Coalitions & Collaborations
Impact is not about what you do – how many clients you served, how long your organization has been in existence, or the size of your service area. It’s about the positive change you achieve and whether or not it lasts. It is understood that one organization cannot achieve high impact alone, but instead partners with a purpose can. We partner as a means to further the cause and strengthen the potential for impact and real social change. Below are some of the collaborative efforts The Wellspring has taken the lead in, and together with our partners, we are working together changing our community … one life at a time.
Two of our largest collaborative efforts are with the Family Justice Center of Ouachita Parish and the Northeast Louisiana Home Coalition.
The Family Justice Center of Ouachita Parish is one of the first 15 centers in the world. It is a partnership of community advocates, law enforcement, prosecution and judiciary representatives. Established in 2005 with The Wellspring serving as the lead agency, the partners provide a coordinated community response under one roof for domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. While our area still has a much higher rate of domestic violence than that of the nation, local law enforcement data for 2013 indicates a 35% decrease in the number of domestic violence incidents reported to law enforcement in Ouachita Parish since the opening of the FJC.
The Wellspring is a founding member of the HOME Coalition of Northeast Louisiana, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that is a coalition of nonprofits, government agencies, faith-based groups, businesses, individuals and others that are concerned with homelessness in Northeast Louisiana. The HOME Coalition coordinates our area’s response to homelessness by providing a system of housing and services for those who are or are at risk of becoming homeless. In 2014, Coalition homeless service providers made housing available for approximately 3,000 people in Northeast Louisiana. They expanded the area’s resources for the homeless through the work of member agencies, which include 111 emergency shelter beds, 134 Rapid Re-housing beds, 160 transitional housing beds, 98 permanent housing beds, 22 safe haven beds and a wide array of supportive services to help formerly homeless people regain housing and move to independence. This represents an increase of 20.6% over last year (427 in 2013 vs. 515 in 2014).
The Wellspring is also a founding member and coordinating partner of the Sexual Assault Resource Team (SART). Founded in 2007, SART is a collaborative group of law enforcement, healthcare and other service providers under the direction of the Ouachita Parish Coroner that work together to coordinate their efforts to better serve those coping with the aftermath of a sexual assault. The partners work to improve the process of reporting, forensic/medical care, investigation, prosecution and support of survivors throughout their healing process. They do this by providing comprehensive, confidential, trauma informed and coordinated services that are victim centered and accountability efforts that are offender focused. SART also strives to provide education awareness of sexual violence services available, and victim rights to victims and the general public.
The S.A.F.E.R (Stop Abusive Family Environments Rural Services) project is a region-wide conversation and partnership established in 2008 to help reduce the impact of the crimes of domestic and dating violence, sexual assault and stalking in seven rural Northeast Louisiana parishes: Caldwell, Franklin, Morehouse, Richland, West Carroll, East Carroll and Tensas. The project is being conducted by partner agencies in these parishes on the front lines of addressing domestic violence. These agencies work seamlessly together and identify additional services that could benefit our area. SAFER is funded by a grant from the Victim of Crimes Act (VOCA).
OTHER PARTNERS
