Oklahoma’s new website creates centralized hub for domestic violence resources

Contact

Kathryn Fanlund

Communications and Social Media Manager

(202) 295-1520

[email protected]

Contact Us

WASHINGTON - A new podcast episode highlights an innovative website for Oklahomans facing domestic violence. The recently launched site, GetSafeOK.org, was developed to improve access to legal help for survivors and help them safely navigate complex legal systems during times of crisis.

Talk Justice host Lee Rawles was joined by Margaret Hamlett Shinn, LASO's director of application line services; Janine Collier; is director of programs at the Case Family Safety Center in Tulsa; and Liz Keith, chief partnership officer at Scale Justice, which was previously known as Pro Bono Net.

"We were trying to fill a void," said Hamlett Shinn. "There was no central place for someone to go find help, whether it's help or just information."

LASO received a $300,000 Technology Initiative Grant from the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) to fund the project. Scale Justice, a nonprofit access-to-justice technology innovator, partnered with LASO to develop the site through a collaborative design process.

"[LASO] really are the experts in their work and [they] work incredibly hard to make justice real for their clients and also to secure resources for projects like this," said Keith. "So rather than starting with the technology, we really start with the problem we're trying to solve and the people that we're trying to serve."

In addition to Scale Justice, LASO engaged several community organizations, tribes and agencies that serve survivors of abuse, assault or stalking to guide the site's content. The website was created to be useful not just for survivors, but also for concerned family members or neighbors, explained Hamlett Shinn.

Beyond deciding what information to include, the collaborators were intentional about presenting it in an accessible way, considering users' potential challenges and safety.

"When somebody's in trauma, their brain does not process like it normally would, and so it's really important that the website not be full of jargon," said Collier.

Collier explained that the website will also help to minimize the risks to survivors seeking information.

"A lot of times [people have] really incredibly tight windows where they can get onto technology to figure out what they need and how they can get help, and if it's a website where they can access it easily, they can get to what they need to quickly, and have the ability to exit out of it, that's hugely important," Collier said.

GetSafeOK.org features a prominent "quick exit" button that stays on the screen as users scroll and will redirect them to a new webpage. Hamlett Shinn said that the website was built mobile-first, because most users will access it from their phones.

Looking ahead, Keith sees potential for expanded resources for survivors and their families in the long-term. She said that after people are out of immediate danger, they can be left wondering how to rebuild their lives.

"Survivors may need help rebuilding their lives from getting housing stability or protecting their children or rebuilding financial security, planning for long-term stability," said Keith. "All of those are areas that access to civil legal aid is essential for, and when we look to the future, I think there are ways to think about expanding this program or augmenting a project like Get Safe to help provide additional support to survivors along the path to longer-term stability and security, regardless of where they're located."

To hear the rest of this conversation, listen to the full episode of Talk Justice online, on Spotify, YouTube or Apple Podcasts. The podcast is sponsored by LSC's Leaders Council and produced by Legal Talk Network.