DOMESTIC VIOLENCE/SEXUAL ASSAULT
Mission: AVP empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education, and supports survivors through counseling and advocacy. AVP envisions a world in which all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected people are safe, respected, and live free from violence. AVP provides direct services such as immediate crisis intervention, safety planning, short or long-term counseling, police, court and social services advocacy and accompaniment, information and referrals, legal counseling, and support groups. AVP's Speakers Bureau provides education and support for survivors of violence to share their stories to educate the public about how to prevent violence, and what to do if they or someone they love is affected by anti-LGBTQ & HIV-affected violence. They also run leadership development institutes to build community-organizing and campaign skills.
Website: http://www.avp.org/get-involved/volunteer
Phone: 212-714-1184
Email: mmikowicz@avp.org
What volunteers do:
tabling at community safety nights, marches, rallies
street-based outreach and SafeBar/Safe Nights Program
serve on PRIDE committees
staff front desk to forward calls to hotline
staff hotline (40-hour training on nights and weekends that includes in-depth anti-oppression training, then commit to a year of monthly hotline shifts on nights or weekends)
Mission: Many New Yorkers face daily hurdles such as chronic homelessness, HIV/AIDS, language barriers, domestic violence, lack of necessary job skills, and more. Since 1977, CAMBA has helped New Yorkers transform their lives by providing holistic programs to individuals, families and communities. CAMBA serves more than 45,000 individuals and families, including 9,000 youth, each year. We help people who are low- and moderate-income; people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or transitioning out of homelessness; individuals living with or at risk of HIV/AIDS; immigrants and refugees; children and young adults; entrepreneurs and other groups working to become self-sufficient. CAMBA offers integrated services and programs in: economic development, education & youth development, family support, health, housing, and legal services.
Website: https://www.camba.org/Lists/CAMBACareers/AllItems.aspx
Phone: 718-287-2600
Email: info@camba.org
What volunteers do:
stay overnight in shelter (commitment of 1 to 4 nights/month)
staff rape crisis hotline, one shift/week or weekend
Borough: Brooklyn (primarily)
Mission: The Center for Anti-Violence Education (CAE) develops and implements comprehensive violence prevention programs for individuals and organizations. Through a combination of education, physical empowerment, and leadership development, CAE provides underserved communities throughout the New York metropolitan area with skills to break cycles of violence. CAE’s self-defense and violence-prevention programs focus on women, girls and LGBTQ communities, with a special sensitivity to the needs of survivors. Participants build the skills and strength to heal from, prevent, and counter violence. We do this work to actively create a peaceful, just, and equitable world.
Website: http://caeny.org/support-us/volunteerintern/
Phone: 718-788-1775
Email: http://caeny.org/contact-us/
What volunteers do:
distribute fliers
stuff envelopes
skilled volunteers greatly appreciated for light electrician work, site maintenance, database work
Mission: Day One partners with youth to end dating abuse and domestic violence through community education, supportive services, legal advocacy and leadership development. Day One uses an empowerment model that invests and involves young people in maintaining safe relationships for themselves and their peers.
Website: https://www.dayoneny.org/volunteer-with-us
Email: info@dayoneny.org
Phone: 646-535-DAY1 (3291)
What volunteers do:
spread the word about the organization via social media, public awareness campaigns, and distribution of educational materials
help with newsletters, email blasts, mailings, written appeals
grant writing and research
plan annual benefit (solicit auction items, organize sponsorship opportunities), resource development
research sex-trafficking topics, attend training on sex trafficking, help develop PowerPoint and Prezi presentations
Mission: ICNA Relief USA/Muslims for Humanity seeks to alleviate human suffering by providing caring and compassionate service to victims of adversities and survivors of disasters. ICNA Relief USA strives to build healthy communities, strengthen families and create opportunities for those in despair while maintaining their dignity and advocating for their basic human needs. We are a Muslim organization and feel it is our religious responsibility to support those in need in our country regardless of their race, religion or other identifying features.
