00:00:11,000	S1:
Welcome to Bismarck Insights with mayor Mike Schmitz, a transparent and engaging conversational dive into meaningful topics impacting local government in Bismarck, North Dakota. Bismarck Insights is dedicated to removing barriers between the city of Bismarck and the citizens we serve every day.

00:00:32,067	S2:
Hello and welcome to Bismarck Insights on Bismarck Mayor Mike Schmitz. And today we're going to focus on a community partner, not city government directly, but we have with us Michelle, the director of Abuse Adult Resource Center here in Bismarck. And to start with Michelle, just give us a little bit about your background and your role with the Abused Adult Resource Center.

00:00:51,667	S3:
Sure. Thank you for having me. Um, so I started with RC in 2005. Um, I started out as the transitional housing coordinator and was really just working on helping people find housing after they leave our shelters, and then moved into leadership about a year later and took on the executive director role in 2019.

00:01:15,167	S2:
Okay, so let's tell people who may not know what abuse Adult Resource Center provides, you know, kind of what are the services that you try to help your clients with?

00:01:24,968	S3:
Sure. Um, primarily our our population that we're working with are victims of intimate personal type relationship crimes. So domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, stalking, dating violence, teen dating violence. Um, and so we're just wanting people to know that they don't need to live in those situations or stay in those situations. And so we have quite an array of services from just coming in to talk to somebody, getting emotional support, um, maybe determining if that relationship isn't super healthy and then, you know, everything from emergency shelter, transitional shelter, um, permanent supportive housing. We also have, um, assistance with applying for domestic violence protection orders. Um, we can help with things sometimes, like medications, transportation, um, gas. You know, we just want to provide whatever resources we can for people to get out of those situations.

00:02:21,601	S2:
Sure. And that that includes obviously shelters, but it's it's across the spectrum. It's not limited to just one gender. Correct.

00:02:32,267	S3:
Correct. We serve anybody, anyone that needs help. So primarily it's female. Um, but we do. The national statistic, I believe, is about 5% of male victims that most places we run about 7 to 10. Um, so we do have quite a little bit higher of male victim population, transgender, same sex, whoever we can help out.

00:02:54,567	S2:
Sure. And what are some of the barriers that these individuals have as they come to you, and you're figuring out what they need to need for support to move on. And yeah.

00:03:05,367	S3:
I mean, safety is like one of the biggest things that people need. Um, but I think the barriers are, you know, where am I going to live if I leave this situation? Where am I going to go? How am I going to get around? Do I need a job? Um, that kind of stuff. We do feel like one of the bigger things that keeps people in their or their pets. And so we few years back partnered with furry friends Rock and rescue. And if we have somebody coming into the shelter that has a pet, we'll try to get them to help us out with fostering for all that persons in our shelter. So we want to break down whatever barriers are keeping people from coming to us, and that's definitely one of them. We've expanded our housing programs over the years so that we can offer different forms of housing. Temporary, permanent. Um, we also have an apartment building, so that helps. Um, yeah. Those Transportation is probably one of the bigger barriers, which is a community wide thing, not just for our clients. Um, and just, you know, being able to get out of those situations safely, um, take some time to figure out to so.

00:04:11,167	S2:
Sure and so, like, how many facilities and how many individuals are you able to accommodate?

00:04:18,567	S3:
Um, in just like housing, for instance?

00:04:22,067	S2:
Yeah. So mostly housing for mostly housing.

00:04:24,767	S3:
Um, our emergency shelter has 38 beds. Our transitional shelter is 25. We have a seven unit, um, efficiency apartment building. And then we have a couple rapid rehousing programs and transitional housing programs where we help people get into their own apartment in the community and then provide case management and assistance with rent. And we probably have anywhere from 10 to 15 people in those programs as well.

00:04:50,467	S2:
And you're pretty full. I would.

00:04:52,000	S3:
Pretty full. Okay.

00:04:53,100	S2:
Yeah. And so beyond the housing. What are some other things that you're helping your clients with? I mean, probably not everybody is housed by you right now.

