Using B.O.S.S. to Empower Survivors
On January 30, 2014, RISE staffers attended a Building
Opportunities for Survivors’ Success (B.O.S.S.) training in
Visalia. During the training we received tools, including folders
and worksheets, which both clients and advocates can use. With
the materials from the Allstate Financial Empowerment curriculum,
we have been able to help build individualize case plans for each
client as they work toward financial independence.
B.O.S.S. gave us an overview on how to start a dialogue with our
clients, and the incentives to offer with each individual. The
program has given us the opportunity to focus on financial abuse
and financial safety planning. Because of the training, case
managers have decided to restructure our current financial
curriculum to include using volunteers in our agency who have
knowledge of financial institutions. Although we realize that
restructuring our current curriculum will be a long process, we
believe that it will be a tremendous benefit to our clients.
Since January, we have utilized the safety screening worksheet and financial budgeting forms provided for us at the training, and they have been very helpful tools for our clients. The B.O.S.S. training also gave us a lot of new ideas to bring back to our agency, and expanded our outlook. Now we have strategies to reach survivors in a way that’s appropriate to their needs. We understand that every client is at a different level upon entering the safe house, and we cannot have the same expectations for all. Some clients might be ready to leave their current situations, while others might be in the beginning stages of reaching out. In the same way, some may be prepared for financial self-sufficiency, while others have a longer road to travel.
The RISE staffers who attended have found the materials and ideas
provided by B.O.S.S. extremely helpful in their day-to-day work.
Anabel Ros, our Atascadero case manager, said she appreciated how
powerful the financial empowerment tools can be in a survivor’s
life.
“Through the B.O.S.S training we are able to assist our clients
to incorporate financial independence into their lives,” she
said. “We can show them a spectrum of what is available in order
to reach their present and future goals. Through this curriculum,
we’re able to strengthen survivors’ confidence so they are able
to take action to end an abusive relationship.”
Overall, it was a great experience to come together with other agencies for the B.O.S.S. training and learn from each other. We received some great tools and learned new strategies. Perhaps most importantly, B.O.S.S. helped us build a coalition of allies from the various systems that touch survivors’ lives, so that we can work together to help clients move toward safe, financially stable futures.