The Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Crisis Center of Warren County New Jersey (DASACC) has been awarded a $10,000 Community Advisory Board grant from the Atlantic Health System and Hackettstown Medical Center.

A community needs assessment performed by the North Jersey Health Collaborative in partnership with the medical center and Atlantic Health created a list of priority health needs in Warren County. Grant recipients address at least one of these needs.

The grant will support the intake coordinator in providing full assessments including evaluating for mental health issues and substance abuse, according to Jill Zinckgraf, executive director of DASACC.

VOLUNTEERS SOUGHT

In other DASACC news, the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office, local police departments and the NJ State Police are joining the Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Crisis Center of Warren County to train volunteers as crisis response team advocates for victims of domestic and sexual violence.

Volunteer advocates respond to local police departments as part of a Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT) and to local hospitals as part of a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). These advocates are trained to provide empathy and information to empower victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault to make informed decisions for themselves and their families.

Volunteer Advocates can also assist victims to navigate the domestic violence court system and support victims via DASACC’s 24-hour hotline. In addition, DASACC offers services to support victims and their families, legal, therapeutic, financial and housing needs.

Warren County Prosecutor, James Pfeiffer commented, “The Warren County Prosecutor’s Office is pleased to continue our partnership with DASACC as we offer support and assistance to those crime victims most in need of help. Although the core functions of the Prosecutor’s Office are to investigate and prosecute crimes, another, often overlooked, function is assisting crime victims in navigating the criminal justice system during the most traumatic and challenging times of their lives.”

To register for training that begins in September, contact Rochelle Ostenfeld at rostenfeld@dasacc.org.

To generally volunteer with DASACC, you can also contact Rochelle Ostenfeld at rostenfeld@dasacc.org.