The Retreat: Taking the fight to domestic violence

The Retreat has earned its reputation as one of the leaders in the fight against domestic violence in Suffolk County. Located in eastern Suffolk, The Retreat provides a broad array of programs and services, including an 18-bed shelter, a 24-hour hotline, information and referral services, court

According to longtime Executive Director Tracy Lutz, the need for The Retreat's programs has only increased in recent years.

"We're getting more calls on our hotline," Lutz said. "We have waiting lists for counseling. Our shelter is pretty much between 85- and 95-percent occupied at all times. We're busy!"

Are there any studies that are showing how prevalent domestic violence is here on Long Island? Actually, there is a study that was just published by Adelphi. It shows that there is a high incidence of domestic violence here in Suffolk County. You have to look at the demographics to determine why it is higher here than it may be in Nassau. Obviously, you can fit all of Nassau into Brookhaven Town, so it's a totally different kind of infrastructure. The reports are that there is an increase in domestic violence from police reports and in calls to hotlines, particularly among the fast-growing immigrant population.

So how does The Retreat focus its efforts on meeting the needs of this segment of Suffolk's population? Well, we hire people who are culturally appropriate for the area. Ours is primarily the Latino population. Right now all of our hotline workers and our advocates are bilingual, Spanish-speaking. They're also a part of that community, so they're more accepted in that community and are able to speak with women in a non-threatening manner. That's the key.

In terms of services, how do you help the victims of domestic violence, as well as the batterers themselves? For the victims, we provide information and referral. We can provide supportive counseling, either in groups or individually, depending on their unique circumstances and ability to access our offices. We also provide court accompaniment for victims who are in need of an order of protection. We will also follow a case if a victim has custody issues, divorce and separation problems and maybe child support. We're not attorneys, so we can't provide legal assistance, but we do have a referral system in place to provide support to victims.

As for the batterers, we offer a batterers intervention program that can last either 32 weeks or all year long. It's a program where batterers who have been found guilty of abuse are mandated, either through the court system or as a condition of probation, to attend the program. It's really not a counseling program. It's a reeducation program. It's talking about how to make appropriate choices and take responsibility for actions. It's always a choice the batterers make to be violent - they don't necessarily need to act out that way.

Let's talk about your shelters now. The shelters provide a short period of time that victims are allowed to stay, correct? Correct. They can legally stay with us for 90 days. We can request an extension of an additional 45 days in extenuating circumstances, but that's it, a 135-day maximum stay.

To what extent do you work with other agencies across Long Island to try to get them more permanent housing, if needed? We have collaborative relationships with a large number of other nonprofits in the area, particularly those that provide transitional housing. There are also transitional housing programs in New York City, if victims want or need to go back there, because many of the victims in our shelter are from New York City. They want to be placed back where they came from, but still need some support and assistance from an organization like ours.

Do you also work with victims in terms of life skills training? Oh, absolutely. Actually, we just started a new self-sufficiency program that offers women job skills training, financial literacy training in terms of budgeting and basic money skills and other basic skills that they need in order to live independently. We got some funding from a variety of different foundations to launch this program. We're very excited about that.

What direction do you see The Retreat going down the road? We're currently in the final stages of our strategic plan and we've identified several critical areas that we'd like to work toward. The shelter is a triage, like a short-term band-aid. Victims need long- term housing, they need job training and placement and they need ongoing support. We're working on developing a transitional housing program either on our own or through a reliable network. We're also looking to expand our reach so that we have a full-time office on the North Fork or in Riverhead, so that we are more accessible to our clients.

Address: PO Box 988, Wainscott, N.Y. 11975

Founded: 1989

Staff: 35

Annual Budget: $2.1 million

Fundraised Budget: $1 million

Program Service Percentage: 63 percent (Much of The Retreat's annual budget is fundraised, resulting in a lower program service percentage than if funding was more regular.)