Website: https://www.icnarelief.org/wp/index.php/volunteer/
Email: office@icnarelief.org
Phone: 718-658-7028
What volunteers do:
help in food pantries, food drives, serve hot meals
assist in women's shelter
assist with disaster relief & recovery
assist with free health clinics and community health fairs
work on back-to-school giveaway events
counseling
teaching
speaking
social media/website help
photography/videography
fundraising and outreach
introduce ICNA to elected officials
publicize ICNA events
FYI:
weekly food pantries in Queens; biweekly in Brooklyn
hot meals served once a month in locations around the city
women’s shelter is in Queens
Borough: Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens
Mission: The Korean American Family Service Center (KAFSC) supports and empowers adults, youth and children to lead safe and healthy lives based on dignity, compassion and mutual respect. We are committed to preventing and ending domestic violence, sexual assault, and relationship abuse, and creating a violence-free society. Our counseling, education and advocacy programs for individuals and families in the New York Tri-State area are provided in a culturally and linguistically appropriate setting.
Website: http://kafsc.org/volunteer
Signup form: http://form.jotform.us/form/32595194185160
Phone: Ji Ye Kim at 718-460-3801 x34
Email: jiye.kim@kafsc.org
What volunteers do:
staff hotline evenings, weekends, holidays (5-week training provided, must be bilingual Korean-English)
assist with children 5-13 in afterschool program
mentor teen youth clients
pro-bono lawyers accompany clients to court to obtain orders of protection, child support, child custody (must be bilingual)
Borough: Queens
Mission: The New York Asian Women’s Center helps women and their children overcome domestic violence and other forms of abuse by empowering them to govern their own lives. The Center provides a safe haven through multi-lingual support programs and shelter services. In addition, the Center works to raise public awareness about violence against women, advocates for the rights of survivors, and acts as an agent of social change.
Website: http://www.nyawc.org/involved/volunteer.html
Email: Vineeta Kapahi at vkapahi@nyawc.org
Phone: 212-732-0054 x127
What volunteers do:
new volunteer training (8 hours)
staff multilingual hotline (volunteer training plus 6 hours hotline training, commit to 3 hours/week for 3 months)
newsletter writer (commit to 6 months, at least one article per quarter)
client advocates support clients in overcoming systemic and language barriers they face when accessing services, receive email or call to accompany clients to legal, medical, and other appointments, and help liaise, provide advocacy and interpretation (on-call basis)
FYI:
male volunteers welcome
application, screening, and adherence to policies required
fluency in an Asian language (Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu) helpful but not required
Borough: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens
Mission: Founded in 1990, the New York Legal Assistance Group provides high quality, free civil legal services to low-income New Yorkers who cannot afford attorneys. Our comprehensive range of services includes direct representation, case consultation, advocacy, community education, training, financial counseling, and impact litigation. NYLAG assists victims of domestic violence, immigrants seeking citizenship, elderly New Yorkers in need of public benefits and homecare, children with special needs, tenants at risk of foreclosure and eviction. NYLAG is unique for its ability to serve not only the abject poor, but also individuals and families who earn slightly above the government-designated poverty threshold. We’re able to serve this population because we neither apply for, nor do we receive, Federal Legal Services Corporation (LSC) funding. NYLAG has 125 community offices located in courts, hospitals, and community based organizations in all five boroughs of New York City as well as Westchester, Rockland and Long Island. We also partner with over 600 health and human services agencies across the City to provide cross-referrals and ensure holistic care for New Yorkers in need.
Website: http://nylag.org/get-involved/volunteer-opportunities
Phone: 212-613-5000
Email: volunteer@NYLAG.org
What volunteers do:
retired attorneys, attorneys in transition, law students and law graduates interact directly with clients and provide legal and factual research, litigation preparation, client advocacy, discovery, motion practice under supervision of NYLAG attorneys (commit to working minimum of 2 days or 15 hours per week either at NYLAG’s Manhattan headquarters or at community offices across the five boroughs)
translate and interpret
administration
development
finance
general operations
Mission: Safe Horizon is the nation’s leading victim assistance organization. Our mission is to provide support, prevent violence, and promote justice for victims of crime and abuse, their families and communities. Safe Horizon envisions a society free of family and community violence. We will lead the way by empowering victims of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault and human trafficking to move from crisis to confidence.