00:05:03,200	S3:
Right. Right. Um, you know, we have some support groups. We have, um, like I mentioned, assistance with protection orders. We do about 230 protection orders a year, probably. Um, we help about 1000 people every year that have never come to us before, and generally a couple hundred from the year before that are still working with us. So, um, pretty big staff overall. We have about 80 people with all of our, our, our all locations, I guess. Um, and so, yeah, we're just trying to help as many as we can with the resources we have.

00:05:38,267	S2:
Sure. And it's, as you know, anybody has gone through that kind of traumatic life event. It's not something that ends one day automatically. It's a kind of ongoing process of healing. Right. So you've got other things that besides providing this, housing that and care and support that you're providing to the clients. But some of it is how you're getting funding. And let's talk about some of that a little bit. You have the star seeds of hope. What? Tell us. Tell us what that's all about.

00:06:07,200	S3:
Yeah. So seeds of hope. Hope thrift Store has been open 30 years. This was our 30th anniversary this year. Um, started out as a little program. Um, I think there was a grant from UPS or. Yeah, UPS for about 100,000 that started it out. And it was to provide a like low income type job for women at the Missouri River Correctional Center when there was women out there. And so they came and sorted clothes, and we had a little tiny house that we had things in. And, um, now we've expanded to the location on six the main. We've been there for at least 25 years or more. Um, and, you know, it's about 30% of our budget overall now. And so there's not only the sales, but we also give back to the community through, um, anyone in the community that is looking for an outfit for a job or an interview can call us and we'll send them over there to get an outfit and shoes so they feel more confident going into their interview or starting their job. Um, any of our clients that are moving out of the shelter into their housing, we help them kind of start off with some basic household items from there for free. And then, um, we have a New Directions education and employment program. And if a client works through that whole program, they can actually get some job training at seeds of Hope as well. So kind of wanting to make sure that people have what they need to go further in life. And we feel like seeds of Hope fits into that.

00:07:35,400	S2:
So it not only is a way to raise dollars to support the operation, but you're using it to also support your clients, right? Yes. So, um, and you said 30% of the budget is there. Is there a cycle to when seeds a whole store is busier or not.

00:07:53,367	S3:
Usually the last quarter of the year because the Christmas store opens. Um, so the Christmas store, I think, opened in about the late 90s. Um, and then maybe 20 years ago, 15 years ago, we dedicated it to Armstrong, who I think a lot of people know from the mental health community. Um, and that store is probably bringing us in about $80,000 every year just from the Christmas store, which is huge for us, that it can help us keep some of the other operations going. So yeah, last quarter of the year is always busy.

00:08:27,667	S2:
How many individuals are staffing in that store?

00:08:29,968	S3:
Uh, we have three full time and probably about 15 to 20 part timers and then lots of volunteers. We depend on.

00:08:39,367	S2:
And as any nonprofit does.

00:08:41,667	S3:
Right.

00:08:42,100	S2:
Yeah. So let's talk a little bit about the New Directions Education and training program. Let's tell people, you know, what that's helping provide to these survivors. And, um. Yeah, sure. From an educational training and getting them ready to reenter the workforce if they haven't been in.

00:08:56,100	S3:
A lot of people come to us and they've never worked, you know, or we're very limited in the kind of work that they could do. And so our hope with that program is that they will learn skills that can either take them back into the workforce or into the workforce, or to go back to school. Um, we have several people that have gone through CNA classes. It's a curriculum, but it's also based not just on education and job skills, but also working on clients self-esteem and confidence. And we want them to feel like they can go out and do that and take care of themselves and not necessarily have to be in dependent on someone else.

00:09:32,901	S2:
Sure. Yeah. Do they do you help them also figure out how to navigate through the whole behavioral health system in that process, or is that a different service?

00:09:41,000	S3:
That's some of it. Um, we a lot of things we've realized people just really need to be helped, basically. Like maybe they don't even know how to shop on a budget or go buy groceries and buy healthy food, you know? So we start with a lot of the basics, and then it kind of can go in whatever direction the clients want. So if they're looking for more school type things, will take them on tours of the colleges around here, or connect them to CNA classes or English as a second language class. And so we'll try to do whatever the focus is for the client.

