I went to the empowerment center located at 15201 Eleventh St # 100, Victorville, CA 92395 last Tuesday, 4/21/26 (about 930am) to receive assistance with a restraining order, and additionally, I needed hygiene. When I arrived, the clerk informed me that walk-ins for assistance with a restraining order were on Wednesdays. Because it was a Tuesday, I needed an appointment. She handed me a paper to fill out to be contacted which I filled out and handed back to the clerk. I then asked for hygiene products. She asked me to hold on so she can get someone to help me. Magali came out and after slightly explaining to her my needs and situation, she told me that the DV case worker is not going to be there all week because she is going to be working down the hill. She also said I needed a referral to receive hygiene. Despite being a bit confused on the referral, I reached out to my case manager and let her know what was being requested. The confusion grew as Magali continued to talk because I was not being referred by anyone; I was a walk-in. I asked my case manager to meet me at the center at 11am so that I can receive the hygiene items. During conversation, I detected that Magali did have an attitude; however, I worked thru that. At this time, I informed her that I would be reaching out to Darryl because as a walk-in, I shouldn't need a referral, and then I left. I started my car and decided to go back in because I didn't want to come back at 11 when I was there already. I went back into the center and asked about their process for a walk-in vs. a participant/client. They explained it to me and told me because I am in cap60 (their data software) I needed a referral. However, I wasn't a referral, I was a walk-in. I was told, "why would you want to do the paperwork twice"? In which I responded, "why would I want to come back at 11, when I'm here now? You are treating me as a referral when I'm a walk in. Can I please have the intake form so that I can be assisted"? I was then given the form to fill out. As I was sitting there filling out the form, I heard a loud conversation saying that I can tell Darryl whatever I want to tell him. I don't know what I'm talking about and I don't know anything about their system. At this time, Magali was speaking Spanish very loud and her tone had become overly aggressive. At this time, I stood up and told all of them (I was visibly upset and had started yelling) that they are going to sit there and talk about me behind my back so that I can hear the conversation. I do know what I'm talking about because I actually work here, and why they keep referring to Karley add my case manager, she is actually my supervisor. I told them to stop talking about me and do their jobs. I then sat down to fill the rest of the form out, but I was shaking so bad that I couldn't. I then stood up and let them know I was on my way to the main office to speak with Ginger or Misty or someone over so of them because this is not how you treat a participant! I did just that, but not before telling them they I did not want their fucking services. They followed by sending an email to almost everyone I mentioned, including their supervisor and mine, basically saying I got mad and left. If I was sitting there filling out the paperwork and was being assisted with hygiene, why would I be mad? I'm getting what I wanted which was to be serviced. They were mad because I challenged them by questioning their broken process and making them do their jobs. How does a walk-in get a referral if that's what's needed. They treated me as a walk in for DV assistance but refused to treat me as a walk-in for hygiene items. They did this not knowing if I was a participant or not and then refused to let me know how a walk-in gets a referral if that's what's needed. Turns out, an intake is conducted. Today is Thursday April 30, I have not been contacted by anyone from the dv program to assist with my restraining order. On April 28, I went to the court house myself and then went to A Better Way for assistance on filling it out. Thank God my situation isn't urgent because if it were, imagine what could have happened. Every DV situation and restraining order should be treated with priority because no one is in a position to say it's not! No one knows the seriousness of anyone's situation and the more time a person waits waiting for assistance from a program that has been awarded grant money to do this job, it can become life threatening. Although I am an employee for Family Assistance Program, their empowerment center needs to do better with how they treat their participants and the seriousness of DV victims/survivors. There is no way that these employees are DV survivors themselves, as had been claimed. And if they truly are, they need to have a little more compassion because they know what it's like to be in these situations. read more
