Impact and Programs
Accomplishments
Standpoint has seen an increase in calls to our Action Line. Since 2016, Standpoint has seen an almost 70% increase in the number of calls. In these calls, Standpoint advocates and attorneys were able to diminish some of the barriers that domestic and sexual violence victims face in seeking support by providing information, resources and referral on topics such as protection orders, family law, criminal law, employment law, immigration, landlord/tenant issues, etc. Our ability to provide multilingual services resulted in one client saying,
mi advocate quien se ha encargado de proteger mis derechos como mujer, mi integridad física y psicológica sin juzgarme, ha encontrado recursos para protegerme y ver que se haga justicia frente a mi caso,” which translates to “my advocate has been responsible of protecting my rights as a woman, and both my physical and psychological integrity without judging me, she has found the resources to protect me and to see that there is
justice against my case.” Another client who contacted us via the Action Line said, “I didn’t expect this level of involvement or support. I went from panic stricken to being calm. I can navigate this now. Thank you.”
Second, Standpoint has been able to respond to the emerging issues of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. In direct response to the increase in calls to our Action Line and requests for legal advice, Standpoint was able to use a portion of this funding to hire a staff attorney whose focuses on employment and civil matters, such workplace sexual harassment. This position not only provides legal advice on employment and civil matters, she also conducts trainings across the state to raise awareness of the resources available to victims experiencing sexual harassment.
Additional achievements by Standpoint included facilitating our annual New Laws training at six different locations across the State, and our staff attorneys writing and filing four amicus briefs for appellate court cases.
Current Goals
1. Create an improved legal landscape for victims of domestic and sexual violence in Minnesota through systems advocacy;
2. Advocate and educate to improve services, coordinated community response across disciplines, and the legal system’s response to domestic and sexual violence;
3. Assist victims to secure access to justice and safety.
Community or Constituency Served
domestic and sexual violence victim/survivors; domestic and sexual violence advocates; attorneys; others
Geographic Area Served
State of Minnesota
