Break The Cycle: Domestic Abuse Awareness Month

City of Columbus, Ohio sent this bulletin at 10/08/2019 11:39 AM EDT

October marks National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, an issue impacting women and families every day across our country as well as here in our local community. The abuse is a pattern of physically and emotionally violent and coercive behaviors that one person uses to exercise power and control over another. Intimate partner violence (IPV) happens when the abuse is used to gain power over an intimate partner. Columbus Police personnel respond to domestic violence calls more than 17,000 times a year, leading to the crime resulting in the most arrests. In Ohio, there were 65,845 cases of Domestic Violence in 2018, alone. IPV also affects survivors’ economic security by leading to negative health outcomes and housing instability. One in five female survivors report one or more PTSD symptoms due to abuse (Breiding et al. 2014), which can affect their ability to maintain employment or complete an education.

Today and every day, we stand with survivors of domestic and intimate partner violence, as well as sexual assault. Believing women is the first step toward change on an individual and societal level.

City of Columbus Spotlight

City of Columbus Awarded CityStart Grant

The City of Columbus knows the strength of our city is tied to financial security of families. We are proud to announce that Columbus has been selected as one of seven cities to participate in Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund’s (CFE Fund) CityStart initiative to create a sustainable blueprint for financial stability and empowerment.

Columbus’ grant proposal, which was jointly submitted by the Columbus Women’s Commission and the City Council President Pro Tempore Elizabeth Brown, has a clear emphasis on women and families for whom the need for financial empowerment is especially pronounced.

With the support of CFE Fund, Columbus will craft its municipal financial blueprint and identify implementation steps based on the needs of residents, key city priorities and partnership opportunities.

Learn more HERE.

Columbus Commitment: New Adopters

To date, there are 217 Columbus businesses, non-profits, and public sector employers who have signed The Columbus Commitment: Achieving Pay Equity. New adopters from the past month include:

Columbus Zoo & Aquarium

Empowered Minds

Flairsoft Limited

E.R Academy

Tailored Fit, LLC.

The Promise Box, LLC.

Is your employer committed to closing the gender and race-based wage gap? Join us by adopting The Columbus Commitment today!

Adopter Spotlight

Mount Carmel raises minimum wage to $15/hr

Last week, Mount Carmel Health System announced it will raise its minimum wage for employees to $15 per hour, effective in November 2019.

The wage increase affects more than 1,000 employees out of Mount Carmel’s 10,900 staff members. Workers impacted by the wage changes include medical assistants, pharmacy technicians, phlebotomists, and environmental and nutrition service workers, among others.

This increase follows similar moves made this year by Columbus Commitment adopting companies, OhioHealth (the region's second-largest employer), Nationwide Children's Hospital and Ohio State. This increase by Mount Carmel means all four Columbus hospital systems will have a $15 minimum wage.

We thank Mount Carmel, The Ohio State University, OhioHealth and Nationwide Children’s Hospital for taking a step toward economic security for their employees and moving this work forward through internal policy shifts creating impact in our Columbus community.

Did You Know?

Ohio Reformatory for Women Opens New Prison Nursery

The Ohio Reformatory for Women’s Achieving Baby Care Success program (ABC) is a one-of-a kind program that aims to keep incarcerated women with their babies. ABC is the only program in the state that allows qualifying mothers - who are pregnant at the time of incarceration - keep their babies with them in prison. The goal is to address physical, intellectual and emotional needs of both mother and child.

The program's brand new building will house up to 26 moms and their children. The new nursery building was designed with a full kitchen to prepare meals, an in-unit officer, and more room for ABC programming like breast feeding consultation, post-partum counseling, Head Start and weekly appointments with a pediatrician. Learn more HERE.

Policy Spotlight

National Policy:

California's Medicaid expansion led to fewer evictions

A new study found that the Medicaid expansion in California led to fewer housing evictions, concluding that the expansion can help with housing stability. Read the study HERE. The results from the study published in the journal Health Affairs comes as Planned Parenthood loses federal funding. Sen. Sherrod Brown worries that nearly 100,000 Ohio women could lose health care in response to this. Read more HERE.

Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act of 2019

Nationally, according to a 2015 survey conducted by The Washington Post, "more than three-quarters of mothers and half of fathers had passed up work opportunities, switched jobs, or quit" their job due to a lack of paid leave or child care. The lack of access to affordable, quality child care remains as one of the biggest concerns for working mothers and families in the US.

To address the growing need for access to quality, affordable child care Senators Amy Klobuchar and Dan Sullivan introduced the Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act of 2019. This legislation would provide competitive grants to states for training and retaining the child care workforce. Grants could also be used for building or improving childcare facilities where there are shortages.

Local Policy:

Maternal health

Several bills proposed by Senator Tina Maharath, received their first hearing/sponsor testimony recently through various committees. These bills, all related to maternal health, include SB 91, which would establish a statewide family and medical leave benefits program; SB 116, which would require health insurance to cover maternity services; SB 150, which would create a statewide maternal mental health awareness week (the first week of May); and SB 151, which would designate May as “maternity mortality awareness month.”

