Keeping it Simple: Promising Practices in Shelter Rule Reduction

Shelter rules and guidelines… a topic frequently revisited and yet can seem continuously difficult to manage. As noted in the VAWnet ‘Conflict Resolution Tools for Domestic Violence Shelter Staff’, “Shelter advocates themselves may feel that the lines between structures and rules designed originally to be protective and those that are unnecessarily restrictive have become blurred. Fortunately, an increasing number of domestic violence programs have initiated internal critiques of their shelter rules and structures, examining the extent to which they compromise rather than support the empowerment of residents and designing alternative approaches.”

This discussion, led by Beth Collin, will provide time for peer-to-peer dialogue about critically re-examining shelter rules, considering rule-reduction initiatives, and whether shelter staff feel equipped to manage communal housing conflicts without replicating power-over and controlling dynamics.

Click Here to Register

Each month of 2015, you are invited to join Violence Free Colorado staff and experts from advocacy organizations around the state for a Brown Bag conversation! 

We hope you’ll join us!

For more information, please contact Beth Collins: ecollins(at)violencefreeco.org