Website: https://www.safehorizon.org/volunteer/
Phone: 212-577-7700
Email: n/a
What volunteers do:
rape crisis advocate
childcare assistant in domestic violence shelter
childcare assistant at child advocacy center
teen mentor in domestic violence shelter
meal prep for homeless youth at drop-in center
administrative assistant
Mission: Sanctuary for Families is New York's leading service provider and advocate for survivors of domestic violence, sex trafficking, and related forms of gender violence. We work to end gender violence through three key strategies: direct services, outreach and training, and systems-change advocacy. Through high-quality service provision and rigorous evaluation practices, we impact over 10,000 adults and children every year.
Website: https://www.sanctuaryforfamilies.org/support-us/volunteer/volunteer-form/
Phone: 212-349-6009
Email: info@sffny.org
What volunteers do:
assist staff in children and youth services program by providing tutoring support with arts and crafts, participating in outings or spending time with a child in childcare groups (various times Monday-Friday)
assist with document translation (can be done at home and completed via email) and more infrequently, in-person interpreting (most often Spanish, French, Chinese, and Hindi, other languages as well)
assist with planning and execution of fundraising benefits and other special events (short-term commitment)
clerical assistance with administrative tasks including photocopying, data entry and filing
law students or individual attorneys assist Sanctuary's legal staff in the legal challenges facing survivors of gender violence
Mission: For over 75 years, Edwin Gould’s Community of Care has addressed the complex and often overwhelming issues that confront society. Rooted in a history of services focused on the needs of orphaned children during the early years of the twentieth century, our programming now includes a comprehensive array of services incorporating evidence-based practices to address those in need across the life-span. Our cornerstone foster care and adoption services are joined by community-based preventive services designed to assist at-risk families; programming focused on the prevention of domestic violence, intervention to assist victims of such violence, and advocacy toward policy change; criminal justice services; school-based programs; health and mental health services; vocational, and economic empowerment programming; and group living environments for developmentally disabled adults who wish to live independently.
Website: http://www.egscf.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Email: mrichardson2@egscf.org
Phone: 212-437-3500
What volunteers do:
paint
assist with child care
after-school homework help
development – events and proposal writing
graphic design
newsletter production
organize holiday gifts
general office assistance
Borough: Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan
Mission: Sue Rock Originals Everyone, Inc. is an internationally acclaimed textile charity committed to supporting the lives of survivors of domestic violence. With such a small percentage of women leaving domestic violence situations nationwide, SROE provides direct support to these women who have made the courageous first steps towards change. Women leaving the cycle of violence often leave with the clothes on their back. Each year our volunteers receive the raw materials to create the NEW clothing and accessories women living in temporary housing need. Using discarded fabrics from companies such as Liz Claiborne, Jones NY, Marc Jacobs and Van Heusen – as well as interior design companies like Kravet and Sina Pearson, we empower people in our community by training them in all aspects of the textile arts. Volunteers create handknit and hand crocheted apparel, home decor and what’s more – a sense of hope!
Website: https://suerock.wordpress.com/sue-rock-originals-is-strengthening-our-core-team-we-need-you/
Email: suerockoriginals@yahoo.com
Phone: n/a
What volunteers do:
knitters/crocheters (including beginners) create clothing, home furnishings, and accessories to be donated to survivors of domestic violence in residence (suggested timeframe four weeks from receipt of materials to delivery of completed items)
hair and makeup professionals assist in makeover events held seasonally throughout the year (one day commitment)
help hand out donations and serve refreshments at events at residences (one-day commitment, must sign confidentiality agreement)
social-media support
Borough: Brooklyn-based
Mission: We are a community based non-profit organization dedicated to the eradication of domestic and intimate partner violence. VIP fills a gap in services to Latina survivors and their children in a culturally competent environment that is supportive, non-judgmental, and respects each victim’s right to self-determination. Our mission is to lead Latina victims of domestic violence to safety, empower them to live free of violence and reach and sustain their full potential. We pursue our mission by raising community awareness, engaging in activism and providing culturally competent services.
