Friday, March 21, 2014

Using B.O.S.S. to Empower Survivors

By Ana Chavez & Jessica Mondragon
RISE in San Louis Obispo County



On January 30, 2014, RISE staffers attended a Building Opportunities for Survivors’ Success (B.O.S.S.) training in Visalia. During the training we received tools, including folders and worksheets, which both clients and advocates can use. With the materials from the Allstate Financial Empowerment curriculum, we have been able to help build individualize case plans for each client as they work toward financial independence.
B.O.S.S. gave us an overview on how to start a dialogue with our clients, and the incentives to offer with each individual. The program has given us the opportunity to focus on financial abuse and financial safety planning. Because of the training, case managers have decided to restructure our current financial curriculum to include using volunteers in our agency who have knowledge of financial institutions. Although we realize that restructuring our current curriculum will be a long process, we believe that it will be a tremendous benefit to our clients.

Since January, we have utilized the safety screening worksheet and financial budgeting forms provided for us at the training, and they have been very helpful tools for our clients. The B.O.S.S. training also gave us a lot of new ideas to bring back to our agency, and expanded our outlook. Now we have strategies to reach survivors in a way that’s appropriate to their needs. We understand that every client is at a different level upon entering the safe house, and we cannot have the same expectations for all. Some clients might be ready to leave their current situations, while others might be in the beginning stages of reaching out. In the same way, some may be prepared for financial self-sufficiency, while others have a longer road to travel.

The RISE staffers who attended have found the materials and ideas provided by B.O.S.S. extremely helpful in their day-to-day work. Anabel Ros, our Atascadero case manager, said she appreciated how powerful the financial empowerment tools can be in a survivor’s life.

“Through the B.O.S.S training we are able to assist our clients to incorporate financial independence into their lives,” she said. “We can show them a spectrum of what is available in order to reach their present and future goals. Through this curriculum, we’re able to strengthen survivors’ confidence so they are able to take action to end an abusive relationship.”

Overall, it was a great experience to come together with other agencies for the B.O.S.S. training and learn from each other. We received some great tools and learned new strategies. Perhaps most importantly, B.O.S.S. helped us build a coalition of allies from the various systems that touch survivors’ lives, so that we can work together to help clients move toward safe, financially stable futures.
 

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