Domestic-violence survivor offers victims safety, encouragement
Domestic-violence survivor offers victims safety, encouragement
Patty Duncan was once a victim of domestic violence, but she didn’t let that stop her from becoming a beacon of hope for women, men and children who experience abuse.
“I knew that I wanted to help others who were feeling the fear and helplessness I had felt,” Duncan said. “I knew that if I could make a difference in one life, then I would call that successful.”
Duncan is executive director of Family Violence Prevention Inc. in Batesville.
She started working at Family Violence Prevention as the sexual-assault-victims services coordinator, then became the assistant director for a short period of time.
Duncan has been the organization’s executive director since February 2013.
The agency operates an outreach office, the SafeHaven shelter for women, The Taylor House shelter for men and the Batesville Rape Crisis Center.
Duncan said SafeHaven recently celebrated 30 years in Batesville, and The Taylor House has been open since 2015.
SafeHaven has a capacity of 22, and The Taylor House has a capacity of nine.
Once clients enter the shelter, she said, they are assigned a case manager who works with them individually to set and reach short- and long-term goals.
“The case managers provide victims with resources and support. They cover topics like safety planning, dynamics of domestic violence, emotional staging of victimization and other topics to help educate and empower victims and help them on the road to [becoming a] survivor,” Duncan said.
Duncan said The Taylor House is the first registered men’s shelter of its kind in the nation.
The shelter welcomes men and their children who have experienced domestic or sexual violence.
“This program has an all-male staff, and the reasoning
“We acknowledge that domestic violence does not discriminate and that we will assist all victims of violence”. Patty Duncan EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION INC.
behind that is to provide male victims a safe and nonjudgmental place to go when disclosing victimization,” she said.
“This is hard for any victim, but in all honesty, men face additional barriers when disclosing victimization,” Duncan said.
“I often say when speaking about The Taylor House, ‘We would never ask a woman to enter into a program that houses primarily men and children and has a majority of male advocates. Why do we ask men to enter into a shelter housing women that has a majority of female advocates?’”
Duncan is also an Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence Board of Directors member and serves on the Advisory Committee of the Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
She said the staff and volunteers who run the day-to-day operations at Family Violence Prevention are second to none, and they have a passion for and commitment to helping those who have experienced trauma.
“I would say that each and every employee with Family Violence Prevention Inc. has the same demeanor about them,” Duncan said. “They are full of life, commitment, passion and drive.”
Duncan said her responsibilities vary from moment to moment.
“I have the responsibility of overseeing the daily operations of a nonprofit program,” she said. “I spend time supervising 18 staff members, reporting to 11 board of directors [members], implementing policies and procedures for staff and for each of our funders, empowering victims with direct services at our Outreach Office, educating our community and anyone who will listen about the crimes of domestic and sexual violence, helping to give a voice to the many victims who seek our help, working with our local law enforcement and judicial system, being active in events and writing grants to help find funds to keep it all going.
“I took the job of the sexualassault-victims service coordinator over the phone without asking [about the] pay or hours.”
She still carries around a letter written to her by her first client in 2009.
“It reminds me that we do make a difference,” Duncan said.
“As an advocate, it isn’t our job to make choices for the victims — that’s been happening for too long already — but to support whatever decisions they feel are best for their lives,” Duncan said.
“To encourage, educate and hope we don’t see them again or read about them in the papers — a hard reality for those in the domestic-violence field. Domestic violence doesn’t discriminate,” she added.
“Family Violence Prevention provides services to all communities. We strive to be accepting of all sexual orientations and abilities,” she said. “When speaking about or promoting our services, we acknowledge that domestic violence does not discriminate and that we will assist all victims of violence.”
Duncan said she enjoys working with her staff and
seeing people transform from victims to survivors.
“It is rewarding in itself to see the light in a child’s eyes as they leave the shelter or my office with a new sense of hope,” she said.
Duncan said being instrumental in empowering the victims she works with and seeing them live violence-free is also rewarding.
She said it’s hard to see victims return to their abusers, but she hopes Family Violence Prevention provides the victims with a little more education about their options to move forward when they’re ready.
“Some days you drive home the long way so you can process the emotional vicarious trauma that all advocates carry,” she said.
Duncan said she takes her staff members’ lives personally and works hard so they have a job to come to every day.
“I take it personally when people donate dollars and time to Family Violence Prevention. I do my best to hand-write thankyou notes and invite them to tour our program so they can see for themselves what a difference their dollars make,” she said. “I would love to show more people our program, and hopefully, they would want to help support us more.”
Duncan said that without grants and support from individuals, the agency would not be able to continue providing services.
Duncan said she and her husband, Keith Duncan, share birthdays on May 14 and also got married on that date.
“This year we celebrate 18 years together. It’s been an amazing ride, and I look forward to many more,” she said.
“Together we have three children: Candy Davis, Dallas Hess and Hannah Garrett, and six grandchildren: Levi, Keifer, Allie, Parker, Annabelle and Collyns,” she said.
“My children have taught me the meaning of unconditional love, and my husband has shown me the true colors of support and encouragement,” Patty Duncan added.
She was born in Cadillac, Michigan, and moved to Arkansas at the age of 4. She has lived in Batesville for most of her life.
In her free time, Duncan enjoys reading, exercising, relaxing at home with her husband and having “ladies nights” with other women who work in the field of domestic violence.
“My husband and I have done some traveling in the United States, and I would love to see all 50 states,” she said.
Mike Mundy, an investigator with the Batesville Police Department, has worked with Duncan for 10 years.
“She is a hard worker who actually cares. It’s not just a job with her; she actually cares about the people,” Mundy said.
Mundy said he can call Duncan at 2 a.m. in need of an advocate, and she’ll be there 15 minutes later.
“She doesn’t care if she has her makeup on or not; she’s just there,” Mundy said.
He said Duncan can talk to the victims because she’s walked what they’re walking and made it through to the other side.
“Patty is there for these victims. I’ve seen her put her personal life on hold to help a victim,” Mundy said. “She really, truly cares.”
Mundy said he has worked with several directors over the years, and he can tell that Duncan has a passion for what she does.
Mundy said he particularly admires the fact that Duncan opened a men’s shelter, The Taylor House, because domestic violence affects men and women alike.
“She took this on, by herself, and drove it and did the work and research until she got it here in Batesville. That tells you where Patty’s heart is at,” Mundy said.
He said Duncan is someone he can trust, and she often provides support that police officers can’t always provide alone.
“When you can get your advocates and law enforcement to work together, there’s various help out there. You just have to know where to go. That’s where Patty and her advocates come in,” he said.
“She’s not law enforcement, but guess what? She’s my partner,” Mundy said.