Domestic violence shelters short-staffed, but donations up - partly thanks to Netflix's 'Maid'

As 2021 wraps up, suburban domestic violence shelters say they are suffering from a lack of staffing, but they've also seen an increase in donations prompted by the holidays and, in at least one case, the Netflix show "Maid."

What has been dubbed as "the great resignation" has affected shelters as much any employer, said Maureen Manning, executive director of the Community Crisis Center in Elgin. All area domestic violence programs have openings, as well as most social service agencies, she said.

A factor specifically affecting social services is the low pay, she said.

"Instead of choosing to work in an agency to advance its mission, applicants these days seem to be pursuing the highest paying positions," she said. "I can't blame them. Many are saddled with huge student loan debt. But it is a perfect storm of being unable to hire right now."

Michelle Meyer, executive director of Mutual Ground in Aurora, said the organization also is struggling to retain and recruit staff.

"Our waiting lists are maxed out for both adult and child counseling while we continue to struggle with staffing challenges," she said.

Rebecca Darr, CEO of Arlington Heights-based WINGS Program, which has two shelters, agreed.

"We might get 10 people to apply for a position. We schedule interviews and only one will show up," she said.

The average base salary for a domestic violence advocate salary in Illinois is $16.15 per hour, according to Indeed.com.

The inability to pay staffers "a livable, professional wage" for jobs that require a four-year degree can be frustrating, Darr said. Shelters mostly rely on grants and donations plus state and federal funding. "We have been working to increase salaries but we also need the income," she said.

Unlike services for addiction, which are paid through health insurance and Medicaid, victims of domestic and sexual violence get free help, Meyer said. And while the private sector can raise salaries by increasing prices for products and services, social service agencies don't have that option, she said.

"We are always trying to bring in more fundraising dollars and apply for more grant funding, but year after year sustainable general operating dollars are hard to come by unless it is through the government," she said.

The COVID-19 pandemic was an especially trying time for front-line staff at domestic violence agencies, Darr said.

The amount of requests for help to the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline at (877) 863-6338 increased from 2019 to 2020 and remains high this year, according to The Network Advocating Against Domestic Violence.

Across Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties, there were 18,362 calls to the hotline in 2019, compared to 21,285 in 2020 and 19,993 so far this year. There were 27 text messages to the hotline in 2019, compared to 747 in 2020 and 944 this year. An online chat service that launched in November 2020 got 46 chat requests in 2020 and 277 this year. (The numbers for this year are through Dec. 9.)

The pandemic caused an increase in the intensity and frequency of domestic violence, often witnessed by children also stuck at home, Darr said. That meant domestic violence advocates found themselves dealing with more - and more traumatized - victims, leading many to burn out.

"The intensity of what they (workers) are dealing with ... it's just so hard," she said.

Yet, there has been some positive news in the battle. The popularity of "Maid" on Netflix helps raise awareness about domestic violence and combat stigmas associated with it, the three nonprofit leaders said.

WINGS saw an increase in donations, with people citing the show - about a single mother fleeing domestic violence - as the reason, Darr said. "That was interesting. We had not seen that happen before."

Manning said there's also been an increase in donations, although that's typical for the holiday period that includes Giving Tuesday. She can't point to a correlation with "Maid" without donors explicitly saying so, she added.

The depiction of domestic violence on TV is becoming increasingly more realistic, which in turn leads to decreased stigmas and victim-blaming, she said.

"Instead of saying, 'If only the victim were a better cook/house cleaner/partner/parent/whatever, the abuser wouldn't have to act that way,' now more people are aware that it is the abusers who are solely responsible for their choice to use violence in response to conflict or stress," Manning said.

Meyer agreed, saying that as stigmas fall away, the number of victims seeking help will continue to increase.

"I can't say that we are seeing a marked difference in calls for services due to a particular TV show or movie, but I do think that, overall, seeing these topics depicted in movies and the media, as well as the #MeToo movement, have made discussing these topics in general a bit easier for individuals."

"Maid" in particular depicts how hard it is for victims to leave abusive relationships, said Darr, who said she checked out the show after donors mentioned it. "You can see in her (the main character) struggle and the battle to make ends meet, it isn't easy to just leave," she said.

First and foremost, victims need to know there is help out there, she added. "If people know that there are resources like WINGS and others that are able to help them, they are more likely to make the phone call."

• For assistance, victims can call or text the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline at (877) TO END DV or (877) 863-6338. The hotline is free, confidential, multilingual and open 24 hours per day. Online chat is available at ilcadv.org/get-help.