In the fall of 2020, End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin and its initiatives, The Asha Project, Inc. and the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL), were awarded grant funding from the Office for Victims of Crime to address the service needs of older victims of abuse and financial exploitation in Milwaukee, WI.
With these funds, our agencies collectively aim to: build upon and improve services and supports for older African American survivors; and provide resources for service providers and criminal justice stakeholders to help them grow their capacity to support and engage culturally-specific service providers who are working to restore safety and security to all older African American victims.
Services and Supports
The Asha Project offers services in Milwaukee, WI designed specifically for African American victims and survivors of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation, with a specific program for individuals age 50 and older. The elder victim services advocate provides cultural, age-relevant, and trauma-informed supports that honor the history, experiences, and unique challenges older adults face. Each person is treated with the respect and dignity they deserve. Please get in touch with an advocate today for support with:
- crisis intervention
- safety planning
- case management and counseling
- criminal justice systems and social services advocacy
- victim compensation support
- supports for transportation, food, and housing
- connections to community services
Resources
Strategic Roadmap
In 2022, NCALL, in collaboration with the Asha Project, developed resource materials to support improved community responses to African American survivors of abuse in later life. These materials aim to equip local elder abuse community coordination teams with strategies for supporting culturally-specific organizations as essential partners in a comprehensive community response to abuse in later life.
The Collaborating for Justice for Older African Americans Guide, released in 2023, aims to equip professionals working with older adults to build stronger and more equitable collaborations with the African American community and culturally-specific programs.
Components of this resource include:
- A Report on the importance of culturally-specific programs, barriers to collaboration, and guiding principles and associated strategies for building equitable partnerships.
- A Conversation Guide offering guidelines for facilitating a discussion with your elder justice community coordination team on equitable engagement, four discussion prompts, and resources to further your learning.
- A Community Forum Toolkit designed to equip elder justice teams with resources to bring together partners working with and on behalf of older African Americans to develop a shared understanding of the community efforts already occurring and opportunities to further advance elder justice for the African American community. The toolkit includes a Facilitator Guide, sample agendas, and a sample PowerPoint template.
Increasing Access to Healing Services and Just Outcomes for Older African American Crime Survivors
In 2020, the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL) released Increasing Access to Healing Services and Just Outcomes for Older African American Crime Survivors: A Toolkit for Enhancing Critical Knowledge and Informing Action within the Crime Victim Assistance Field. This important resource emerged from a 2019 filming session of three older African American crime survivors from Milwaukee and a panel of four subject matter experts. The Increasing Access toolkit centers the voices and lived experiences of older African American crime victims and offers practical ways for criminal justice systems stakeholders and victims services providers to enhance their work and effectively address systemic barriers older African American victims face in their healing and recovery processes. It includes a guide with five content modules, video clips, and reflection questions designed to help readers synthesize the key points and explore how the strategies offered can be applied in their work. It also offers a workbook with questions for users to reflect on the topics explored in the modules.
