Home Free Community Program (HFCP), founded in 1984, has been a mainstay of support for communities and townships in Northwestern Hennepin County for more than 40 years. While HCFP works alongside Home Free Shelter in many ways, the program also expands our services to individuals for whom shelter is not a primary concern.
As part of their work, HFCP partners with local law enforcement departments to ensure that victims and survivors of domestic violence crime receive support after the initial contact with police is over.
HFCP Program Manager Elsa Swenson sat down with Robbinsdale Police Captain and New Hope Mayor John Elder to learn more about his views on partnering with Home Free Community Program and how the HFCP team allows cities to support residents more holistically after a domestic violence event.
(This interview has been edited for clarity and length)
ES: Thank you for meeting with me today, Mayor Elder. You’ve been a strong supporter of our work for years and it’s exciting to have the opportunity to learn more about your thoughts on domestic violence (DV) advocacy in the communities you serve. To start, can you talk about the prevalence of DV in suburban communities like those you serve?
JE: To put it very simply, DV cuts across all sections of humanity. This is something that impacts every group or class that people form. It is also, sadly, often an untold or unspoken story due to feelings of fear, dependence, and shame.
ES: How does law enforcement interact with Home Free Community Program? What value does the program bring to the cities of New Hope and Robbinsdale?
JE: I’ve said this at city council meetings more than once: Home Free Community Program is such a valuable tool because law enforcement is often expected to be everything to everyone and we just can’t be that. Not well. There’s nothing wrong with being honest about that and bringing subject matter experts alongside us so we’re serving people as best we can. It brings so much relief to officers to know that we have a trusted partner who can provide truly outstanding service to our community in a way that we’re not equipped to do.
The model that HFCP uses is far more responsive than others I’ve experienced in the past. I can call and talk to an advocate – I don’t care if it’s 2:00 in the afternoon or 2:00 in the morning. Our officers are not alone out on the street with these concerns. They have someone they can call. This gives a great deal of relief to my teams as well as provides top of the line service to victim/survivors.
ES: And, from our perspective, there’s so much that happens in a DV situation that’s not even a crime, right? And there are people who expect police to do things when their hands are tied and they just can’t. So having knowledge of both of these systems allows us to help folks understand that.
How do you think police work would look different without community advocates?
JE: The level of service would be diminished. Officers are empathetic, but we don’t have the time or the knowledge to deliver the level of support that many individuals need. And we would be going to more repeat calls in the same locations. Of course, we have some of that now, but we want to provide the best support that we can and, without HFCP in the picture, we would be lightyears away from that.
It gives me great comfort that there is an agency, HFCP, that is going to pick up where we left off. That will walk the victim/survivor through the judicial system.
“The credibility and compassion that I’ve seen with the Home Free Advocates, it is just so much easier for a very doubting victim/survivor to believe that something can be done.”
ES: What would you like the broader community to know about services like HFCP?
JE: I would like people to understand the work they do and the value they add. Before I was a cop, I just thought a “battered women’s shelter,” which is the language we used then, was a place that battered women went. I had no knowledge as to the resources they share, the prevention education for the community, and the depth of the great work they do. Domestic abuse happens throughout the fabric of our society. Living in the community where I work, I’ve been called to domestics at the homes of people I knew. I never would have imagined how many individuals are impacted by DV and how pervasive it was in all areas of our community.
ES: Is there anything that you would like victim/survivors to know about the services available in both Robbinsdale and New Hope?
JE: That not all DV programs are created equally, just as not all officers are created equally. I pushed to have HFCP to come to Robbinsdale because, as a prior New Hope police officer and council member of New Hope, I knew the services and the professionalism that HFCP delivers. HFCP is making a difference in people’s lives every day.
If you’re not receiving the support you deserve from an advocate, find another. Don’t ever settle for less than you deserve. Every one of us deserves to feel safe and to not be victimized.
Home Free Community Program works with victim/survivors of domestic violence and also provides preventative education to the community. If you or someone you know needs domestic violence information or support, please call our 24-hour crisis line at 763.559.4945. If you would like to be connected to education and prevention resources, please email us at sbusch@missionsinc.org.
Our programs will continue to support the community until the community no longer needs support. You can help us with this work by making a donation at https://bit.ly/MIPSS25.