An overview of Sojourn Shelter and Services, A domestic violence shelter serving five central Illinois counties

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Sojourn Shelter and Services, Inc. (Sojourn), a not-for-profit corporation founded to eliminate domestic violence through service, leadership and education. Sojourn is headquartered in Springfield, Illinois and serves victims of domestic violence within a five-county central Illinois region (Sangamon, Christian, Montgomery, Logan and Menard counties).

Sojourn offers several service programs. The Shelter Program provides emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence. In addition to a safe place to stay, Sojourn offers individual counseling and education group services while in shelter. Sojourn also provides community referrals and advocacy for its clients. Sojourn offers a confidential 24-hour hotline for emergencies and support.

Another program offered by Sojourn is the Children's Program. Unfortunately, children are also victims of domestic violence. Sojourn offers children individual counseling and education group services focusing on domestic violence, safety planning, and safe self-expression. In addition, Sojourn provides support to mothers by increasing their positive parenting skills and helping them understand the effects of domestic violence on their children.

Sojourn also offers a Court Advocacy Program, which provides advocacy, information and support to victims of domestic violence while going through both civil and criminal court proceedings. Clients receive assistance in completing orders of protection and receive support when going through the legal system.

The SAFER (Sojourn Advocate for Emergency Response) Program provides an on-call advocate who responds directly to a secured scene of domestic battery. Sojourn presents options to victims of domestic violence, offers them support and any necessary transportation to leave the scene. It is vital for victims to have this immediate support following a domestic violence incident.

In addition to the Shelter Program, Sojourn offers a Non-Residential Program where individual and group counseling services are provided to adult and child victims of domestic violence who are not staying at the shelter.

Community awareness and support are critical factors in ending domestic violence. As part of Sojourn's Prevention and Education program, Sojourn provides education to the community, including professional training, domestic violence awareness and dynamics education and prevention programming. Sojourn partners with schools, businesses, agencies, civic- and faith-based organizations to prevent violence in the community.

Sojourn's newest program is called Project Voice. This program was made possible by a grant recently received by Sojourn from the United States Department of Justice. Using this grant, Sojourn became the first domestic violence shelter in Illinois to hire a full-time attorney to assist clients with a variety of legal issues. In addition to providing legal services, Project Voice seeks to engage local attorneys through domestic violence education and opportunities to serve victims in our community. Through this grant, Sojourn was also able to hire more advocates so that victims receive immediate assistance after a domestic battery incident.

The following is a summary of services Sojourn provided to victims of domestic violence in 2004. Sojourn assisted 1,358 victims with Emergency Orders of Protection and advocated for 519 victims during the Plenary Order of Protection Hearings. Sojourn Advocates responded to 430 Domestic Violence 911 calls in connection with the Springfield Police Department. Advocates created and updated safety plans with 564 clients. Advocates completed Shelter intakes for 252 clients last year and provided 411 hours of counseling. The Project Voice Attorney represented 25 clients at Plenary Orders of Protection hearings and met with 35 other clients to assess legal needs. The Attorney also represented 19 clients on matters other than orders of protection. Sojourn staff also accompanied approximately 255 clients to meetings with the various five-county States Attorneys' Offices.

According to the Law Enforcement Resource Center, domestic violence is the most frequently committed violent crime in the United States. The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reports that half of all women will experience some form of violence from their partners during marriage. JAMA further reports that domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between the ages of 15 to 44 and is more common than automobile accidents, muggings and cancer deaths combined. While great strides have been made to provide shelter, legal advice and counseling to domestic violence victims, there is much more that needs to be done. Sojourn Shelter continuously strives to provide more services and education so that every one can realize Sojourn's motto: "Peace on Earth Begins at Home."