Community based research

Through participatory community based research, Close to Home identifies the talents, resources, skills and assets in communities to mobilize around domestic violence prevention.

Since 2002, Close to Home has included over 800 community members in our research processes to determine what actions community members are currently taking to respond to and prevent domestic violence, what social norms prevent community members from taking action, and what strategies and solutions community members believe will create social change on issues of domestic violence and related issues such as sexual harassment.  Our research and assessments include community mapping, surveying, ethnographic observation, and focus groups. Examples of research findings include the following information:

Actions community members say they are taking now when domestic violence happens:

1. Willing to respond in the moment:
   – By calling the police
   – By creating a distraction
   
   
2. Willing to talk to people involved:
   – By offering resources and referrals
   – By being supportive
   
   
3. Not willing or able to respond
   – Because they are afraid to call the police
   – Because they don’t know when to intervene or what to say
   – Because they are worried about repercussions to themselves

Why is it hard to get involved?

1. Emotions of shame, secrecy, guilt, fear and isolation,
2. Gender and cultural norms,
3. Public/private tensions, and
4. Fear of systems and institutions.

What community members think needs to happen to prevent domestic violence:

1. Everyone needs to be involved – women and men, youth to elders, and a broad spectrum of organizations at all levels of community life.

2. More community safety through increased conversations, increased accessibility of services and resident driven safety initiatives.

3. More information and education about domestic violence prevention is needed, including how to identify domestic violence, appropriate responses, existing resources, and information about healthy relationships.

4. We need to work together to build community, through relationship building, uniting together against violence, and advocating for policies that support domestic violence prevention.

The Youth Team has also done research projects on how to reach out to someone affected by dating violence and about “street hollering.”  The dating violence survey resulted in the Safe Love brochure and the “street hollering” survey was summarized in a Powerpoint presentation.  To review those materials click here.