On August 2, 2004 programs from across Southwestern Virginia met to form a Task Force to be proposed to VSDVAA.  The group identified the following objectives:            

• To provide a voice for historically oppressed and marginalized people of Southwest Virginia within the Alliance and society.
• To provide a means for Southwest Virginia Domestic and Sexual Violence advocates to meet and share information and provide support while working towards a violence-free society.
• To advocate for the equality of every programs' ability to participate in Alliance work and training events reducing the obstacles of prohibitive and excessive travel costs and staff time invested thereby eliminating the need for some programs to choose between participation in Alliance work and direct client services.  (A 2-hour Alliance meeting or training requires a staff time investment of 12+ hours, a 6-hour Alliance meeting or training requires a staff time investment of 16+ hours in addition to prohibitive mileage expenses and hotel costs.  Large amounts of staff time required to participate not only considerably reduces the amount of staff time that can be spent providing local services during the week, it creates an additional hardship since the revision of the Fair Labor Standards Act.) 
• To address the challenges distinct to Domestic and Sexual Violence victims/survivors in Southwest Virginia.
• To be a catalyst for challenging and changing the disempowering influences of dominant culture on citizens in Southwest Virginia.

For more information call 804-377-0335 . E-mail is not a secure form of communication. To ensure confidentiality please call the Family Violence & Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.838.8238 (V/TTY).