Lycoming County Coroner Charles Kiessling looks at a list of county domestic abuse victims and recalls the “horrible” cases.
Many involved guns.
The list contains the names of almost 30 victims dating back to 1996, including two deaths this year alone.
“I see these as deaths that could be prevented if we can get them into the right channels and get the help that they need,” Kiessling said. “Thank God for these people that are doing the work they do because I think these numbers would be much higher than what they are.”
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Northcentral Pennsylvania Young Women’s Christian Association, a nonprofit, promotes awareness of the rising number of domestic abuse cases during their month-long campaign.
The YWCA fastens purple flags honoring victims through downtown Williamsport. The color symbolizes peace, courage, survival, honor and dedication to ending violence, according to allagainstabuse.org.
The YWCA has served women and families since 1893. Its 20-person staff offers help victims write protection from abuse order applications, counseling and other support. The agency’s Wise Options program has helped individuals flee domestic and sexual violence or other violent crimes since 1977.
“We're a walk-in site, so anyone who may be suffering or has experienced violence can come into our facility at any time,” program director Amber Morningstar said.
The YWCA has operated at full capacity - 40 to 50 people - for a while, Morningstar said.
“We are constantly moving beds and putting beds together. We will turn the cameras off and shut down our living room to be able to house a family in need,” Morningstar said.
Direct services supervisor Heather Reeder oversees the Wise Options, Custody Exchange and Rapid Rehousing programs, and YWCA’s counselors.
“Our counselors are fully on the move and booked. We're constantly trying to make sure that we have open slots,” Reeder said. “They're in a lot of places but they also are able to go into the K through 12 schools and provide counseling there too.”
About 10 million people are victims of domestic violence yearly, according to the National Library of Medicine.
As the county’s only victim service provider, the YWCA sees upwards of 1,700 domestic violence victims yearly. About 350 are children.
“We know that domestic violence is not being eradicated. If anything, we hope that more people are aware of our services, and that's why the numbers have gone up,” Morningstar said.
One in four women and one in seven men, aged 18 and older, in the US, have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner, according to statistics by the National Domestic Hotline.
More than one in three women and one in four men in the US have experienced sexual assault, physical violence and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime, according to the hotline’s collected data.
“It's happening to women at a much higher rate, but it does happen to men,” Morningstar said.
The list of countywide deaths shows domestic violence can affect anyone.
“There are several men on the list of those since 1996 that we remember and honor each year. I think that's one of the biggest myths about domestic violence, is that it doesn't happen to men,” Morningstar said. “I've worked with some men who could very well hold their own, who seemed like very strong gentlemen that have been in some pretty tough situations with women who have been abusive.”
Kiessling said protection from abuse orders have increased each year. The county saw a record 630 PFAs in fiscal year 2023, YWCA advocacy and prevention supervisor Erin Timmons said. She oversees the legal department that assists clients with PFAs.
“We are the first stop for the PFAs in our county. Our legal team is seeing anywhere from like 10 to 11 people per day doing screeners with them for appointments,” Timmons said.
People who need PFA assistance or other help can call a 24/7 hotline, 1-800-326-8483, or just walk into the YWCA at 815 W. 4th St.
Legal advocates draw up a PFA petition with the client and cover safety planning, Timmons said.
Once petitions and paperwork are signed, clients go to court.
“It is one of our legal advocates, the judge and the client. It's very isolated in the courtroom or in the judge's chamber so nobody else is able to hear that information,” Timmons said. “Our client meets with the judge, explains to the judge what's been going on, then the judge will either sign the petition for the PFA in its temporary state or deny it.”
Within 10 days, there’s another hearing. North Penn Legal Services’ attorneys typically represent YWCA clients for free, Timmons said.
Victims sometimes seek help eight to 10 times before permanently leaving a domestic violence environment, Morningstar said.
The YWCA has a rapid rehousing program. Morningstar said victims can receive up to two years of rental support.
“If they've been living with an abusive partner and they maybe don't have a job, or they've been relying on that partner financially, we're able to help them rebuild their lives in that way,” she said.
The YWCA’s nonprofit thrift clothing store, The Boutique, has operated since 2013. Its proceed will go to the Wise Options program this month.
People can visit the Boutique on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The YWCA also offers relocation assistance that goes toward air or bus fare and can cover rent and security deposits.
“They're housing people left and right and providing successful exits from the program. We're doing well compared to previous years, which, again, is a positive but a negative, because a lot of people need our services,” said Reeder.
Despite the increasing need, funding keeps getting harder to find.
“We're constantly chasing dollars to be able to continue to provide these life saving services, and there's never enough money. Individuals who are fleeing violence, they face unique challenges, and our funding is typically flat from our state funders,” she said.
Morningstar said they need the community’s help.
“We need support, we need support from our community, we need support from our county,” Morningstar said. “We need individuals to recognize that those 17 plus 100 individuals a year would have nowhere to go if we didn't have the funding that we need to be able to serve them, and that's funding for staff, for shelter to meet those needs, for rapid rehousing and relocation. It's difficult. It takes a lot of money to keep our doors open.”
The YWCA urges people suffering with domestic violence to come forward without fear. Morningstar said it starts with believing their stories.
“When they come forward, it takes a lot for a victim to come out and speak about what they've gone through,” she said. “If the first person that they come in contact with doesn't believe them, they're going to suffer in silence for a lot longer and potentially end up being someone on the list of those that we remember. That's what we want to prevent.”
