Los Angeles Daily News, CA
Aug 11 2004

YMCA to aid in listening to hotline calls

Help provided in Armenian

By Naush Boghossian
Staff Writer

GLENDALE — The Glendale YWCA has long served English-language
speakers who have called Los Angeles County’s Domestic Violence
Hotline, but it is now reaching out to Armenians across the county
who need their help.
Anybody in the county who calls the hotline — (800) 978-3600 — and
chooses to receive assistance in Armenian will be routed to the YWCA.

The 24-hour hotline, which is administered by the District Attorney’s
Office, struck a partnership with the Glendale YWCA to take calls in
Armenian in an effort to expand the number of languages the hotline
serves.

“We don’t want language to be a barrier when somebody wants
assistance. We want them to be able to contact the hotline regardless
of the language they speak and be able to talk to somebody live who
can help them find safety and shelter,” said Mark Delgado, field
deputy for the district attorney’s bureau of crime prevention and
youth services.

The YWCA was selected because the city of Glendale has the largest
Armenian population in the United States.

The hotline also began serving callers Monday in Tagalog, Khmer,
Japanese and Thai, but translators for those languages will be based
in other areas.

Lida Soulikhan, the program coordinator for the YWCA’s domestic
violence outreach, said the hotline’s service is very important,
because the lack of English skills is a barrier for immigrants
seeking help.

“When people talk in your own language, it’s a key to your heart —
especially for Armenians — and you trust them better and start
opening up to them,” she said.

And there are many Armenians in Los Angeles County who are not
getting the help they need, Soulikhan said.

“We know that there is a huge amount of domestic violence, but we
have to bring down that cultural wall,” she said. “The cultural
belief for Armenians stops them from sharing what’s happening within
their four walls. They don’t know these services, but when it’s
explained to them in Armenian it makes a huge difference.”

The hotline has served callers in English, Spanish, Korean,
Vietnamese Mandarin and Cantonese seven days a week, receiving an
average of 394 calls a month during its first year. Last year, the
hotline received more than 1,350 calls a month.

The annual cost of operating the hotline is $10,000, which is funded
by private donations. Donations can be made payable to the California
Community Foundation, attention D.A. Victim and Crime Prevention
Initiatives, 445 S. Figueroa St., 34th floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071.