BACKPACKS OF CARE
Supplies donated to local, state domestic violence shelters
TROY, N.Y. » The NY State Office of Children and Family Services donated backpacks filled with care supplies to domestic violence shelters, both in the Capital Region and statewide.
At a press conference at Unity House, where OCFS has its office, OCFSemployees were joined by Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, who will be distributing the backpacks.
The backpacks contain care and comfort items such as toiletries, bed sheets, socks, and a notebook. They will be given to victims of domestic violence who arrive at shelters around the state, often having fled their homes in the middle of the night with nothing in hand. The backpacks will be a gesture of support and safety, so that victims will have some possessions and not have to start from nothing as they work to rebuild their lives.
“We’ve come a long way from the days when there was no protection,” said Hochul at the press conference. “Governor Cuomo and I remain committed to these causes. Our work will always continue as long as there is always someone out there who thinks they have the power over another human being to abuse them.
“When we talk about domestic violence,” she added, “the questions
"We’ve come a long way from the days when there wasno protection." — Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul
keeps getting asked: ‘ why does the victim stay in an abusive relationship?’ We should be asking: ‘ why is the abuser allowed to continue that behavior?’ That’s why we’re working so hard on legislations to take blame away from the victims, and put responsibility on the abusers.”
Fighting domestic violence is a subject very close to Hochul’s heart. Her mother grew up in an abusive household, during a time when the police would arrive at a house, following up on a disturbance of the peace call, be told by the abuser that nothing was wrong, and then leave. No laws were in place to investigate or protect victims of abuse.
Hochul’s mother went on to become an advocate for abuse victims, getting laws passed to change the way things worked and founding shelter houses around the state.
Kelli Owens, the executive director of the state office for Prevention of Domestic Violence, thanked Unity House for their contributions to preventing domestic abuse.
“Thank you for what you do every day,” she said. “You get up each day and you do one of the most difficult jobs.”
Assemblyman John McDonald, also present, offered his thanks to all of the representatives of all of the organizations who had contributed to and will benefit from the event, including Equinox, the YWCA of Schenectady, and Community Action of Greene County.
“Thank you to everyone here for all the hard work you do,” he said.
Unity House was presented with several proclamations from the state representatives as a show of appreciation for their charity efforts.
“This is an opportunity to honor victims and spotlight their needs,” Hochul said.
Mayor Patrick Madden offered some commentary on the fight against domestic violence at the city level, since it is a war that must be waged locally as well as statewide.
“It’s 2019. It’s a shame that we still have to talk about this, but it’s important that we do,” he said. “The city of Troy answers about 6,000 domestic violence calls a year, which is the bad news, but the good news is that number is down from previous years since our partnering with city police and Unity House.
“They’re terrific people,” he added. “Unity House is a treasure, a world class program. We’re helping them to continue to get the word out, to help people get the services they need without fear.”