00:10:14,000	S2:
Okay. And I should probably be a couple. Maybe it's not backing up. I'm just going to branch off. So your your clients are are they mostly single? Do they have children with them? Um, are we seeing maybe from an ethnic background? Any differences in the population of your clients over the last 5 or 10 years? How that may have changed?

00:10:36,467	S3:
Sure. Um, yeah. Like when I started there, you know, the clientele was mostly Caucasian and Native American. I mean, those were kind of how our community was made up of. We've seen a lot more of the immigrant population and um, some, you know, other women that have been brought over from different countries, maybe married somebody and then find themselves in these situations and they don't know how to get out. Um, there's not a lot of help in this area for immigration issues, which is a lot of stuff to know. Um, but we work with who we can, and Global Neighbors has been awesome to help us with different things like translation and and helping us find, you know, good resources. But, um, yeah, I think obviously we serve standing Rock Indian nations. So a lot of our clients are, um, Native American. They make up about 50% of our shelter clients and about 30% of our overall clients, um, mostly Caucasian after that, and then maybe 10% of other nationalities.

00:11:37,567	S2:
And are they coming in with children? With them?

00:11:39,868	S3:
Yes, definitely.

00:11:41,100	S2:
And so how do you handle that? Because that brings a whole nother dynamic of what I view is probably protection.

00:11:47,801	S3:
Yes, yes, we have a child advocate and some other child care workers on staff. So when someone comes into our shelter with children, we make sure they get into school where they need to. They get, you know, signed up for whatever activities they want. We do testing for smaller ones to see if they're on track with their speech and things like that. So pretty much the same services and and as detailed of services as the adults get, we're making sure the children get to.

00:12:14,767	S2:
And from a housing standpoint. Do you have segregated housing when they when it's a person that has children with them versus those who are just single?

00:12:23,467	S3:
Um, both shelters are equipped for singles and families. So, um, we don't really have segregated. We do have like a singles room at each of the shelters, because then you can put a few more people in there, but most of the families will have their own rooms, um, with them and their children, depending on what the makeup of the rest of the population is. And the shelter. Sure. Yeah.

00:12:44,501	S2:
So you provide survivor Services. Let's talk about what that is. What does that mean? I don't know that everybody would understand what what that is. And we need to try to explain to our community.

00:12:56,501	S3:
Um, well, we we've been around for almost 50 years. Next year is our 50th year. And I think over the years we've just tried to expand to the needs of what people are coming to us and saying they need. Um, of course, housing is a big one, but even the, um, supervised visitation center, we we have about 30, 35 families using us there, and they come to us through referrals with protection orders. Or, um, maybe there's drug and alcohol issues and the parents can't get along. And so it's easier for them to exchange their child there, or for the parent that has the issues to visit their child there. Um, so that's one service that keeps going and going and always seems to be a need for, um, one of the I know you asked about survivor services, but one of the other things that we started doing two years ago was offender intervention. Um, programming and Lutheran Social Services had that for years. And then when they closed down, the domestic violence centers picked up those programs. And in my opinion, it's another way that we can help decrease violence if we can get to the offender and teach them different thought processes and behaviours. And um, two years ago when we started it, we started it with one group and we just added our fourth group this year. So there's definitely a need. And um, along with that, we received a federal grant earlier this year, justice for families grant. It's a three year grant. And we'll be working with the Supreme Court and the South Central District Court to set up a specialised domestic violence court here. So we're pretty excited about that because we think there will be more, um, intense services for people and then hopefully we'll keep bringing that violence down.

00:14:35,400	S2:
Um, and so that's learned behaviour from their child.

00:14:38,100	S3:
Absolutely, absolutely. And some of the things that have come up in the group, you know, have been pretty astounding. Some light bulb moments for some of these guys that, um, maybe realize that that's what happened is. They learned it and that that's what they thought was. Okay. So I think we're doing good work there. Um, in turn, that affects the survivors, because if they know that maybe their person is going to get some help and be better, then they have a little hope too. So, um, yeah, just basically anything that we can do to help people move on from those situations and, and be safe is is what we're trying to provide.

