CORA rewrites how to stop intimate partner violence

“Just like the perception about smoking shifted to widely being viewed as unacceptable, so too intimate partner violence will simply not be tolerated,” she said.

This shouldn’t feel ambitious, but given that last year CORA answered over 10,000 calls through its Crisis Support Services, provided mental health and legal services for 624 individuals, and made 143 court appearances representing survivors, Ferguson and the CORA team have their work cut out for them. 

Known throughout the community as the place “women call to get out now,” CORA has over the past few years expanded far beyond crisis response to tackle the root causes of intimate partner violence through economic empowerment, prevention education and community engagement.

Having expanded from 54 staff in 2021 to now 70, the growth represents a fundamental shift in approach. While CORA continues its critically important emergency response work, the organization recognized that crisis response alone wasn’t breaking the cycle.

“Oftentimes, housing is the main blocker in taking the next step,” Phoebe Shin Venkat, CORA board vice chair and domestic violence survivor, said. “Many people make the decision to continue being abused so their children have a place to stay.”

That sobering reality drove CORA to address one of the primary reasons people return to abusive relationships: economic dependence that drives housing dependence. The organization now manages over $1 million in HUD funding for rental assistance, currently supporting 55-60 households throughout the county. 

Even more innovative is CORA’s guaranteed income pilot program, one of the first in the nation specifically designed for survivors of intimate partner abuse. Twenty families receive $1,000 monthly for 12 months with no strings attached. It is a pure cash gift that recipients can use however they choose. The program, funded by San Mateo County, represents a bold experiment in addressing the economic barriers that trap people in dangerous relationships. 

Central to CORA’s prevention strategy is community education through its “Speak Up” training — a 15-minute presentation designed for workplaces, parent-teacher associations and community groups. The training teaches people to recognize that intimate partner abuse “is not always violence” but often includes emotional, sexual, financial abuse and coercion involving children. Participants learn to spot red flags including constant tracking through phone calls, social isolation and excessively controlling behavior around decisions and friendships. 

The goal of “Speak Up” is not to turn everyone into counselors or mandated reporters — rather, CORA seeks to create a community that can respond appropriately when someone shares concerning details about a relationship. 

The COVID-19 pandemic unexpectedly accelerated some innovations. Online therapy sessions for youth increased attendance because children didn’t have to depend on their guardians to transport them for group sessions. The model was so successful that virtual group therapy sessions have continued on well past face mask mandates, making services more accessible to families facing transportation, custody or other scheduling challenges. 

While CORA’s crisis services continue to be highly utilized, they are building out their prevention infrastructure because the organization recognizes that lasting change requires community engagement that makes abuse culturally unacceptable.

“It is a mistake to think that abuse can only be affected by helping the victims of abuse,” Ferguson said. “We need community members to want to hear, to want to ask, to want to look at red flags; this is how the abuse will change.”

Important to note is that CORA serves all victims of intimate partner abuse, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, though 90% of their clients are women. So in an era where 1 in 4 women, 1 in 7 men, 1 in 4 LGBTQ+, and 80% of homeless mothers in the United States is a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner and where the very notion of intimate partner abuse is both stigmatized and genderized, CORA’s work feels urgent — especially when funding being put to important work is currently at risk. Its multipronged approach offers hope that meeting the immediate crises while planting seeds for a future when those crises become increasingly rare is within reach. 

For more information, to organize a Speak Up training, or to connect with CORA visit https://www.corasupport.org.

Annie Tsai is chief operating officer at Interact (tryinteract.com), early stage investor and advisor with The House Fund (thehouse.fund), and a member of the San Mateo County Housing and Community Development Committee. Find Annie on Twitter @meannie.