SILVER CITY - Domestic violence has no boundaries.
It affects individuals of all races, colors and ethnicities, which is why Rachel Sierra feels it is imperative for the word to be spread during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Sierra, the director of shelter and advocacy for El Refugio, Inc., knows the feeling all too well. In 1993, three years into her job, Sierra said someone close to her was caught in an abusive relationship.
"He stalked and threatened to kill her," she said.
Sierra said the woman was able to get out of the relationship, but the after-effects lingered.
"It really affected the family, especially the children," she said. "People forget that it's a cycle and is sometimes kept a secret within families."
Sierra hopes that secret will be let out when a proclamation reading will take place from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Friday at El Refugio, Inc., 800 S. Robert St.
The event is meant for attendees to reflect on the women, men and children who have died and to extend support to those still in the cycle of domestic violence.
"It seems to be a silent issue," Sierra said. "People have told me some of the stories I've read are pretty gory, but that's what they are. Not any of it is good."
Victor Roman, 42, and his girlfriend Trudy Huerta, 35, had a history of domestic violence in their relationship, which ended in a murder-suicide, with Roman killing Huerta, then himself. The June 19 incident left five children, ages 1, 9, 12, 14 and 17 without parents.
"We're
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going to hold a moment of silence for Trudy and Victor," Sierra said. "Unfortunately, both were affected by domestic violence and their children will feel the after-effects."
Former Grant County Commissioner Mary Ann Sedillo, vice president of El Refugio's board of directors, knows how vicious the cycle of domestic violence can be. She lost her sister Patricia Sierra, on April 15, 1974 to domestic violence.
Sierra was just 21 years old when she was killed by her husband, Samuel. Sedillo said her sister's murderer never went to prison for killing Patricia and died two years later from the effects of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
"I know it from a very personal standpoint that everyone is effected once it becomes domestic violence," she said. "It's a sensitive issue and hard to talk about but it's definitely a reality."
She and other board members helped organize a fundraiser to help support El Refugio, since it has received a 28 percent cut in funding in the past three years. The fundraiser, a dance with Taos musician Darren Cordova and his band Calor, will be held Oct. 28 at the Flame Convention Center.
"I hope a lot of people come out to support this event because it is very important throughout the community and the world," she said.
El Refugio's executive director Maria Morales-Loebl said the organization's major funding source, the New Mexico Children Youth and Families Department, has cut funding to domestic violence prevention related organizations statewide.
For El Refugio, those cuts have translated into $157,419 less in funding - $154,723 less from CYFD and more than $2,000 in cuts from another state agency.
"It's enormous because we are a 24-hour-a-day operation," Morales-Loebl said.
The cuts have meant less services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.
El Refugio was forced to cut a full-time victim advocate position it had for Hidalgo County.
"Now we have a person who goes down once a week or on an as-needed basis," Morales-Loebl said.
But domestic violence incidents don't always occur on the day the advocate goes down there, she added.
"Domestic violence is always a crisis situation and there is always a safety issue that has to be assessed and responded to," she said.
Morales-Loebl said funding cuts also forced El Refugio to turn over operation of the sexual assault cases to another entity because they could no longer afford to train volunteers.
Morales-Loebl said she worked with the New Mexico Coalition against Sexual Assault (a former funding source) and the Grant County Domestic Violence Sexual Assault Task Force in Dec. 2010 to get the services moved under the Gila Regional Medical Center and the Grant County Community Health Council. That transition took place in June 2011.
The other funding crunch El Refugio is dealing with is that other funding sources are receiving "level funding" from other entities.
"Level funding is really always a budget cut because it doesn't address ongoing cost-of-living expenses. Like for our shelter, utilities have gone up, gas has gone up."
And she said, the funding from CYFD is provided on a "draw down" basis based on services provided, meaning the funding can be drawn based on occupancy rates at the shelter and if it isn't full, that drawn-down amount is lowered.
