The Victims Outreach Intervention Center offers a 24-hour hot line to help all victims of domestic violence.

“We're for anyone who needs help,” said Linda Strachan, director of Butler's Victims Outreach Intervention Center. “No matter what your situation is.”

The hot line is 800-400-8551 and receives up to 50 calls a day, according to the VOICe website. People in need of help also can visit the office at 111 S. Cliff St., Strachan said.

Strachan stressed that the free, confidential services are available to women, men and those of any gender identity or sexual orientation.

VOICe has 35 experienced staffers who are trained trauma-sensitive counselors and advocates. The group offers emotional support, emergency shelter, children's services, and medical and legal advocacy.

“Our job is never to encourage or advise. We explain, educate and inform,” Strachan said. “We provide education, support and empowerment.”

VOICe's legal assistance includes free representation, explaining the procedures and shepherding clients through the system, which includes filing for a Protection from Abuse order.

“Our goal is to make the client whole, back to where they were before they hooked up with this abusive person,” said Karen Berg, who has been an attorney with VOICe for 25 years.

For those who go through the process, it may be the first time they get to tell their story — the first time they have any leverage to negotiate a safe separation, she said.

A granted PFA forces the accused to turn over their guns to a law enforcement officer and they could also face eviction from their home if the move is needed to keep the victim safe.

Most PFAs prohibit defendants from abusing, harassing, stalking or threatening their victims and the victims' children and family members. They must stay away from where the victims live, work or attend school.

“A PFA is a great first step to help someone stay safe,” Strachan said.

It can also be, both women said, a dangerous time.

Berg said advocates present the options available to their client as the process moves forward and offer support and guidance along the way.

To file a PFA, the victims spend a day filling out paperwork at the courthouse and go before a county judge. If a temporary PFA is ordered, it's delivered to the defendant by the Butler County Sheriff's Office.

In the case of an emergency and the courthouse is closed, victims can contact the police or 911 and petition for an emergency PFA through the on-call district judge. If issued, it is typically in effect until the county court's next business day.

A hearing for a final PFA will be set in about 10 days. VOICe asks their clients to call in to discuss their cases before the hearing. If not, the first time they meet their legal advocate is at the courthouse.

In 2018, 379 PFAs were filed.

Many victims, Berg said, choose to negotiate a settlement to avoid facing the accused. She understands and wants to protect them.

“Putting the victim on the stand — reliving everything that happened to her, and that could be in a courtroom full of people,” Berg said is a situation they try to avoid.

There are many other emotional dangers in a courtroom encounter that the victims wouldn't know about, Berg said. A victim on the stand can be asked questions by their abuser if the abuser doesn't have an attorney. In cases where criminal activity is involved, such as an assault, it is possible that a savvy attorney for the defendant might “twist the words around” from a vulnerable victim, she said.

A PFA can be granted for up to three years. Berg says clients often settle for three months.

“Most defendants, if they are going to be violent, they do so in the first three months,” Berg said.

VOICe can offer a lot of advice, but the ultimate decision of which path the victim takes — sometimes even returning to the abuser — is up to them, Berg said.

“We get frustrated because we care about these women,” she said.