00:15:12,367	S2:
So let's talk a little bit about the human trafficking, which I mean, I don't know if people realize that we really do have that in this community or not. And, and how are how is your organization helping those individuals reestablish life? Um, get get whatever help they need and which I can't even imagine the needs they have.

00:15:33,267	S3:
Yeah. It's human trafficking is a kind of a different beast. Um, only because most of the time when somebody comes to us in a domestic violence or situation or have been sexually assaulted, they're coming to us for help. Um, most human trafficking victims are coming to us through law enforcement. They have maybe been working on a case, and they finally have made this trust with this person to say, we can get you help and get you out of this life. Um, and so we have spent, you know, a lot of time working in that field, probably well over a decade now. Um, we average about 30 human trafficking clients a year, which doesn't seem like a lot, but for our area, I think it does. And also for the amount of assistance we give there more long term assistance sometimes. Um, sometimes we help them get back to wherever they came from. Sometimes they relocate here and we just continue that case management. Um, it's definitely a building trust type of relationship and making sure that they feel safe as well. And, um, you know, law enforcement's usually involved, so that helps. And. Yeah, so something we didn't think we'd ever get into.

00:16:39,467	S2:
Right. And certainly for those individuals, trust is a big thing because they I mean, they've had a pattern that caused them a pattern of treatment to them that would cause them to not have trust really in anybody. Right. Yeah. So I appreciate you providing that service. And you're right, 30 doesn't sound like a lot, but it really is. Right. And if we think of where we are in the country, um, you wouldn't think that we have a lot of that happening in 30 is too many. Yes. So appreciate your work with that. So from from the community, you know, there's been some changes over the last one year or two years and beyond probably. But what are you seeing as changes for you is that our as our community is changing that you're needing to try to adapt to?

00:17:25,901	S3:
Yeah. Yeah. Um, you know, of course the shutdown kind of affected us a little bit, and now we'll start trying to get back on track. But, um, I would love to see us be less grant dependent, to be honest. Um, grants are never promised and never, you know for sure. So I think that that's a challenge for us and something that we've had to keep looking at, which has been, you know, we remodeled, did a remodel on seeds of Hope a couple of years ago so we could take in more donations and have more retail space. And so just finding creative ways to expand our funding and become less dependent on grants, um, is always in the forefront of my mind. We're about 55% funded by by the grants. So it is something that we rely on heavily. Um, you know, operational costs for shelters and apartment building a store like that can be pretty tough sometimes because things break down and need to be replaced and all of that. But, um, yeah, I think just the changes in the demands have definitely been mental health services. Um, I think, you know, when I started 20 years ago, it was the addiction issues were mostly alcohol. You know, we didn't have the meth and the heroin and the opioids and all of that. And so that's been a lot of learning for staff and how to handle those things and trainings and things like that. Um, but yeah, I think the mental health issues, the substance abuse issues, the housing and homelessness issues, those are all impacting us. And I think the need for shelter has definitely increased over the last 5 to 10 years. Um, and sometimes it's short term and sometimes people need a long term. It just depends on what other options are open for them. So yeah.

00:19:12,267	S2:
So you speak about the funding a little bit. Let's talk about that. And what can the community do to help. I mean obviously buying stuff from sea to Hope store is there. But do you do some other fundraising or is there something that, you know, our general community could get involved with? How do they even make donations? Sure.

00:19:30,167	S3:
Yeah. We, um, we're looking at expanding our fundraising a little bit this year. And, um, we have our kind of our signature event in February, which is Galentine's. And it's just kind of a fun morning. It's usually the morning is Super Bowl Sunday. And, um, just kind of for people to get together and celebrate the, you know, inspiring and empowering women in their lives. Um, we usually have a guest speaker and some fun games and things like that. Um, so people, the tickets will be coming out soon for that. Not quite out yet. Um, uh, sponsorships for those kind of, um, fundraisers is great. Um, like I mentioned, shopping at seeds of Hope. Um, what else do we do? We have a couple awareness months in April. We have sexual assault awareness month, and in October is domestic Violence Awareness Month. Um, so we're always looking for people to help volunteer with our, our, um, different events that we're having. Um, and then just, you know, donating dollars, of course, helps. Um, you can donate specifically, like, if you want to say this, $50, I want it to be used for transportation. We'll put it into transportation. So we want to be able to meet the donors needs to on where they want to see their money spent. Um, but yeah, just reaching out to us by phone. Our Facebook page. Our website. There's a place to donate on our website. Um, we'll be sending out a winter appeal letter here pretty soon, and just kind of letting people know what's been going on with us and what we need and go from there.

