ICDVP Community Resources 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which community resource specifically assists survivors in obtaining safe, confidential address protection from their abusers in Illinois?
- Illinois Department of Natural Resources
- Illinois Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) administered by the Secretary of State (Correct answer)
- Illinois Tollway Authority
- Illinois Department of Agriculture
Correct answer: Illinois Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) administered by the Secretary of State
Illinois ACP provides a substitute address for official purposes so survivors can participate in civic life without revealing their physical location.
Question 2: A survivor with a disability needs DV services but the shelter is not fully accessible. What should the advocate do?
- Inform the survivor no services are available
- Explore disability-specific service partners, request reasonable modifications, or identify an accessible alternative shelter (Correct answer)
- Require the survivor to arrange her own accommodation
- Contact the abuser to provide care for the survivor
Correct answer: Explore disability-specific service partners, request reasonable modifications, or identify an accessible alternative shelter
DV programs must make reasonable accommodations under the ADA and should partner with disability services to ensure accessible options.
Question 3: Financial empowerment services within a DV program are BEST described as:
- Providing survivors with cash grants from the shelter's operating budget
- Offering budgeting coaching, credit building, benefits navigation, and connections to employment resources (Correct answer)
- Advising survivors to return to work immediately without addressing safety
- Focusing exclusively on collecting child support from the abuser
Correct answer: Offering budgeting coaching, credit building, benefits navigation, and connections to employment resources
Financial empowerment integrates economic education, benefits access, and employment support to help survivors achieve long-term economic independence.
Question 4: When a survivor is ready to return to work but has an employment gap due to the abuse, which community resource can help address this specific barrier?
- The local unemployment office alone
- Workforce development programs, DV-informed vocational training, and Dress for Success-type organizations (Correct answer)
- Asking the abuser to provide a job reference
- Applying only to jobs that do not require references
Correct answer: Workforce development programs, DV-informed vocational training, and Dress for Success-type organizations
Workforce development programs and DV-specialized employment services help survivors address resume gaps, build skills, and access appropriate clothing and coaching.
Question 5: A survivor discloses substance use as a coping mechanism for the trauma she experienced. What is the MOST appropriate referral?
- Report the survivor to child protective services immediately
- Refer to a trauma-informed, DV-integrated substance use treatment program (Correct answer)
- Discharge the survivor from DV services until she is sober
- Ignore the substance use as it is unrelated to domestic violence
Correct answer: Refer to a trauma-informed, DV-integrated substance use treatment program
Co-occurring trauma and substance use require integrated, trauma-informed treatment rather than addressing each issue in isolation.
Question 6: Which type of community collaboration model requires all partner agencies to use a shared screening protocol and centralized data system for DV survivors?
- Standalone service delivery
- Coordinated Community Response (CCR) (Correct answer)
- Fee-for-service contracting
- Independent case management
Correct answer: Coordinated Community Response (CCR)
A Coordinated Community Response brings multiple agencies together under shared protocols, data systems, and goals to provide cohesive survivor-centered services.
Question 7: A survivor's pet is being used by the abuser as a means of control. Which specialized resource addresses this unique barrier to leaving?
- Local animal control for surrendering the pet permanently
- Safe Havens for Pets programs or DV shelters that accept animals (Correct answer)
- Asking a neighbor to keep the pet indefinitely
- Leaving the pet with the abuser to maintain access
Correct answer: Safe Havens for Pets programs or DV shelters that accept animals
Safe Havens for Pets programs allow survivors to bring or temporarily house their pets while accessing shelter, removing a key barrier to leaving.
ICDVP Community Resources 4
Which community resource specifically assists survivors in obtaining safe, confidential address protection from their abusers in Illinois?