Support Survivors and #GiveAtHomeMN
From May 1st – May 8th, Minnesotans are participating in a week-long virtual fundraising event, #GiveAtHomeMN!

Throughout the week, people are coming together (while staying apart) to support the important work of nonprofit organizations like CADA. Your donation to CADA through giveMN.org can help CADA become eligible for additional bonus grants!

CADA staff and advocates are busier than ever responding to the increase in relationship violence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Domestic and sexual violence is on the rise and we need YOUR help to make our communities safer.

A gift in any amount makes a huge difference and will imediately be put to use to support individuals and families staying in shelter, staying in hotels, and accessing CADA's life-saving advocacy services. 

If you’re not in a position to give right now, you can help by sharing CADA’s campaign website with your friends and loved ones or on your social media page!
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Violence and Mental Health
May is Mental Health Month and this month we are thinking about the numerous survivors CADA works with day in and day out who are experiencing mental health concerns because of the trauma and violence they have endured. Living through a global pandemic can trigger many of the emotions and sensations that victims and survivors experienced while living through the trauma of relationship violence or sexual assault. 

In the earlier days of the pandemic, many of us experienced a feeling of being completely overwhelmed by the fast pace of things – it all seemed like too much too fast.  The news and the rules were changing minute by minute. For survivors of trauma, ] this feeling of too much too fast can bring up feelings of being totally out of control – a common sensation for victims of abuse, violence, and trauma. Being overwhelmed by circumstances out of your control and feeling like you can't slow down to catch up is a common experience in the pandemic and for those who have suffered trauma. 

Trauma experiences are events where one may feel like their life is threatened or at risk. At CADA, we work with people whose lives are threatened by an incident violence or an ongoing experience of living through relationship abuse. In these moments where our life is put at risk, we revert to our basic responses of fight, flight, or freeze. The pandemic can trigger familiar feelings of being physically or emotionally overpowered, immobilized, or under attack. Victims may experience similar feelings and sensations that they experienced while surviving abuse or violence. 

Healing from trauma and addressing mental health issues are rarely, if ever, linear processes. There will be hard days, weeks, or months. There will be setbacks and new challenges will bring up new issues for our brains and bodies to cope with. All trauma responses are very normal reactions to very abnormal circumstances. Since Mental Health Month falls in the midst of the global pandemic, it is a nice reminder to be kind to ourselves and one another. Reach out to your friends and loved ones to check in. We are all in this together and we are not alone.

Supporting Survivors During the Pandemic
There is no doubt that these are extremely challenging times for most people. CADA advocates are seeing the many ways those experiencing relationship abuse or sexual violence have been impacted by the pandemic.

Across the south central Minnesota, CADA advocates report an increase in the number of people reaching out for services and an increase in the supportive services people need right now. For example, in Brown County alone, the number of phone calls the two advocates took nearly tripled in April.  Advocates have said that victims need a lot of emotional support right now. Many victims are trapped at home with an abusive partner, and on top of that are trying to school children at home, shield children from witnessing or experiencing violence, and struggling to pay bills. Some advocates noted that many individuals they're talking with have mental health issues that were triggered or made worse because of the pandemic. 
 
Advocates also say that victims are struggling as the courts have had to make changes in response to the pandemic. Many court hearings have been postponed and if a hearing remains as scheduled, people are struggling to figure out how to appear by phone or video. A normal part of an advocate’s job is to help prepare victims and survivors for what the court process looks like, but right now, this is challenging because things are changing from day to day and every hearing looks different. 

Victims and survivors are also dealing with financial struggles, as many people are right now. Many people calling CADA are struggling to meet their basic needs because of job losses or layoffs. Additionally, people are running into challenges in accessing community services or resources as they normally would have. 

When advocates were asked what they wanted victims and survivors in our communities to know right now, everyone said that they want victims to know there is help out there. “Whenever you’re ready or it is safe to do so, please reach out. We are here,” said Julia Hamman, one of CADA’s Blue Earth County Advocates. Advocates are able to meet over the phone, or in person if it is not safe to do so over the phone. CADA is here for you! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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CADA Offices

24-hour Crisis Line: 1-800-477-0466
Blue Earth County: 507-625-8688
Brown County: 507-233-6663
Faribault County: 507-526-5275
Le Sueur County: 507-934-5583
Martin County: 507-399-2001
Nicollet County: 507-934-5583
Sibley County: 507-233-6666
Waseca County: 507-835-7828
Watonwan County: 507-375-3040