New Research

Equitable Housing in Central Ohio: Redefining Affordability for All

A new research report released by Measurement Resources addresses affordable housing and brings both an equity and gender lens to the issue of affordable housing in Central Ohio. With a projected growth of one million more residents in Central Ohio by 2050 the study explores those most at risk for not having access and the largest barriers for these groups.

They found stark inequities exists for Black/African American populations. ZIP codes with high rates of housing cost burden are also the ZIP codes with the high rates of Black/African American populations..

Additionally, women and children are the most likely to be impacted by the lack of access to affordable housing than any other group, especially single mothers living in predominately Black/African American neighborhoods.

The report finds that barriers to affordable housing for these populations include a lack of stable and flexible work, especially for single mother households who make up a sizeable portion of cost burdened households. The Columbus Women’s Commission continues to address many of the barriers that women are facing including evictions, pay equity and workforce development.

Join the Measurement Resources team for an in-depth exploration of the data surrounding the topic of affordable housing in Central Ohio. We thank Management Resources and other partners for continuing this important conversation!

Learn more about the event and Download the Report HERE.

Mayor Ginther, YWCA President & CEO, Christie Angel and YMCA President, Tony Collins share how you can be part of the solution HERE.

Stay Tuned: Columbus Women’s Commission Application

Are you interested in serving your community and uplifting the voices of women in Columbus? The Columbus Women’s Commission Commissioners come from diverse backgrounds and sectors to represent their communities and play an active role in impacting change for women. Stay tuned for more information on our application in mid-October.

Upcoming Events

Symposium on Children: Quality in Early Learning Environments—October 10.The Crane Center for Early Childhood & Research Policy’s sixth Symposium on children brings together leading researchers, practitioners and policy makers to address engage in conversation around quality and access to early education programs. Learn more HERE.

Ohio Sex Education Summit—Friday, October 11.Join the Ohio Center for Sex Education and individuals working directly in the field of sexual health and education to learn more about sexual health education and the importance of access to quality sex education. During the Summit, participants will attend a morning session with nationally-recognized sex education experts as well as afternoon sessions which will focus on best practices and research addressing sexuality health education for various communities and stakeholders. Learn more & register

State of Poverty across the African Diaspora –October 15. Join the Columbus African Council and other community partners for a conversation on the state of poverty across the African Diaspora and how as individuals and community leaders, can set a course for a more prosperous future throughout the African Diaspora in Columbus. Learn more HERE.

YWCA Columbus Activators and Agitators—October 17. YWCA Columbus has partnered with mental health and social justice activist Achea Redd for this year’s event: Activists and Agitators—Find Your Voice, Let it Out. Achea will help foster dialogue, provide practical resources and educate the Columbus community on how to create meaningful change in their lives and the lives of others. Attendees will also learn about YWCA Columbus’ programs and how they can help further the organization’s mission. Buy your tickets HERE.

My Brother’s Keeper Village 2019 Youth Leadership Conference—Saturday, October 19. The City of Columbus and Franklin County as MBK Village presents the 2019 Youth Leadership Conference at the Columbus Africentric Early College. The conference will feature highly interactive, hands-on professional career exploration and skills-based training designed to further STEM competency and expose boys and young men of color to careers of the future. This year’s conference will offer student, parent and service provider workshop series and transportation is available from select Recreation Centers. For details and to register click HERE

Foundation for the Future: Making affordable, quality childhood education a reality in Ohio—October 22. The Legal Aid Society of Columbus’s annual community forum focuses on early childhood education. Bringing together local leaders to discuss improving access to affordable, quality early childhood education in order to increase economic opportunity for low-income families in Columbus. Learn more & register HERE.

Stabilizing Families Learning Exchange—October 23. Join the Columbus Women’s Commission and Prevent Homelessness Collaborative as we hear from local leaders on the work being done locally to address affordable housing. You will hear updates on strategies and have a chance to engage in conversation around the work happening in Central Ohio. Learn more & register HERE.

Linden Community Building Trades & Apprenticeship Fair—October 24. Join Mayor Andrew J. Ginther and learn about careers in the skilled construction trades, meet construction professionals who can answer your questions, and learn how to apply for a career in the construction industry. Professional services will be present to help meet and navigate eligibility requirements. Learn more & register HERE.

Community Conversation: Equitable Housing in Central Ohio—October 31. Join Measurement Resources Company for an in-depth exploration into the data surrounding equitable & affordable housing in Central Ohio. This community event, sponsored by the Human Service Chamber, will include an overview of Measurement Resources’ findings, followed by a facilitated conversation with participants.

Related Issues in the News

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WOSU: A Decade Of Diversion: Franklin County's Court For Sex Trafficking Survivors

NBC4: COTA offering free fares on Election Day

Columbus Underground: City Awarded Grant to Create Financial Empowerment for Women

Columbus CEO: WELD’s advocacy for women’s leadership extends far beyond Central Ohio

Dispatch: Sherrod Brown says 100,000 Ohio women face losing health care

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