Help in a time of crisis

Shannon LeClair

Times Reporter

 

When disaster strikes, no matter in what form, the Strathmore Regional Victim Services Society (VSU) is called in to be a shoulder to cry on, and to help you get back on your feet. They assist anyone who has been a victim of a crime, or is going through trauma, whether it’s sudden death, a fatality on the highway, or it can be a parent having issues with their children and not be criminally related. “It’s kind of whatever someone needs as far as resources or referrals, or just making sure they’re okay,” said Tammy Cooper, assistant program coordinator with VSU. “There is nothing that we have not done, honestly there is nothing that has ever come up where I have said, ‘I cannot do that for you.’ The flooding of Siksika is one big example of where the advocates helped. All of the advocates were on hand sorting donations, dropping them off, going from home to home to find out what people needed and then try to find those items for them. They put in hundreds of hours helping in every way they could. “(Another) big part of what we do is court information, so we keep everybody up-to-date on what’s happening in court, which is pretty important,” said Cooper. “I know if you’ve never been through the court system it’s pretty daunting, you don’t really know where to get the information from, you don’t really have all day to sit and wait, so that’s a big part of what we do.” The advocates, who are all volunteers, help with court preparation, and court accompaniment. An advocate is with a victim from as soon as the crime is reported until the very end of the process. They also help with victim impact statements, finding out if there is restitution for money back from the accused, connecting with resources, counselling or shelters and much more. “A volunteer advocate is there to provide the emotional support in the immediate crisis and then help them navigate the situation as best they can. If they’re not able to understand the legal aspects then we can kind of show them the way for lack of a better word, of what to expect and questions they should be asking and supports they should be considering,” said Program Coordinator Michelle Woods. “It’s people in the community giving back to the community and we use those resources to help our victims through difficult situations.” The advocates carry a kit of sorts in their vehicle that has pamphlets, a quilt, teddy bears and other things that could help in an immediate situation. In the case of a sudden death VSU will stay in contact with the person, or family, until they feel the right supports are in place to help them continue to cope. There are currently 19 advocates, and Woods said she would like to see that number closer to 40. There’s also room for two board members. One change Woods has implemented since coming on as program coordinator is the way advocates respond to calls. “We do require two responders on every call. There’s two levels of advocates, there’s a first responder, so that’s somebody who has completed all of their training, their enhanced clearance and has experience out in the field,” said Woods. “They would take the lead when they go out, introduce themselves to the victim, assess the situation and determine next steps. ” The second responder is their back up, that is somebody who has most likely just completed their clearance and they have limited experience responding to a call, so they are there to both observe, but support the process. At any given time a victim is in shock and so their behaviour may sometimes not be normal for them, this helps with ensuring the safety of the responders. Another change is that Cooper or Woods carry an emergency phone that the RCMP calls first. From there, whoever is on call coordinates the attending advocate based on the need. This gives them the ability to know which advocates will be responding to a call. The advocate is then required to contact the emergency phone when they leave a scene so that the person on call knows when they are back. The Strathmore VSU also covers Gleichen and Siksika, Chestermere, and all of the communities in between. In the last quarter, October to December, Cooper said there were approximately 250 active files. She said a lot of that could be files they are still following through with from 2012, but said the average is 250 to 400 active files per quarter. “It’s an emotional job for sure, but it’s fulfilling. As somebody coming in I couldn’t ask for anything more than to have a dedicated person like Tammy and the volunteers for sure,” said Woods. Full details on the criteria behind being an advocate can be found at www.strathmoreregionalvictimservices.com