(Posted 2023 September)
Second Story, founded in 1972, has a longstanding history of youth services and support. Its programs include Second Story for Homeless Youth and Second Story for Young Mothers, which offer long-term housing and life skills support, counseling, and assistance with basic needs; Second Story for Teens in Crisis, which provides a short-term place to stay for youth in crisis, plus individual and family counseling; and Second Story in the Community, drop-in centers for families and after-school programs for youth who need more support outside their homes.
These safe spaces are just the first step. The organization also works closely with youth and families to help them achieve goals and work toward self-sufficiency, breaking cycles of homelessness, abuse, and poverty.
Recently, Volunteer Voices sat down with Kimberlyn Pena, Second Story’s program manager for Community Based Services, about what the organization does and how its partnership with Domestic and Sexual Violence Services adds a layer of specialized services. This is an excerpt of that conversation.
Volunteer Voices: What is Second Story’s mission?
Kimberlyn Pena: The aim is to transform the lives of children and youth in our community and their families through our after-school program, safe shelters, and teens in crisis. We support them through critical points in their life. We work with the youth and their families to help them reach their full potential. Even if they’re facing many barriers, we try to meet them where they are.
Talk to us about the partnership between DSVS and Second Story.
We have two family resource centers: one in Culmore and the other in Springfield. These are drop-in centers where anyone can come in looking for resources or food. Community members have confidence in us, so sometimes they disclose they’re experiencing domestic violence. Through this partnership, we’re able to refer them for services. We’ve seen that many times they’re not aware they’re experiencing a case of domestic violence until we’re able to talk about the signs and walk them through the process.
DSVS is coming into these centers and having community conversations in English and Spanish where they talk about their services, explain the signs of different forms of domestic and sexual violence, and share how to reach out to them or how they can refer someone else in their family or a neighbor.
We’re looking forward to implementing more of these classes to reach as many community members as possible.
What’s the best thing about the partnership?
Being able to connect and have a point of contact. If we know a community member is struggling, we’re able to directly provide that referral. With these community conversations, community members who already feel comfortable with us will have a team that specializes specifically in domestic violence.
Are there any challenges in this partnership? How do you manage them?
Until this point, having the community conversations consistently has been a challenge. Folks are short staffed and stretched thin. So, the capability to have more classes sometime this fall—jointly with Northern Virginia Family Service—will really support us and the community. Also, particularly in our Young Mother’s program, we’ll see cases of domestic violence and refer them to DSVS, but the clients aren’t ready to take those resources. Supporting the clients to make that step when it’s presented to them is key. Sometimes clients don’t know about this resource, or they know but aren’t ready to take that step to get service. But clients who have stepped forward have always found the resource to be helpful and they are grateful.
What else should we know about Second Story?
We are always looking forward to establishing more partnerships, to figuring out different ways to combine different aspects of members of our communities’ lives—beyond education and outreach. That includes health, financial literacy, and providing the most updated information in the county. We’re heavily focused on the community-based side, including gang prevention and opioid abuse, which is an epidemic in this country and also in Fairfax. We’re always looking for the best ways to support our community holistically.
This article posting is part of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Services' Volunteer Voices monthly newsletter for current and potential volunteers. If you're not already a volunteer, learn how to get involved. Find out about upcoming trainings, volunteer trainings, happenings around the DSVS office and information about articles, books, media recommendations and more.
Learn more about the Domestic and Sexual Violence Services (DSVS).