After a fantastic conference workshop in May, Jeff Paden and Suzanne Holsomback will be co-presenting our Supporting Rural Survivors by Engaging with Local Faith Communities workshop in a webinar format for the Florida Domestic Violence Collaborative on September 25, 2025.
Supporting Rural Survivors by Engaging with Local Faith Communities will explore the barriers rural survivors of abuse, violence, and harm experience in getting support and finding safety. This workshop will also highlight the benefits to survivors and the wider community when direct service providers partner with local faith communities. This workshop will dive deeply into how social services can engage and sustain relationships with rural faith communities and participants will leave with a clearer understanding of the needs of rural survivors and actionable steps for partnering with rural faith communities.
Thirty-two of Florida’s sixty-seven counties are considered rural by the Florida Health Department (Florida Health, 2023). Poverty, inadequate transportation, lack of service provision, and deep cultural identities with rural communities add layers of complexity for rural survivors in accessing services and getting to safety.
For rural survivors to find healing, advocates must look beyond traditional sources of access. One way to do this is through collaboration with the deeply embedded local, rural faith communities. Building and sustaining relationships with local faith communities fosters opportunities to create inclusive strategies that are more accessible for rural survivors.
You can register for this webinar at this link.
