There are a projected 500,000 South Asian, Middle Eastern, and Bosnian individuals in the Chicago area. As increasing number of South Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants and Bosnian refugees are making their homes in this country and facing difficulties integrating into mainstream communities, the need for culturally tailored intervention becomes a necessity. Many families experience high stressors and emotional instability due to the changes in life styles that make it critical to address issues of domestic violence to maintain health family.

Hamdard Center has been providing culturally tailored multilingual services to domestic violence victims and abusers since 1993. Hamdard Center owns and operates its own licensed Shelter Facility and 24-hour Crisis Line. The shelter is fully functional and can accommodate up to ten at any given time. All shelter staff are trained and certified in domestic violence to professionally and effectively serve the victims and their children. The program is designed to prevent and reduce violence and abuse in homes that can destroy families.

Hamdard Center and its many programs have continued to grow since its inception. Hamdard has a strong support of the South Asian and Middle Eastern communities in Illinois and the surrounding states. The primary mission of the Hamdard Domestic Violence Program is to ensure the safety of victims, provide early intervention, and offer services that foster the preservation and stabilization of families. Hamdard’s initial efforts are to offer advocacy, assistance, counseling and rehabilitation services to victims and abusers (if and when feasible) through nonresidential programs. Only in extreme cases a safe but temporary refuge is considered an option. Often a cooling off period for the victims ensures their safety and defuses the crisis whereby the victims feel safe enough to go back to their homes.

Service for Victims of Domestic Violence

Women

		Onsite residential shelter and off-site shelter with certified staff on duty 24-hour a day
		Counseling, training in psychosocial, survival and parenting skills in restructuring their lives
		Legal advocacy for order of protection, victim impact statement, child custody, and immigration issues
		Transitional housing based on eligibility

Children

		Activity groups to promote learning/self expression
		Provide safe, caring, nonjudgmental setting for children to visit with their non-custodial parents
		Individual counseling
		Training to promote nonviolent problem solving skills

Men

		Educational groups to change violent behavior
		Skills development to help recognize and manage stress and anger
		Assessment and evaluation to participate in Family Violence Intervention Program

Community

Professional training, community outreach and education, system advocacy, volunteer recruitment, and training