"It's always a challenge for rural shelters because they are always a last resort for people in rural areas," she said. "So if our shelter isn't full, we may not be able to access all the money that CYFD provides - but yet we still have to provide services. Really what's at risk is being able to be fully operational."
Both the city and the county have provided some funding to El Refugio to help offset some of the lost funding, Sierra said. The city contributed $1,000, while the county kicked in $5,000.
El Refugio, Inc. can house up to 32 people in its shelter and provides free advocacy services, including obtaining protection orders and counseling services, Sierra said.
"I want to say people can break the cycle," she said, "but the statistics show that people return. It's a crime that can be prevented, but it can't be stopped because the numbers are so big."
"Domestic violence is the number-one public health issue that requires 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week response," Morales-Loebl said.
Morales-Loebl said despite the funding challenges the organization faces, she is grateful for the support the community has always provided the organization.
"There has always been a good response from the community in terms of donations and volunteers," she said. "Despite our challenges, there has always been a community spirit that embraces El Refugio."
Carlos Silva Jr. can be reached at (575) 538-5893, ext. 5803. Christine Steele can be reached at (575) 538-5893, ext. 5802.
If you go
•What: El Refugio fundraiser, music by Darren Cordova, mayor of Taos, and member of Calor and Mariachi Calor. Cordova and his son and daughter all sing.
•When: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Oct. 28
•Where: The Flame Convention Center, 2800 Pinos Altos Road, Silver City
•Cost: $15 per person, $25 per couple
•Information: Door prizes during the event, hot dogs, chili dogs and nachos available for purchase. Tickets will be going on sale this weekend at various businesses throughout the county and will also be available at the door. Call Mary Ann Sedillo at (575) 388-1971
El Refugio, Inc. free services
•Emergency shelter, helping victims stay out of danger for up to 90 days
•Counseling for adults and play therapy for children
•Victim advocacy, helping victims obtain a restraining order
•A 52-week offender group educational class, for men and women, which is court ordered
•For more information, call: (575) 538-2125, or toll free: (888) 538-2125.
By the numbers
•Number of women and children currently at El Refugio, Inc.: 7 women, 4 children
•Maximum amount of people, including children, the shelter can house: 32
•Staff members: 17
•Average number of days a family stays: 30
•Total number of women and children helped from July 2010 through July 2011: 120
•El Refugio, Inc. established: 1983
* Source: El Refugio
El Refugio funding cuts
In its three-year contract with CYFD funding
•FY 2009-2010: $547,445
•FY 2010-2011: $487,226 (11 percent cut)
•FY 2011-2012: $392,722 (28 percent cut)
Domestic violence numbers
Silver City
•Jan. 1, 2011 to Oct. 4, 2011: 414 calls
•Jan. 1, 2010 to Oct. 4, 2010:
464 calls
Source: Silver City Police Department
Grant County
•Jan. 1 2011 to Oct. 4 2011: 99 calls
•Jan. 1 2010 to Dec. 30, 2010:
135 calls
* quarterly numbers were not available
Source: Grant County Sheriff's Office
Bayard
•Jan. 1, 2011 To Oct. 1, 2011:
93 calls (including 17 self-initiated calls)
•Jan. 1, 2010 to Oct. 1, 2010:
96 calls (including 1 self-initiated call)
Hurley
•Jan. 1, 2011 To Oct. 1, 2011:
44 calls (including 5 self-initiated calls)
•Jan. 1, 2010 to Oct. 1, 2010:
26 calls (including 3 self-initiated calls)
Santa Clara
•Jan. 1, 2011 To Oct. 1, 2011:
58 calls (including 3 self-initiated)
•Jan. 1, 2010 to Oct. 1, 2010:
69 calls (including 3 self-initiated calls)
Source: Grant County
Central Dispatch Authority
* Statistics may be skewed or inflated because the incident may show up under both the Sheriff's Department's calls and one of the agencies calls if both responded to the call.
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