Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/84343
homicides in Madison and Dane County, there's no question that a lot of them are related to domestic violence—approxi- mately 50 percent," Balles says. That statistic alone is a huge incentive to "When you start to look at the history of reinstate LEAP—but first DAIS will have to find a way to keep the program funded and moving forward. "[I'm looking forward to] having the ability to say, 'Yes, you can come in, right now.'" Rebecca Lovell, DAIS Shelter Coordinator paradigm shift. Under LEAP, the onus to seek help was taken off the victim's plate. The officer was required to make a formal referral to DAIS, signed by the victim. The referral generated a call from DAIS within 24 to 48 hours. No longer did victims have to memorize infor- mation from a leaflet that would put them in danger if discovered in a purse or tucked under a mattress. (After all, arrested abusers can be home within 72 hours, far less than that if they post the meager bail.) "It's a really powerful thing to get a phone call from a complete stranger who wants to help you after you've been in- volved in a domestic violence incident," says Captain Joe Balles of the South Police District. During the year LEAP was piloted, the Developing more and better means of connecting women with DAIS as early as possible is a front-and-center issue for the group. And the idea is that the new shel- ter will help them boost awareness of the problems surrounding domestic abuse. By bringing its shelter out of hiding, the organization itself will be able to make its presence—and thus the issue of domestic abuse—more well-known in Dane County. Yet, they can't come out of hiding un- til the new and bigger shelter—equipped with state-of-the-art security mea- sures—is built. Until then, the sad reality is that abused women will continue to fall through the cracks. Cornell was nearly that woman. Cornell found DAIS through a therapist, one of the few people she felt comfort- able confiding in about the incident. DAIS helped her create a personal safety plan and find her way out of the abuser's maze. She still attends support group meetings and finally feels free again. Cornell is excited about the plans for a new shelter. Accord- ing to Barry, that's a sentiment shared by many. "One of our survivors said, 'I remem- ber my batterer telling me not to try to go to DAIS, because they knew where it is. Now I can say, so what? Everybody knows where it is.' That's a very empowering thing," she says. Rebecca Lovell, the DAIS Shelter Coor- South Police District referred 126 victims of domestic violence to DAIS advocates. The protocol was to make three attempts to call each victim, and DAIS advocates success- fully made contact with 52 of them. "Normally, just about 5 or 10 percent of those people would have made it to DAIS," Balles says. One hundred percent of those contact- ed eventually used one or more services provided by DAIS, including its Legal Ad- vocacy Program, Support Group Program, Crisis Line, and Crisis Response Program. Sadly, when funding ran out in March, LEAP went into hibernation. Grant mon- ies have thus far been elusive, but the Madison Police and DAIS aren't giving up. It's just too valuable a program to allow it fade away. 56 BRAVA Magazine October 2012 dinator, brightens up when asked about the plans. Surrounding her in the current, small shelter are rows of windows with the curtains drawn, hedges grown high to di- minish visibility. Throughout the building are tightly crammed hallways, tucked- away bedrooms, and a general ambiance of a hideout—an environment of isolation, like a metaphor for an abusive relationship. "[I'm looking forward to] having the ability to serve people in the moment when they need it," Lovell says. "Just having those beds available when someone calls from the gas station or wherever they've run. Having the ability to say, 'Yes, you can come in, right now.'" Donate to DAIS at abuseintervention.org/ give/capital-campaign. •••