Website: www.vipmujeres.org
Phone: 1-800-662-5880 (24 hour bilingual hotline and first point of contact for all inquiries)
E-mail: Julia Sick jsick@vipmujeres.org
What volunteers do:
administration
teach yoga (or other skill sets)
translate
social media
graphic design
data entry
fundraising
event support
FYI:
Spanish a plus
Mission: Since 2004, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center’s Violence Intervention and Treatment Program (VITP) has been an experienced provider of sexual assault, rape, childhood sexual abuse, stalking, dating violence, domestic violence/intimate partner violence services; crisis and ongoing counseling; personal advocacy; criminal justice advocacy; accompaniments; OVS compensation assistance; information and referrals; as well as prevention and education services within the hospital and broader community. Wyckoff’s VITP is the only hospital-based Rape Crisis Program certified by the New York State Department of Health in the borough of Brooklyn. All services are free, confidential and available in English and Spanish, regardless of immigration or insurance status.
Website: https://www.wyckoffhospital.org/patients-visitors/services-facilities/patient-information/services-for-victims-of-violence
Email: Marcy Zingman Mzingman@wyckffhospital.org
Phone: 718-906-3857
What volunteers do:
after a 40-hour training on sexual violence, respond to the WHMC Emergency Department when a patient reports sexual assault
provide immediate emotional support and crisis counseling for survivors of sexual assault and their family, partners, or friends
explain medical procedures and legal options
if patient prefers, attend the medical exam and forensic evidence collection
act as a liaison and advocate with hospital staff and criminal justice personnel on behalf of the survivor
provide information and referrals, including follow-up care with VITP
facilitate patient's comfort during ED visit, and help to arrange for clean clothes and transportation upon discharge
complete advocate report form on patient's ED visit to VITP Program Coordinator
promptly follow up with VITP program coordinator for supervision during or following a case
FYI:
40-hour training required
application and interview required
must be 18
minimum commitment one year; longer commitment preferred
shifts weekdays 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m.; Saturday, Sunday, and holidays 8 a.m.-8 p.m. and 8 p.m. – 8 a.m.
mandatory monthly advocate supervision and training meetings on the last Monday of every month
must be available during assigned two regular overnight or weekend shifts per month
must have access to public or private transportation in order to respond to the ED within 30 minutes of being called
Borough: Brooklyn
Mission: For decades, Womankind has been serving survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual violence of all ages. We provide innovative healing services and award-winning assistance to women and their children. Depending on circumstance, they have access to a safe place to live, assistance with housing, employment, English language training, legal immigration assistance, financial empowerment, and so much more. The survivors we serve, along with their communities, are frightened because of immigration concerns, hate crimes, the potential of widening gaps in the social welfare safety net, loss of health insurance, and the decline of affordable housing, among other concerns. Womankind is an expert in serving Asian women and their children. Our services are multilingual and culturally responsive. But services are equally valuable for the many non-Asians, the men and boys, and members of the LGBTQ community that we serve. Assistance is offered through all stages of life, from childhood to elder years. For those whose lives have been impacted by violence, Womankind helps them move forward from isolation to connectedness, from surviving to thriving.
Website: https://www.iamwomankind.org/volunteer/
Email: info@iamWK.org
Phone: n/a
What volunteers do:
helpline advocate (provide support, information, referrals, and safety planning); training required; commitment 4 hours/week for 6 months
screen and greet visitors to residential facility, provide resources to residents, ensure safety of facility, provide crisis management
provide support, assist with transportation, and provide advocacy at legal, medical, and public-assistance appointments
provide childcare while parents attend critical appointments; training in therapeutic techniques for survivors of trauma provided; commitment 2 hours/week for 3 months
mentors plan and lead strengths-based workshops for youth; commitment Saturdays for 30 weeks October-June
outreach and recruitment for youth-counseling program; includes presentations and workshops
interpret for violence survivors at legal clinics, presentations, support groups, wellness programs, counseling sessions
translate legal documents, forms, letters, outreach and educational materials
plan and coordinate summer field trips for youth affected by trauma; 4-hour/week commitment on weekdays in July and August
table at community events
create educational materials
participate in campaign
plan, publicize and execute events (fundraisers, awareness programs, conferences, events for survivors of trauma)
administrative support (reception, research, clerical work)
teach a skills-based class (e.g. video, yoga, graphic design, self-defense)
FYI:
useful languages include Chinese (multiple dialects), Japanese, Bengali, Tagalog, Korean, Hindi, Vietnamese
Borough: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens