by Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer
studied Ohio's response to domestic violence and found problems with funding for programs.
The task force recommended that legislators mandate court fines for convicted batterers and
allocate the money to domestic-violence programs. The suggestion fell on deaf ears.
Ohio's shelters rely on fees from marriage and divorce licenses. It's been one of their largest
revenue streams.
However, the state's population is stagnant, limiting fee revenue from marriages and breakups. The
state's population also is shifting: A shelter in Cleveland has lost $100,000 because of the exodus
from Cuyahoga County, Neylon said.
Other funding comes from federal grants and the United Way, both of which have reduced support.
And Bernie Madoff, the New York investor who swindled numerous people out of billions in a years-
long Ponzi scheme, has done significant damage. Many foundations that made huge financial
contributions to social- service agencies shut down after losing all their money to Madoff. Domestic-
violence shelters across the country suffered as a result, said Nancy Grigsby, economic-
empowerment director for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network.
"It's fair to ask shelters to go out and raise money, but they need a base," Grigsby said. "It's a long-
standing problem that (state legislators) haven't invested in domestic-violence services in this
state."
11/29/09 7:52 AM
Shelters for women in jeopardy | The Columbus Dispatch
Page 3 of 3
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/11/26/DV_Shelter.ART_ART_11-26-09_B1_ALFQANV.html
©2009, The Columbus Dispatch, Reproduction prohibited
The demand for help continues to climb. In 2006, Ohio domestic-violence programs helped nearly
1,700 victims. In 2008, that number topped 2,100, an increase of almost 30 percent. Calls to crisis
hot lines increased 20 percent.
In March, Neylon's organization surveyed 30 domestic-violence programs in Ohio and discovered
the financial situation was even bleaker: Nearly two-thirds projected a year-end deficit, twice as
many as last year. More than half the programs received less private money. More than 40 percent
laid off employees. And more than a third cut services.
At the shelter in Knox County, executive director Mary Hendrickson is trying to figure out how to
make ends meet for the next few years. Her shelter already is too small to meet the demand. She
can house two families at a time. By comparison, CHOICES in Franklin County can take up to 30
victims.
This year, Hendrickson has eliminated one position. She fears another will be lost because it was
funded with federal stimulus money.
She is looking for new ways to raise money, including hosting a golf outing that could add as much
as $5,500 to New Directions' $440,000 budget.
"We have to be creative," she said. "One of our board members ... is exploring converting the
second floor of her old home into a shelter."
Hendrickson knows that providing a haven helps victims escape. Two-thirds of the victims who have
stayed at New Directions were able to leave their abusers for good.
Jennifer is one of them. She and her five children lived at the shelter for six months after her
husband transferred his long-standing rage from his wife to his daughter.
"I'd be back with him if I didn't stay here," said the 37-year-old woman, who asked that her full
name not be publicized out of fear for her safety. "We all got counseling. My kids are more
affectionate now. They talk to me more. They want to sit on the couch and snuggle."
Last winter, Jennifer moved her family into its own place. She is working on a degree in nursing.
She'll graduate next fall, almost two years after moving into New Directions.
jriepenhoff@dispatch.com
situations. If we do not stop the beginning of the spiral we will never catch up with the problems.
11/29/09 7:52 AM
Shelters for women in jeopardy | The Columbus Dispatch
Page 1 of 3
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/11/26/DV_Shelter.ART_ART_11-26-09_B1_ALFQANV.html
COURTNEY
HERGESHEIMER | DISPATCH
Jennifer and her children spent
six months at New Directions,
a Mount Vernon domestic-
violence shelter.
|
Shelters for women in jeopardy
Lack of steady revenue menaces homes for battered women
Thursday, November 26, 2009 3:26 AM
BY JILL RIEPENHOFF
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
A shelter for battered women in Knox County turned away 25
abuse victims a month last year.
There wasn't enough room at New Directions.
For those women -- many with children -- the best the shelter
could offer was money to cover a night or two in a motel. With
nowhere else to go, most returned to their abusive homes.
Knox County, about an hour northeast of Columbus, is not an
anomaly. On one day last fall, domestic-violence shelters across
Ohio turned away a total of 58 victims because they didn't have
room.
Advocates worry that the demand will worsen because Ohio's 72
shelters don't have enough money to meet victims' needs. Some
teeter on extinction.
Unlike domestic-violence shelters in half of the other states,
Ohio's are not funded by the state or through court fees and fines.
Their income is from a mix of federal and private sources --
money that is dwindling in the flagging economy.
