On this page:

Overview of Space for Change • Eligibility for Participation • Services • Credit & Resources

Intake Submission Form

If you are interested in participating in Space for Change, you may submit an intake and be contacted by one of our program facilitators.

Space for Change
Intake Form

Please note that this form is not for accessing our domestic violence advocacy and peer counseling services.

Helpful Information

Resources for People Who Have Caused Harm

  • A Call for Change Helpline - a free, anonymous hotline for people who are causing harm, or are at risk of causing harm, to their family and/or partners

  • Streets2School - online batterer intervention program currently used by Santa Cruz County legal systems

Handouts about Domestic Violence (PDFs)

Space for Change:
A Restorative Justice Program for Domestic Violence

Space for Change is a collaboration between Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center (Walnut Avenue) and the Conflict Resolution Center of Santa Cruz County (CRC). It offers opportunities for people who have caused domestic violence or people who have experienced it to work on building safer, healthier relationships based on principles of restorative justice.

Participation in any of the program’s services is fully voluntary at every stage. Everyone has the option of exiting the program at any time, for any reason, without any legal consequences from Walnut Avenue or the CRC.

Program Services

Below are the 3 services that Space for Change offers.

Healing Circles

Healing circles are designed to help survivors of domestic violence connect or reconnect with people they trust. Isolation from community and loved ones is a common consequence of domestic violence. Sometimes survivors encounter stigma and judgment from loved ones who mean well but may not understand the dynamics of the domestic violence, which can deepen the feeling of isolation. Sometimes survivors themselves may have caused harm to their children or other people.

Who this service is for: survivors and their loved ones.

Education for Loved Ones & Community Members

Family, friends, neighbors, and other folks who share community connections can receive education on how to be safer, more effective support people for the domestic violence survivors in their lives. This education is offered at no cost and can be customized to address specific concerns, cultural contexts, and other unique factors.

Who this service is for: friends, family, and/or community members of a survivor.

Accountability Processes for People Who Have Caused Harm

When someone recognizes that they have caused harm and would like support in learning how to make safer choices for themselves and others, they can participate in an accountability process. This person is assigned their own advocate to support them from start to finish. This process does not require the participation of anyone who was harmed.

Who this service is for: a person who caused harm to a romantic or sexual partner or to a family member.

Overview of Space for Change

Eligibility for Participation

  • All participants must be aged 12 or older.

  • The situation must be assessed by the advocates as low or moderate risk in terms of safety.

    • High risk situations are too unsafe for restorative justice. Crisis intervention services will be offered instead. When crisis has passed, then your situation may be reconsidered for Space for Change.

  • In cases of a process involving multiple participants, there must be no current court order which would prohibit communication between anyone who’s participating.

Depending on the circumstances of your situation, your advocate may want to discuss additional concerns with you to ensure that we’re not putting anyone at greater risk.

How Walnut Avenue and the CRC Are Involved

Walnut Avenue and the CRC collaborate to provide one-on-one support as well as facilitation for group discussions. This is intended to help people come to a better understanding of what they experienced and what moving forward in a safer, healthier way might look like.

What this program cannot offer:

  • Couple’s counseling, family therapy, or mediation. However, our advocates are happy to provide information about local resources for individuals and families seeking those services!

  • A legal process, legal judgment, legal order, or legally binding agreement or consequence.

  • Punishment or revenge.

  • The guarantee of a specific outcome. Participation in this program is fully voluntary, at every step, and the goals, needs, and safety of every case are defined by the people participating in them.

You can learn more about restorative justice in our blog post.

Credit & Resources

Walnut Avenue and the CRC’s Space for Change program is based on the work from:

Walnut Avenue’s commitment to Black Lives Matter was a deciding factor in creating another option for healing around interpersonal violence without the pressure of relying on state systems that often increase violence and trauma. Our work wouldn’t be possible without the years of prior and current work being done by marginalized communities, especially Black, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, and sex worker communities.

Additional local and national resources about community accountability, restorative justice, and transformative justice include:

We also list some books on alternative forms of justice and prison abolition in our staff Reading List page.

Walnut Avenue is unaffiliated with any of the organizations listed above.