DaneMAC empowers all survivors of gender-based violence in Dane County by cultivating community collaboration and improving access to coordinated, streamlined, and innovative support. Its trauma detrimentally impacts the short and long-term well-being of survivors in myriad ways. Dane County, like most communities, has historically responded to this public health crisis by offering an ever-increasing menu of post-assault support services in an effort to meet the diverse needs of survivors. Despite the existence of robust local support services, survivors continue to report that they cannot get access to the help they want or, in the alternative, they choose not to engage with any supportive services. We’ve worked with hundreds of survivors as they spiral through a dizzying abyss of Google and phone calls, searching for help, having to re-tell the story of their assault countless times to strangers. They tell us that navigating the complex systems of support can be as traumatic as the assault itself. THE SOLUTION
DaneMAC aims to transform the way our community supports survivors. Empowerment starts with making it easy for survivors to choose the help they need. Through the mobilization of support and innovative use of technology, we are reducing practical, economical, systemic, and cultural barriers to support and by connecting support services to each other. By making community resources more accessible, DaneMAC
improves the way our community supports all survivors of gender-based violence and, in turn, the way survivors process their experience. THE PLAN
Long considered best practice by the Department of Justice and widely used all over the world, the Multi Agency Center (MAC) model co-locates existing community support organizations/agencies in one physical space where a survivor has access to a full, comprehensive menu of options for help and service providers have access to one another. In other words, a MAC offers a single point of entry and a one-stop-shop for everything a survivor could need in one building. A central hub for support also opens up the possibility of centralized data collection and analysis, through which our community can better understand the needs of survivors and respond accordingly. If you would like to help us support survivors in the Dane County community, please consider donating at https://bit.ly/donate-to-DaneMAC
