Breaking Isolation: Social Support And "Know Your Rights" for Immigrant Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence - A Grant Proposal

Abstract

Immigrant survivors face added barriers to accessing formal support systems for intimate partner violence (IPV) due to immigration-related issues. Abusers will use control tactics such as threatening to report their victim to immigration, to take the children, and to destroy their victim's passport. One of the consequences of these threats on immigrant survivors is increased social isolation, thereby preventing survivors from seeking help and accessing formal sources of support. Immigrant and refugee survivors of IPV need culturally relevant social support outside of their families that helps reduce social isolation, enhance knowledge of their rights, and empower them to access formal IPV-related resources and services. We request $35,000 out of a budget of $87,085 to implement a culturally relevant support group that will address the impacts of isolation in immigrant survivors with activities that foster social connections and increase knowledge of survivor and immigrant rights and IPV-related resources and services. Funding will be used to hire a licensed social worker to lead the facilitation of the support group and offer case management, to hire a peer co-facilitator to assist with the support group, to purchase equipment and materials for activities, and to provide client assistance.