Center for Community Solutions

Housing and Advocacy Services (HAS):Intimate Partner Violence Shelters: CCS operates both short-term and long-term confidential intimate partner violence shelters. Project Safe House (PSH) is a short-term, 24-bed intimate partner violence shelter located in East San Diego County, and Hidden Valley House (HVH) is a short-term, 40-bed intimate partnerviolence shelter located in North Inland Region of San Diego County. Both shelters are staffed 24-hours per day by certified intimate partner violence counselors. Intimate partner violence victims and their children are sheltered in these programs for up to two months, based on need. While living in the shelter, they receiveadvocacy, counseling, safety planning, client services, legal assistance, food, clothing, transportation assistance, and other services and resources to help them stabilize and transition to more permanent housing. Next Step is our longer-term confidential intimate partner violence shelter program, where families that needmore time to get on their feet can stay up to eighteen months. Next Step North (NSN) is a long-term shelter consisting of five two-bedroom units and Next Step East (NSE) is one two-bedroom unit. These programs offer shelter for families for up to 18-months while stabilizing and regaining self-sufficiency. In total, Next Step offers up to 40 beds for long-term shelter. All CCS intimate partner violence shelter programs accept adults and children of all genders. Shelter services are offered in English and Spanish, with additional languages, including sign languages, provided by certified interpreter services.DV Housing First: Established in 2018, CCS addresses long-term safe and stable housing as a key component to long-term survivor self-sufficiency. The program improves the way communities respond to intimate partner and sexual violence by integrating housing stability into advocacy, assisting survivors withaccessing and/or retaining housing. CCS Housing Coordinator provides mobile advocacy, community outreach, and financial assistance for rent and other supportive services.Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Hotline Counseling: CCS provides toll-free, confidential, 24-hour hotline crisis counseling, safety planning, information, and referrals to a host of followup services, including counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, medical care, shelter, food, and clothing.Hotline counseling is provided by certified Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Victim Counselors, in English and Spanish, with additional languages provided by certified interpreter services. CCS Hotline staff and volunteers, which includes a Hotline Coordinator, assist approximately 5,000 callers annually.

Legal, Counseling, and Advocacy Services (LCAS):Legal ServicesUnder the supervision of the Legal Services Director, a team of California-licensed attorneys and legal advocates, serves survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault and is the largest no-cost legal team in San Diego County. CCS legal services include:Intimate Partner Violence Services (IPVS): IPVS services are provided in East, Central, and North San Diego County. Attorneys provide restraining order assistance every week at the El Cajon Courthouse, and pro per family law as well as at all CCS business office locations, including filling out paperwork, client consultations, and hearing preparation. Legal advocates provide crisis counseling, safety planning, intimate partner violence lethality assessments, court accompaniment, application assistance, information, referrals, and emotional support to victims of intimate partner violence. Advocates utilize their significant community connections to help survivors access safe housing, legal services, counseling, immigration services, food, clothing, and other support services. This free, confidential service is available in English and Spanish, with additional languages, including sign languages, provided by certified interpreter services.Legal Assistance for Victims: The Legal Services Director and staff attorneys, LAV provides civil legal remedies and direct representation for victims of sexual assault. CCS specializes in the civil legal needs of sexual assault victims in the following areas: housing, employment, education, privacy, safety, andfinancial compensation, as well as Civil Harassment Restraining Orders. The program assists survivors with immigration concerns through a subcontract with Casa Cornelia Law Center. CCS is San Diegos go-to legal services program for privacy law (representing victims in criminal court), and Title IX issues (sexual violenceas discrimination) throughout the County. These services are the only sexual assault-specific direct representation legal services program in San Diego County.High Risk Teams: CCS attorneys also coordinate San Diego Countys Central, East, and North High-Risk Teams, a multidisciplinary response team that includes law enforcement, the City and District Attorneys Offices, several intimate partner violence service providers, and Probation. This team meets monthly in eachregion to collaborate and conduct case reviews in order to increase the safety of victims who are at serious risk of intimate partner violence-related homicide.Counseling ServicesCCS Clinical Director (LMFT) leads a team of licensed and pre-licensed therapists to address the traumatic impacts of intimate partner violence and sexual assault. The Counseling Services team also includes Child/Youth advocates who support children impacted by abuse and nurture the health of the entire familysystem. Services include:Trauma-Specific Counseling: CCS operates counseling programs in North, Central, and East County. Skilled Staff Therapists provides individual, group, family, and child counseling using a variety of best practice, trauma-specific approaches, including trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), guided imagery, expressive arts therapy, play therapy, sand tray therapy, and mindfulness therapies. Our counseling program includes masters-level Marriage and Family Therapy, Social Work, or Professional Clinical Counselor trainees receive intensive training, supervision, and commit twenty hours per week to CCS.Child Abuse Treatment: The program offers trauma-specific therapy and advocacy services to address the effects of trauma. CCS focuses on the childs strengths, and where the child needs support to improve their coping strategies and opportunities for healthy life choices. All services are available in English and Spanish.The program serves children who are under the age of 18 and victims of intimate partner violence, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse and neglect, as well as witness to violence or a crime. CCS offers these services with Child Therapists and a Child Advocate. Therapists create a safe trauma-informed environment to improve coping strategies, decision-making, and assist in the development of skills to manage emotions and behaviors. In addition, the advocate provides coordination with schools and other agencies involved with the childs wellbeing. The CCS Child Advocate provides information and support that includes crisis intervention, safety planning, court accompaniment, victim of crime assistance, monitoring academic progress, and assist in parent education. Within residential programs, a Youth Advocate developsand provides developmentally appropriate activities and support for youth ensuring that their environment provides a comprehensive healing experience.

Sexual Assault Services (SAS):SAS is one of the largest state-funded rape crisis centers in California and covers most of San Diego County. SAS services include crisis counseling, safety planning, trauma-informed client services, and help with connecting to other resources, including counseling, legal services, housing, medical care, food, clothing, andimmigration assistance. The SAS team also serves in leadership roles within the Countywide SART committee, a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and stakeholders committed to developing and maintaining a survivorcenteredsystems response.Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) provides emergency response to every sexual assault victim in its service area who undergoes a sexual assault forensic examination. Under the supervision of the SART Manager, CCS volunteers and staff are scheduled around-the-clock to respond within 45 minutes of a call and support the victim throughout the entire forensic examination process providing crisis support, advocacy, education, and resources. This response is in-person whenever possible and offered telephonically/virtually when needed. SAS is staffed by full-time victim advocates in Central, East, and North regions who provide follow-up services after the emergency response. Advocates also provide in-person emotional support duringdetective and attorney interviews, preliminary hearings, and other court events.CCS is a founding member of the San Diego countywide Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Systems Review Committee, a 39-year-old collaborative project which includes civilian, military, and tribal advocates; law enforcement; a sexual assault forensic nurse; crime lab; and justice agencies. All members of SART meet six times per year, cross-train, and follow a standard response protocol to ensure compassionate,survivor-centered services.Campus Advocacy: CCS Campus advocacy program includes a full-time Coordinator at San Diego State University to provide SAS advocacy on campus and work with campus staff to strengthen capacity to response to reports of sexual assault. This team also supports victims who are referred from other sources, including self-referrals and walk-ins.