The Dispatch analyzed federal tax returns from 45 nonprofit
domestic-violence shelters in the state and, after adjusting for
inflation, found that:
• More than a third of the shelters are bringing in less money than
they did five years ago. Among those is Choices, the only
domestic-violence shelter in Franklin County. Its revenue has
declined 14 percent in that time.
11/29/09 7:52 AM
Shelters for women in jeopardy | The Columbus Dispatch
Page 2 of 3
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/11/26/DV_Shelter.ART_ART_11-26-09_B1_ALFQANV.html
|
• More than a third posted deficits on their most-recently filed tax
return, including seven of the 11 shelters in central Ohio.
• Of the shelters that ended the year in the red, the median
amount of reserves was about $32,000. In central Ohio, the median amount of reserves was less
than $8,000.
• The median increase in revenue in the past five years was 8 percent, while expenses remained
relatively unchanged.
The financial data, however, don't show the real story, said Nancy Neylon, executive director of the
Ohio Domestic Violence Network.
Shelters across the state have laid off or furloughed workers to try to make ends meet. Some no
longer have 24-hour staffing. Some employees are volunteering to staff the crisis hot lines;
otherwise, there would be no one to answer a call from a victim in trouble.
"Without a solution, a number of them will close within the next three years," Neylon said.
The situation troubles Gov. Ted Strickland.
"There are many social needs that are going without the level of resources they need or even that
they had in the past. In part, it's a result of the economy," Strickland said. "It's a troubling thing.
Sometimes, these shelters are the only real way these victims can be kept safe, because if the
aggressor knows the whereabouts, it can be dangerous to them and the children."
Thirteen years ago, a task force assembled by Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas J. Moyer
studied Ohio's response to domestic violence and found problems with funding for programs.
The task force recommended that legislators mandate court fines for convicted batterers and
allocate the money to domestic-violence programs. The suggestion fell on deaf ears.
Ohio's shelters rely on fees from marriage and divorce licenses. It's been one of their largest
revenue streams.
However, the state's population is stagnant, limiting fee revenue from marriages and breakups. The
state's population also is shifting: A shelter in Cleveland has lost $100,000 because of the exodus
from Cuyahoga County, Neylon said.
Other funding comes from federal grants and the United Way, both of which have reduced support.
And Bernie Madoff, the New York investor who swindled numerous people out of billions in a years-
long Ponzi scheme, has done significant damage. Many foundations that made huge financial
contributions to social- service agencies shut down after losing all their money to Madoff. Domestic-
violence shelters across the country suffered as a result, said Nancy Grigsby, economic-
empowerment director for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network.
"It's fair to ask shelters to go out and raise money, but they need a base," Grigsby said. "It's a long-
standing problem that (state legislators) haven't invested in domestic-violence services in this
state."
11/29/09 7:52 AM
Shelters for women in jeopardy | The Columbus Dispatch
Page 3 of 3
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/11/26/DV_Shelter.ART_ART_11-26-09_B1_ALFQANV.html
©2009, The Columbus Dispatch, Reproduction prohibited
The demand for help continues to climb. In 2006, Ohio domestic-violence programs helped nearly
1,700 victims. In 2008, that number topped 2,100, an increase of almost 30 percent. Calls to crisis
hot lines increased 20 percent.
In March, Neylon's organization surveyed 30 domestic-violence programs in Ohio and discovered
the financial situation was even bleaker: Nearly two-thirds projected a year-end deficit, twice as
many as last year. More than half the programs received less private money. More than 40 percent
laid off employees. And more than a third cut services.
At the shelter in Knox County, executive director Mary Hendrickson is trying to figure out how to
make ends meet for the next few years. Her shelter already is too small to meet the demand. She
can house two families at a time. By comparison, CHOICES in Franklin County can take up to 30
victims.
This year, Hendrickson has eliminated one position. She fears another will be lost because it was
funded with federal stimulus money.
She is looking for new ways to raise money, including hosting a golf outing that could add as much
as $5,500 to New Directions' $440,000 budget.
"We have to be creative," she said. "One of our board members ... is exploring converting the
second floor of her old home into a shelter."
Hendrickson knows that providing a haven helps victims escape. Two-thirds of the victims who have
stayed at New Directions were able to leave their abusers for good.
Jennifer is one of them. She and her five children lived at the shelter for six months after her
husband transferred his long-standing rage from his wife to his daughter.
"I'd be back with him if I didn't stay here," said the 37-year-old woman, who asked that her full
name not be publicized out of fear for her safety. "We all got counseling. My kids are more
affectionate now. They talk to me more. They want to sit on the couch and snuggle."
Last winter, Jennifer moved her family into its own place. She is working on a degree in nursing.
She'll graduate next fall, almost two years after moving into New Directions.
jriepenhoff@dispatch.com
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