Domestic violence takes place everywhere. Even in Alamo, Danville and San Ramon.

Gloria Sandoval, executive director of STAND! Against Domestic Violence, cites the following statistics for the last fiscal year:

Alamo: 15 calls to STAND! crisis line, representing at least four clients. A minimum of four clients received services.

Danville: 37 calls to the crisis line, representing 12 clients. Nine received service.

San Ramon: 84 calls to the crisis line for at least 14 clients. Eighteen residents received service, so probably four were carried over from the previous year.

STAND! is holding its 17th annual Rebuilding Lives luncheon Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Concord Hilton, and tickets are still available. The keynote speaker will be Robin Givens, author, actress and domestic violence activist. ABC7 news anchor Cheryl Jennings will be master of ceremonies.

As of Oct. 13, tickets had been sold for 400 attendees, and there is room for 550, said Sandoval. Tickets for the luncheon are $100. Call 603-0110.

The luncheon is a major fundraiser for the organization, which provides essential domestic violence services to the residents of Contra Costa County. Formerly Battered Women's Alternatives, STAND! began more than 30 years ago as a group of concerned people to serve battered women and their children. The organization has evolved to provide comprehensive services to prevent abuse and help its victims heal.

"If we don't solve the problem of violence within a family, nothing else can be addressed," said Sandoval. "We can't deal with school violence if we have kids growing up in violent homes. We can't deal with what's happening on the street, what's going on in gangs; we can't deal with community violence unless we have kids growing up in safe family environments."

With this in mind, STAND! makes its safety net services to victims its highest priority.

Sandoval notes that 18 domestic violence deaths in Contra Costa County in the past 15 months coupled with staggering cuts in funding over the past two years have strained their efforts.

"The issue of cuts to shelters is not a political issue - it's an issue of life and death," she said. "Families are losing their jobs and their homes, relationships are overly stressed, and the victims of anger and frustration are women and children."

There has been a 30 percent reduction in STAND! staff providing emergency services including shelter, crisis line and community response over the past two years. The impact has been:

• Unanswered crisis line calls during peak and non-peak hours;
• Half as many support groups available despite a 65 percent increase in crisis line calls this year;
• 80 percent reduction of in-person interventions at police stations and hospitals this year;
• East and West County community support services terminated;
• Ability to meet need for Restraining Order assistance reduced;
• Fewer support services and educational groups available to families in the shelter;
• Substance abuse support groups for survivors of domestic violence terminated; and
• Fewer shelter beds available as a result of our client's critical need for longer shelter stays due to economic crisis.

Community Education and Outreach staff has been cut by 60 percent over past few years. This means a 50 percent reduction in work with teens across the county this year. Also the staff partnership with the faith community has been terminated.

STAND! has had a 28 percent reduction in revenue during the past few years, with a 10 percent reduction in revenue in the last year.

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