New nonprofit First Steps to Heal supports Westchester's domestic violence survivors - Westfair Online

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Jaquetta Jenkins witnessed domestic violence against her mother during her childhood, and during the Covid-19 pandemic’s lockdowns she became agitated over the concept of another generation of women being forced to shelter in place with abusive individuals.

“I couldn’t have imagined having to shelter in place the way I grew up,” she said. “So right there, I knew I wanted to do something to help — but I didn’t really know what that looked like.”

Jenkins was a real estate investor before connecting with the Westchester County Office of Economic Development’s Launch1000 program during the pandemic. The result of that connection was First Steps to Heal, a new nonprofit that supports survivors of domestic abuse by providing emergency shelter through extended hotel stays.

Jenkins said the mission of First Steps to Heal, which launched in February, is to provide “immediate assistance and emergency shelter to domestic violence survivors that have minor children and who live here in the county.” She opted for extended-stay hotel rooms rather than a traditional shelter facility because the lodging setting offered more safety and stability for women with children seeking a secure environment.

“We currently have partnerships with four hotels, and I will reserve the names of those hotels just for our client safety,” she continued. “The goal is to partner with hotels with a three-star-and-up rating and to be able to get reduced rates. Our name is First Steps to Heal and we want those first steps to get someone out of a violent situation — but that step has to be towards healing.”

The organization works with its hotel-ensconced clients to receive trauma-informed mental health counseling from the Westchester Medical Center and legal services assistance through Pace University’s Women’s Justice Center.

“If they need help finding employment, we help them to gain employment,” she said, noting that the group works with the Westchester Putnam One-Stop. “And if they need childcare, we refer them to Westchester Childcare Council,” she added.

For transitional housing, “We refer them to Catholic Charities and they help them with their first month’s rent and security deposits,” Jenkins said. “But in the next two or three years, I hope to be providing affordable permanent housing for our clients transitioning out of the hotel space.”

Jenkins admitted there is still a great deal of misunderstanding about domestic violence, pointing out that most people focus on physical violence.

“Domestic violence also includes psychological, sexual, emotional and financial,” she said, noting that the situation is not unique to a particular demographic. “There are over 12,000 domestic incidents yearly in Westchester County. We’re ranked number two in domestic violence, second to New York City, and 11 of the prior 15 domestic violence homicides happened in five of the most affluent towns in Westchester County.

“It knows no socioeconomic barriers,” she expanded. “There’s no rhyme or reason. It’s all over in every town, in every county, in every state.”

First Steps to Healing is being financed through individual donations and a grant, with Jenkins adding she was actively seeking corporate sponsorships. The nonprofit was recently gifted an office space in Mount Vernon for one year, which she described as “a blessing.”

Looking forward, Jenkins defined her near-future goals of providing housing for 40 domestic violence survivors per year while expanding a volunteer network across the county.

“I see forward progression,” she said.

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