Domestic Violence Intervention Services, Inc.

PROJECT PURPOSE

Domestic Violence Intervention has provided uninterrupted services throughout the pandemic. Our dedicated staff has experienced exponential hardship and witnessed their clients' trauma due to the increasingly high demand for our services. Staff turn-over, VOCA funding cuts, and issues finding new applicants to fill open positions have caused DVIS to seek supplemental funding to raise the salaries of our staff who continued to work as essential workers. This will greatly affect front-line staff who have experienced the financial effects of the pandemic in their personal lives. We anticipate higher employee retention and better incentive for hiring.

EVIDENCE

In 2021, an average of 3.98 million workers quit their jobs each month, hitting a new highest average in history. Many in the workforce have experienced compounding stressors in client-facing positions. High trauma, pandemic responses, and governmental budget cuts caused DVIS to experience a high turn-over rate in 2021 along with a decrease in the ability to re-hire open positions. Internal policies, including self-care efforts and a compensation analysis, have been enacted to further our efforts in employee retention.

POPULATION DESCRIPTION

Service providers and front line staff face heightened risks when providing in-person services during the pandemic on top of the stress of emotionally challenging work. DVIS relies on funding and struggles to provide competitive salaries for front line staff. Many clients? as well as staff members? identities align with communities that are chronically underserved and systemically underpaid. Providing retroactive and continuing premium pay will provide incentive against burnout and assist DVIS in retaining the knowledgeable and vital staff that remain. Workforce retention and growth provides the Tulsa County community with economic stability for the employees who have been dedicated to their work while being disproportionately affected by the pandemic due to compounding affects personally, with workload, and the lives of their clients. DVIS served 6,284 individuals in 2021, with all of these clients accessing services through our hard-working staff. Long-lasting employee retention positively impacts our client capacity and ability to provide life-saving services. This project aligns with enhancing capabilities of services for the wellbeing of all citizens involving workforce and health and human services.

PERFORMANCE MEASURING

As an essential service, in 2020-21, DVIS saw extreme increases in domestic violence. High demand for our life saving services coupled with the pandemic increased employee turnover to 39.71%. Our goal is to retain the knowledgeable and dedicated staff we have in order to continue to provide uninterrupted, lifesaving services for families involved in domestic violence Tulsa and Creek Counties. The number of families served and employee retention will be tracked during the grant, with electronic records, to ensure that shelter, counseling and legal services continue for men, women and children.

ONGOING INVESTMENT AMOUNT

$

ONGOING INVESTMENT DESCRIPTION

None

ONGOING INVESTMENT REQUIRED

One-time project will not need continued funding