Thinking Shelter

This course is designed for anyone working (paid or volunteer) in a domestic violence shelter program. Feeling frustrated with all the shelter rules but can’t see another way? Puzzled about just what are the baseline regulations for DV shelters in our state? Curious about where the idea of DV shelters or “the battered women’s movement” came from? Want 8 training hours? Then this free course is for you! (You are welcome to take this course individually or as a group.)

Updated June 2010

Please be sure to register before starting this course.

Lesson 1

You will earn 3 hours for completing this lesson

• Review this document: Thinking Shelter Powerpoint
• Take this quiz: Quiz

Lesson 2

You will earn 2 hours for completing this lesson

• Check out Voices of Shelter Workers on Rules, Chores, and Change
• Choose one article to read:
  • Shelter Rules: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
  • Moving from Rules to Rights and Responsibilities
  • Rethinking Punitive Approaches to Shelter
  • How We Gave Up Curfew (and a lot of other rules, too)
• Answer this survey: Journalling Exercise

Lesson 3

You will earn 3 hours for completing this lesson

• Complete one of these assignments:
  • Option A: Re-thinking Rules at Shelter
    • You will need this document: Physical 'Fixes' that help programs minimize rules
  • Option B: Re-thinking How We Support Parenting in Shelter
    • You will need selections from the book Parenting in Public. See Option B for instructions
• Tell us about your experiences: Report

Evaluation

When you have finished this course (or all the lessons you intend to complete), fill out this evaluation in order to receive credit in our database for the training hours you completed.

• Evaluation