STAGES: Pathways
Project Overview
STAGES: Pathways is an extension of our Strategies to Advance Greater Elder Safety (STAGES) project, which aims to develop and implement innovative strategies to prevent and address elder abuse beyond the traditional legal system. The goal of STAGES: Pathways is to foster a community of learning and practice among community-based organizations and their partners. The project aims to build, enhance, or adapt services for older adult survivors of abuse through two distinct tracks:
- Restorative Practices for Older Survivors of Abuse
- Economic Wellbeing and Financial Health & Healing
Applicants will choose one track to engage in deep collective learning and to create or expand seed projects. STAGES: Pathways welcomes applications from organizations experienced in working with older adults, survivors of violence and trauma, restorative practices, and/or economic support and restoration.
Tracks for Funding
Track 1: Restorative Practices
This track supports restorative responses that benefit older survivors of abuse, their families, and caregivers. Applicants may seek funding for:
- New Restorative Projects: Develop restorative practices within an organization.
- Enhancing Existing Programs: Expand current restorative justice services.
Examples of projects include:
- Planning for restorative practices within an organization.
- Healing circle processes.
- Family group conferencing.
- “Hard conversation” coaching.
- Conflict circles.
- Developing alternatives to traditional legal responses for older survivors of abuse.
Track 2: Economic Wellbeing & Financial Health
This track focuses on economic health and healing for older survivors of abuse. Applicants may seek funding for new or existing projects that promote financial wellbeing.
Examples of projects include:
- Asset recovery through administrative remedies or civil processes.
- Assistance with housing, food, or transportation.
- Public education on economic wellbeing, such as benefit counseling.
- Financial planning, tax support, and credit repair services.
- Incorporating financial literacy into safety planning for older adults.
- Supporting older adults’ workplace conditions and policies.
Guiding Principles
These principles guide our internal partnership work and inform how we will select and engage with grantees.
Collaboration and Voices of Older Adults
- We prioritize collaboration and the voices of older adults to create sustainable, equitable, healing, and survivor-centered approaches. We amplify the diverse lived experiences of older adults and involve them in the process.
Equity and Transparent Decision-Making
- Our work is grounded in diversity, equity, inclusion, and accountability. We prioritize organizations embedded in underserved communities and projects that uplift sustainable, culturally relevant, and older adult-centered approaches. We are committed to transparency and collaboration in decision-making with partners and funders.
Promoting Survivor-Centered Responses
- Survivors are at the center of justice processes, and their autonomy and economic wellbeing are priorities. We believe that survivors are best positioned to make decisions about their safety and personal pathways to healing. Restorative responses to elder abuse are new for many, and we will support grantees in adopting these practices.
Spread and Scale
- Our focus is on supporting sustainable solutions and growing new or existing efforts. This funding provides the foundation to scale efforts to better address the needs of older survivors in communities
Our Partners:
This project is supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-23-GK-05465-MUMU awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.