No one deserves to be abused. Crisis Services are offered by Cedar Valley Friends of the Family for persons affected by the crimes of domestic abuse and sexual assault. A wide variety of services are available to help victims with ALL of their needs. These free & confidential services are individualized and designed to help individuals and their families get through the crisis.

Crisis Services are offered by Cedar Valley Friends of the Family for persons affected by the crimes of domestic abuse and sexual assault. A wide variety of services are available to help victims with ALL of their needs. These free & confidential services are individualized and designed to help individuals and their families get through the crisis.

List of services:

Power and Control and the Cycle of Violence Types of abuse are shown on the Power and Control Wheel. Each spoke of the wheel shows a tactic that an abusive person may use to control or maintain power over his partner. When these tactics don't work, some people may resort to physical or sexual violence.                                  
                                                                                       


The Cycle of Violence depicts a pattern often experienced in abusive relationships. The three phases repeat over and over. Domestic violence is a pattern of abuse in an intimate relationship that escalates over time.

 

                                                                                     

By the Numbers What is domestic abuse? Domestic abuse is a pattern of abusive behavior used to control one's partner. Abusive behavior usually increases in frequency and severity over time.

Domestic Violence...the facts:

• 209 Iowans have been killed in domestic abuse murders since 1/1/1995
• 139 women have been killed by their partners
• 24 men have been killed by their partners
• 46 bystanders have been killed in domestic violence murders
• 25 children were killed in domestic abuse murders
• 16 children were killed by their fathers;
• 1 child was killed by her stepfather;
• 5 children were killed by a man that lived with them and their mother;
• 2 in-utero fetus were killed by their fathers.
• 1 child was killed by a man who had dated her mother.

• 253 daughters and sons survive these women and men
• 168 of the surviving children are minors
• 67 children were present at the scene of the murder

Sexual Assault in Iowa Statistics, 2009 Compiled by the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault using the Iowa Crime Victim Assistance Division, Fiscal Year 2007 Annual Report; the 2008 Uniform Crime Report, Iowa Department of Public Safety; Iowa Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, Iowa Department of Public Health. (Statistics above are the most recent available as of August 2008)

Cedar Valley Friends of the Family's Service Numbers  In 2005, CVFF received a private foundation grant to remodel and expand Friends House, our safe shelter. We increased from 2 bedrooms/8 beds to 5 bedrooms/14 beds! Astonishingly we have seen the shelter full numerous times since the construction was finished. We have also seen an increase in need following the  flood and tornado disasters of 2008, as well as the current economic recession. We anticipate that our numbers will continue to increase this upcoming year. In 2009 CVFF received an IJOBS grant for $266,666 to add a support service building to our existing shelter. This work was completed May 2010, and shelter beds have increased from 14 to 21!

The table below shows the shelter usage over the past six years.

Nights of Shelter:

2002-2003              541
2003-2004            1,351
2004-2005            1,172
2005-2006            1,537
2006-2007            1,984
2007-2008            1,892
2008- 2009           1,458
2009- 2010           1,509