00:20:57,400	S2:
So why don't we state those contact points or points of contact? You know, what's what's the phone number? What's the website?

00:21:05,200	S3:
Sure. Our main phone number is (701) 222-8370.

00:21:09,400	S3:
And our crisis line for anybody that might be needing help is (866) 341-7009.

00:21:16,767	S3:
And our website is abused adult resource center.com. And same for our Facebook musical resource.

00:21:22,667	S2:
Center and see please individuals if you find it in your heart. I think it's a it's an extreme need in the community. Um, I know we're we have been talking about over the last several months, a community triage center, which would help on some of these situations, and hopefully we may become more regional with that as what we're hearing the study is probably saying, but that would also help some. Yes. Yeah. Related to the addiction issues anyway. Yeah. So as you look to the next year, five years probably, it's hard to look beyond five years hard look beyond one year many times. But what are some of the challenges that you feel you've you're going to have to face or have now that you need to face and then some strengths around that?

00:22:07,200	S3:
Yeah. Um, I think that, you know, some of the challenges I mentioned already was just trying to be able to get people the help they need for other areas in their life and getting them in, um, quicker to treatment facilities or mental health counselors. And, um, we have expanded and we'll continue to try and expand funding around helping pay for counseling. Not cheap. And if they don't have insurance or anything, it might not be able they might not be able to attend. So we want to make sure they get that Assistants. Um, and then I, I just think we'll continue to we have a pretty strong relationship with Hart View and New Freedom and just continue to talk openly about the needs, you know. Hart view added some walk in evaluation hours a few years ago. And, um, that's been essential, I think, for getting people when they want to go to treatment, they want to go now, you know, and not six weeks from now. So, um, that's been helpful. I think we'll just continue to partner with people in the community for the different resources that people are looking for. And, um, continue to, to build those the capacity around that, because those mental health issues and substance use issues aren't going to go away and compounded with domestic violence or sexual assault is even makes it even worse. So, um, yeah, we'll just keep plugging away.

00:23:25,367	S2:
And and you mentioned new freedom, which is interesting. They I mean, they are just kicking off a new, I'll call it a new venture, but, um, truly housing for Mothers with children who have addiction issues, but would not surprise me that they're also maybe coming out of some abusive situations. So great. I'm glad to hear they're doing that. Hopefully that does help with location for some times with some of those people. And I know that you're dealing with.

00:23:53,267	S3:
Right. I go over to Harvey right now twice a month and just talk to the women and group. And, you know, 90% of them probably have had some kind of experience with the things that we work with. And I'll start doing that up at New Freedom, too. So, um, I think it's just good, good communication back and forth and partnering to make sure that we're addressing all the issues that somebody has.

00:24:15,567	S2:
So for those of people who are watching and listening, um, if they run into a situation where they have to interact with a survivor of an abusive situation or they become aware of a situation, what are some things they should do? Could do any practices that are important for them to be aware of. Sure. And how do they get them some help?

00:24:39,167	S3:
Yeah. Um, you know, I think the most important thing, if it's somebody that, you know, or somebody that comes to you and has those issues or you realize it, just listen. I think that's one of the bigger things is listen to what they're saying. They need somebody that they feel is a safe place and can trust, and then just making sure they know what the resources are, you know, referring them to us, referring them to the national, um, hotline if you need to. Um, which will probably refer people back to us then. But, um, there's plenty of resources online. There's, um, a lot of literature that we have that we can hand out to. So I think it's just a matter of, you know, listening, trusting that what they're saying is happening to them. Um, you know, safety is key. So if if it's real dangerous, you know, really trying to encourage them to get some help, offer to go with them. Um, that kind of thing. As bystanders, if you would see something happen in, you know, a restaurant or at the park or something. You know, there's ways to get involved without putting yourself at risk. You know, whether you delegate it to somebody else and, you know, maybe call a manager and say, can you, you know, do something. Um, you know, getting involved directly is always a possibility, but make sure that you're doing it in a safe way. And then, of course, you know, you can work on different ways to distract those things. You know, spilling a drink and being like, you know, sort of kind of cutting up the tension. And, you know, so I guess as bystanders, you want to be safe, but you want to make sure that you if you see something, you say something. Sure.

