Hurricane Season is from June 1 to November 30. Be sure to plan and prepare ahead of time with the Miami-Dade County Hurricane Guide

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Miami-Dade County has an array of services for survivors of domestic violence. 

In this Miami-Dade Minute, learn about the new Empowerment Center for survivors of domestic violence:

A  MESSAGE FROM THE DOMESTIC VIOENCE OVERSIGHT BOARD

The Double Pandemic: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) ) and COVID-19 remain global public health crises. Unfortunately, Miami-Dade County is no exception. COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing requirements exacerbated the crisis. Victims were at home with their batterers and are more isolated than ever. The number of individuals getting sick, facing unemployment, food and housing insecurity created the perfect environment for increased violence, campaigns of fear, and lethality for victims and their children. As in the past, access to safe, affordable housing, rental assistance, food, and other immediate and basic needs continue to be at the core of services benefiting and needed by the community, victims, and their families.

Reduced capacity and increased need: The provision of shelter and advocacy services continue, with modifications. Programs and providers follow COVID-19 restrictions, guided by local, state, and national health experts. It is important to note that while IPV incidents increased during the pandemic, at times, requests for services were eerily quiet, particularly as shelter capacity was reduced. During pre-pandemic times, those in shelters would share a room, family size and composition permitting, this was not the case during the pandemic.

Providers were challenged with having to pivot to creative service delivery modifications such as mobile advocacy, virtual outreach, and court proceedings. Lost was the in-person interaction that is the critical and necessary ingredient to establish and foster trust between the victim and providers. As the pandemic and IPV continue to co-exist, we recognize that flexibility and creativity in approaches to service delivery are crucial for maintaining a strong and effective response to IPV. While mobile advocacy in the domestic violence field is not new, this pandemic has forced advocates, domestic violence courts, providers, government, and communities to meet survivors in ways we had not planned, and for which we had not budgeted. The Domestic Violence Division of the Courts proactively adapted and modified its services to victims. Hearings continue to be conducted using technology, and support is available for those heads of households who have no other choice but to have their children with them during a court procedure, either in person, or virtually. Mobile advocacy and the quick pivot to technology, advocacy support and other innovative approaches continue to be more essential than ever. In addition, families and shelter program participants who contract COVID-19 while in shelter are offered hotel or alternative placement and advocacy services during their isolation and quarantine period. 

Community Awareness and Outreach: Early in 2020, it became readily apparent that victims needed to know they were not alone, that help was available, and how to access such help. Key community partners collaborated and launched various campaigns to address IPV during COVID-19. The Office of the State Attorney, in collaboration with Miami-Dade County, and The Women’s Fund, through their respective campaigns, ensured victims there was help, and where, and how to find it. Finding a sound way to maintain safety while providing this mobile advocacy is critical. Ensuring those with little to no technological resources or skills had access to technology was both a factor considered in the campaign design and service modification. These campaigns ensure that victims and the community at large remain informed about the service modifications and more importantly, deliver a clear and resounding message that victims were not alone, and that services are available.  

October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Florida has launched “Florida Cancer Connect”, an initiative created by First Lady Casey DeSantis in partnership with the Florida Dept. of Health and Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. The Florida Cancer Connect website is a centralized hub for cancer patients, caregivers, and loved ones. La Liga Contra el Cancer serves cancer patients who lack the financial means to cover the costs of treatment such as surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, medication, nursing care, and home medical equipment, among other services. And Miami-Dade County has long supported the American Cancer Society’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” campaign to end breast cancer.

Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-Off

On September 15, the Miami-Dade County Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month in the lobby of the Stephen P. Clark Center. The event featured the unveiling of a mural hand painted by local Hispanic artists as a way to promote art, history, culture and the contributions of Hispanic Americans. County Commissioners Eileen Higgins and Raquel Regalado were in attendance. The mural will be on display in the lobby through October 1. 

2022 Miami-Dade Hometown Heroes Parade

On Thursday, August 4, 2022, State Senator Shevrin Jones hosted an interfaith roundtable breakfast at the Betty T. Ferguson Recreational Complex in the City of Miami Gardens. Matters of faith, religion, community relations and unity were discussed. Some notable guests included Congresswoman Federica Wilson, Miami Gardens City Council member Robert Stephens and Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, as well as other clergy and faith leaders.

Monday, August 29, 2022, was National Faith and HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The Florida Department of Health in Miami-Dade County, in coordination with Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Miami and Temple Israel, hosted an interfaith service that included prayers, reflection, and meditation. Miami-Dade County Interfaith Advisory Board members Claudia Miro and Lama Karma Chotso also offered prayers and words of comfort. 

Our Interfaith Advisory Board Chairman, Dr. Juan Barek, was invited to open the second budget meeting with a prayer and words of wisdom on Sept. 20 in the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners Chambers, Stephen P. Clark Government Center. 

For more information and updates on COVID-19, visit the following sites:

Miami-Dade County COVID-19 General Information:

https://www.miamidade.gov/global/initiatives/coronavirus/home.page

Miami-Dade County COVID-19 Assistance:

https://www.miamidade.gov/global/initiatives/coronavirus/assistance/home.page

United Way of Miami-Dade COVID-19 Resource Center:

https://unitedwaymiami.org/coronavirusresources/

Florida Department of Health COVID-19 Updates:

https://floridahealthcovid19.gov/

CDC COVID-19 Information:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html

Staff Changes at the Office of Community Advocacy

This summer brought personnel changes to the Office of Community Advocacy when two of our staff persons left for their dream jobs. Monica Skoko Rodriguez, the previous Program Director of the Commission for Women, is now at Planned Parenthood and De Aundre Slater, our all-around Zoom/virtual meetings/social media/outreach/graphics assistant, moved on to a job in the music and recording industry. We wish them continued good fortune! We welcome the new Program Director of the Commission for Women, Nina Roque. Nina is an attorney and was previously the Director of Development and Governmental Affairs at Ladies Empowerment Action Program, Inc. (LEAP) in Miami. Also, we have been joined by Cedric Brazle to help us with our board meeting support, graphics/newsletter, and other outreach efforts. Cedric came to us from the Office of the Commission Auditor and has also worked as a legislative aide to County Commissioner Jean Monestime. Nina and Cedric are already making a difference and we welcome them!

Effective October 1, the Goodwill Ambassadors (GWAs) Program will be transferred from the Office of Community Advocacy to the Military Affairs Advisory Board. The GWAs are volunteer County employees who are trained in crowd control, crisis management, and customer service and are deployed to assist at special events and during high impact weekends. The GWAs have been ably managed by Yvans Morisseau for the past 15 years. He has also assisted the Community Relations Board and has served the County as an interpreter in Haitian Creole. We know Yvans will continue to do a fantastic job and it’s nice to know that he’ll be just down the hall!