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Since about 65 percent of families with domestic violence problems also involve child abuse, merging the Contra Costa County organizations that handle each was a logical move.
Now, after about 18 months of work, that merger is official, with Concord-based groups STAND Against Domestic Violence and the Family Stress Center (FSC) looking for what the combined groups’ Executive Director, Gloria Sandoval calls synergy.
The single group, now operating under STAND’s banner, has been merged only for about two weeks. For now, Sandoval said, little will change. The Family Stress Center will continue to offer anger management classes and counseling; STAND will continue its crisis line and emergency housing programs.
The synergy will come from eliminating what Sandoval called overlapping services. She said many of the clients and much of the work done by the two groups were identical. Sandoval said services, like counseling and advocacy can be streamlined as a result of combining the two groups, which both had a similar mission.
“We believe violence is a learned behavior and it can be unlearned,” Sandoval said.
Working together, she said, “We can create a louder voice in the community.”
When talk began of merging, the economy wasn’t a factor, but that changed during the discussions.
“It’s not as if either agency lost a significant amount of funding,” Sandoval said. “It remains to be seen what will be done with the state budget.”
The recession also increased the cases load to both agencies, with people frustrated over job losses or worried about their future taking their frustrations out on the people they love, Sandoval said.
Although the merger caused what Sandoval called “very few losses of positions,” she said the offices may be combined at some point in the future, with the cost saving that go along with that.
STAND has offices in Richmond and Antioch. FSC also has offices in Antioch, with others in Concord and Bay Point, along with donated spaces in schools, churches and community centers around Contra Costa County. Services from either agency are available to all county residents, including those in Danville and San Ramon.
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