Culturally-Responsive Crisis Tools
1) Free Lock Change Assistance: Union of Black America
When you want to secure your home but need help.
Call Union of Black America at 515-381-6757. You are NOT required to give your name. Let them know you need your locks changed and provide them with the safest form of communication for them to reach you.
2) Courageous Access
This is our sister organization and nonprofit especially created by its Founding Executive Director, Courageous Fire, to provide direct, holistic services to Black DV women and the children they are raising. From support through the early stages of fleeing victimization through the rebuilding stages AFTER being separated from the abuser.
Go to cfirellc.com and click on Enter Courageous Access to get ACCESS.
3) Black Trauma-Informed Therapists: CFire Recommended List
The process of leaving DV and reclaiming your life is emotionally demanding. Often, we are faced with making many weighty decisions at the same time. If we are caretakers for children or elderly also, we must factor them into every decision. The needs we face as Black women dealing with DV create yet another layer of complexity. The emotional wounds that DV has left beind if left unchecked have been proven to cause serious longterm impact on the mind and body, including chronic and life-threatening physical illness.
This list of Black therapists, many female, and 1 male, are incredible at what they do and can understand much of your experience on a personal level. We want you to have the support you need. When you call them, remember to ask them for a short chat to see if you believe they will be a good fit for you. Statements like, "I need this from my therapist", "this is what I want to gain from therapy", "it is important to me that my therapist understands it is never okay with me to ..." are good places to start. Add you own or come up with your own, but observe their responses and decide whether you feel good about them taking care of your needs.
Hover over Specialty, Click on Talks & Trainings, then on Recommended List to access their information.
4) Culturally-Responsive Mental Health Support for Black Iowans: #BacktheBlack
Back in the Fall of 2022, a committee of Black Iowans gathered, led by Courageous Fire. Our mission was to create materials that would extend our community across the state to explore mental health supports on our own terms, in the way we felt comfortable, in ways with which we could culturally relate. The result is the campaign, #BacktheBlack, a modified version of the Make It OK campaign. Iowa Healthiest State Initiative financed and otherwise supported this work's completion and is continuing to make sure it gets into Black Iowa.
Head to www.Iowahealthieststate.com/backtheblack to learn more!
5) Confidential Safety Planning: Community Safe Space
75% of DV-related murders take place when the victim is leaving or has left, either immediately or within the first 18 months following the separation. We want to give you places where the perpetrator cannot find you to make a way to avoid harm while you get yourself and your family (if applicable) to a more permanent place of safety. Therefore, we have partnered with places within our community that will provide access to resources, as well as safe devices that are monitored by the perpetrator to conduct your safety planning. Work with the Safe Space coordinator at that location to use the room as many times as you need to get to safety.
Call CFire LLC at 515-428-0077 to be connected to the Community Safe Space nearest you.
