First Step starts Employer Outreach Program

FOSTORIA — First Step Domestic Violence Services in Fostoria has launched an Employer Outreach Program, "thanks to a generous grant from the National Machinery Foundation," in Tiffin, the agency has announced.The program is "designed to help local businesses create healthier, trauma-informed workplaces while better supporting employees impacted by domestic violence," the announcement said.The program, which First Step Executive Director Amy Kinney believes is "very sustainable for the future," is getting off the ground with a $50,000 grant from the National Machinery Foundation."Our goal is to meet survivors where they are, including the workplace, so no one has to navigate trauma alone," Kinney said. "Sometimes, the person sitting next to you at work is silently carrying the weight of unimaginable pain. This program helps us reach them before that weight becomes unbearable."First Step notes that an Ohio Domestic Violence Network study indicates that Ohio faces significant economic losses each year due to intimate-partner violence, with Seneca County alone incurring costs exceeding $5 million annually. Those effects of domestic violence on employers and workplace dynamics highlight the importance of First Step's initiative, the agency said.Not only are wages forfeited due to the inability to work, but the local economy suffers, leading to decreased productivity by employers and leading, ultimately, to firms' interactions with vendors, which further impacts overall economic activity, First Step said.First Step said it answered 275 crisis calls in 2024. It provided 4,258 nights of care to 32 adults and 21 children. Also, 68 additional clients received outreach and counseling services, the organization said.The Employer Outreach Program includes three main areas of support: on-site training; counseling referrals and educational tools.First Step will offer workplace trainings on topics such as trauma-responsive care, the intersections of human trafficking and domestic violence, financial abuse, safety planning and supporting young adults, with the intent of empowering both staff and leadership to respond effectively and compassionately when trauma impacts the workplace.First Step said it provides access to counseling services for adult survivors of trauma or secondary trauma, led by a licensed clinical counselor, at no cost to the individual. The service is funded by the Ohio attorney general's office to ensure that cost is never a barrier to care for a survivor or someone who has helped another through trauma.First Step said employers can receive practical resources to help leadership and human relations departments understand the impacts of trauma the ways domestic violence affects workplaces. Strategically placed materials such as posters, table tents, sticky notes and QR-coded business cards can provide a spark of courage someone needs to pursue help, First Step said.First Step said it aims for the program to not only assist survivors but also to build stronger, more compassionate workplaces."We can't know every story unfolding in the offices, shops and factories of our community," Kinney said. "But we can be sure that kindness, awareness and resources save lives."Local employers who are interested in learning more about the program, scheduling trainings or ordering outreach materials should email to info@firststepfostoria.org. First Step will host a series of events in October in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The events are designed to "raise awareness, provide resources and connect with those committed to supporting survivors."Events are scheduled for 10 a.m., to 5 p.m., Oct. 1 at Kaubisch Memorial Public Library in Fostoria; Walk A Mile, Oct. 2, on the Heidelberg University campus in Tiffin; 10 a.m., to 5 p.m., Oct. 8 at Tiffin-Seneca Public Library in Tiffin; 10 a.m., to 1 p.m., Oct. 18, at Java's Enchanted Bean in Fostoria; 10 a.m., to 5 p.m., Oct. 22 at Birchard Public Library of Sandusky County in Fremont; and 10 a.m., to 5 p.m., Oct. 29 at Upper Sandusky Community Library.