00:26:10,300	S2:
And we talked a little bit about the prevention aspect, or at least working with those individuals who have been a part of the act as a committing it. What are some of the do you have other educational programs or or what things can we do? Are there things we can try to guide? Yeah. People around if they're saying, hey, I might be in that situation or I need to learn something. Sure.

00:26:32,501	S3:
Um, you know, prevention dollars are a little hard to come from come by. But we've had some different programs in the past. Our most recent one was green Dot, and we sunsetting that at the beginning or at the end of last year, I guess. Um, we we did it for about six years. I think it made a huge difference. Um, but I think some of those things kind of run their course. Yeah. Um, but we always go in to we're open to going into schools and talking about healthy dating and things like that. We're open to I'm open to going in anywhere and talking about dynamics and what you can do to help. And um, so prevention wise, we don't really have any solid prevention programs, but we're always open to, you know, sharing our knowledge and our information with groups or students or whoever is looking for it.

00:27:19,467	S2:
So maybe that's something we should be looking at, I guess, is how do we as a community come up with some way to educate starting young. Right. Um, what? Our healthy relationships. Right. Both parties. Um. and that probably is a need. I would guess that, yes, if we have the education to be able to provide it, it's. How do we find the next problem? Yeah. Um, finally, as we look at the community, what is it that people can do to get involved beyond, you know, volunteering, seeds of hope or writing a check? Is there other things that that they can do to help you help the situation?

00:27:52,968	S3:
I think it's just, again, if you see something, say something like, you know, nobody should live in fear of their partner or, um, children shouldn't worry that their, you know, parents are hitting each other or whatever. Um, so just being able to talk about it openly. You know, there's, there's a lot of jokes made about, you know, things that maybe aren't really that funny. And, you know, if we just kind of are a little more self-aware of what we're saying and how we're supporting people and how we're talking about people, um, I think that makes a big difference community wise. And, you know, if you if you don't understand it, ask like a lot of people. I mean, I have educated people in random places all the time. You know, because I'll be like, is that really what you want to say? Or is that really, you know? Think about what you said. And, um. So, yeah, if you don't know, just ask. But I think it's, um, you know, the more educated you are, the more you know, and the more you can share and help. And those are all important things.

00:28:51,100	S2:
Is there anything I missed asking that you would like to say?

00:28:55,300	S3:
I don't think so. I think, um, you know, we've been around a long time. I don't think it's something that should be a secret anymore. And, you know, people should know where to go for help. And, um, since I became director, I've tried to put it out there more. We've had a billboard up. We've done brochures, we've sent things out. And I think the more we can educate people, the better.

00:29:13,801	S2:
Okay. Well, Michelle, thank you for taking time with me today. I appreciate it. And, uh, listeners certainly know that this is a need in our community to to support.

00:29:22,601	S3:
Thank you. Thanks.

00:29:35,767	S1:
Thank you for watching Bismarck Insights with mayor Mike Schmitz. If you have specific topics or questions you'd like addressed in future episodes. Email em Schmitz at Bismarck gov.

00:29:49,367	S1:
Or call the City of Bismarck at (701) 355-1300.

00:29:53,667	S1:
To learn more about the City of Bismarck, visit Bismarck, N.D., or follow us on a variety of social media channels by searching Bismarck and Gov. Bismarck Insights is a collaboration between Dakota media access and the City of Bismarck. You may find Bismarck Insights episodes on government access channels two and 602, as well as on Roku, Apple TV, and fire TV devices. On radio access 102.5 FM and On demand at Frederick.