Domestic Violence

Response Team

Side by Side is a Domestic Violence Response Team (DVRT) that works with the Cherry Hill and Haddonfield Police departments and the Camden County Women's Center to provide information on domestic violence, community resources, safety planning, and strong and caring support for victims of domestic violence.

The side by side DVRT is composed of trained volunteer citizens who respond to the police departments on an on-call basis. All volunteers go through a rigorous screening process followed by an intensive 40-hours of training. Upon successful completion of the training, volunteers are able to speak to victims in a confidential nature.

Goals

The goals of the DVRT are to:

  • Decrease the emotional trauma experienced by victims by providing the victim with an opportunity to express his or her emotional response to the crisis and educating them about the dynamics of domestic violence
  • Increase a victim's ability to make an educated decision about their options by increasing the victim's awareness of available community resources and legal options and their understanding of the legal process
  • To increase the victim's access to community resources by providing the victims with the necessary information to access available community resources and assisting them in contacting those resources

Side by Side has been imperative in strengthening and diversifying victims' support systems and recognizing the need to empower victims to break the cycle of violence.

Contact Information

For further information or to become a Side by Side DVRT volunteer, please contact Beth Hastings by calling 856-432-8869. If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse in immediate danger, please call 9-1-1.

The next Side by Side volunteer training session is coming soon.