THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 10, 1996 TAG: 9607100402
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 60 lines
The YWCA of South Hampton Roads has received $564,000 in grants that officials say will provide more and better services to women and children.
Some of the money will pay to enlarge and improve a battered women's shelter that serves Norfolk and Virginia Beach. It will also provide for the hiring of substance abuse counselors and an outreach worker for the facility.
Another portion of the funds will help train police officers and prosecutors to handle domestic abuse cases more effectively.
The grants will also provide breast cancer screenings for uninsured women, particularly minorities.
The largest of the five grants, $250,000, comes from the federal government through the Violence Against Women Act.
The winning grant proposal was written with the Norfolk Police Department. The funds will provide classes for the city's police officers and prosecutors, educating them in the most up-to-date procedures for dealing with domestic abuse.
``It will put Norfolk at the leading edge in the handling of domestic violence cases,'' said Cheryl Bonneville, YWCA director.
One approach that might be changed after retraining responders is a computerized history of cases, Bonneville said.
Now, she said, Norfolk police have no record of calls on domestic violence cases. In Virginia Beach, a computerized list ensures that arrests are made when police are called to the same address three times.
Another $200,000 earmarked for battered women and their children comes from the state Department of Housing and Community Development.
That money will be used to upgrade and enlarge the YWCA's battered women's shelter, increasing its capacity from 26 to 43 by adding bedrooms and bathrooms. The money also will pay for for a laundry room and a larger dining room.
A $64,000 state Department of Social Services grant, from money set aside for family violence prevention, will be used to hire three full-time substance abuse counselors. Two of the counselors will work with shelter residents with substance abuse problems, and the third will focus on their children.
Bonneville said that the ability to help women with substance abuse problems will greatly expand the shelter's capabilities.
``We didn't have the knowledge . . . and couldn't help,'' she said. ``We had to say they couldn't use (the offending substances) but couldn't help them. Usually, they'd just leave.''
Another $25,000 received by the local YWCA comes through the national organization from Avon to provide breast cancer screenings for women without medical insurance.
The focus of the project will be on minority women older than 50. The goal is to provide screenings to 150 women a year, Bonneville said.
The money also will allow the purchase of demonstration mannequins that will help health workers teach women how to do self-exams.
Finally, a $25,000 grant will allow the YWCA to hire a full-time outreach worker who will help shelter residents find housing and jobs and make use of community resources when they are ready to leave.
KEYWORDS: GRANT YMCA by CNB