October - Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

This article may contain triggering content for individuals. 

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, which first began in 1981 by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence as a Day of Unity to connect battered women’s advocates across the country.

Michigan Data - Read Full Report Here!

  • 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in the United States have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner.
  • On a typical day, domestic violence hotlines receive approximately 21,000 calls, an average of close to 15 calls every minute.
  • Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime.
  • Abusers’ access to firearms increases the risk of intimate partner femicide at least five-fold. When firearms have been used in the most severe abuse incident, the risk increases 41-fold.
  • 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these crimes are female.

United Way of the Lakeshore Programs Against Domestic Violence 

Every Woman's Place (EWP) (Muskegon)

Housing: Every Woman's Place, Inc. provides housing advocacy, housing case management, and resource identification for individuals residing in Muskegon County with our Permanent Supportive Housing program. 
 
Safe Shelter: Every Woman's Place provides safe shelter for supervisors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human sex trafficking in a supportive environment. 
Human Interest Story:

Case History-  Client came to EWP, seeking shelter for her and her two small children after she had left her abusive husband. Upon entering the shelter, the client had very little personal items. Our agency not only provided her with food and shelter but also assisted her with clothing and other needs that she had for herself and her children. Shortly after she entered the shelter, the client demonstrated an eagerness to get back on her feet and worked with our residential assistance with getting a PPO against her abuser. Our staff was able to connect her with a legal advocate who assisted her in this process and was able to help her get it granted and served to her abuser. Upon entering the shelter, the client indicated that she had been previously turned down by a Legal Aid when she had sought legal guidance on filing for divorce and working through potential custody issues without jeopardizing the safety of herself and her children. Our staff was able to utilize our existing relationship with Legal Aid to get them to take on her case and provide her with the legal assistance she would otherwise not be able to afford. While in the shelter, the client also worked regularly with DV/SA therapist and continues to have ongoing counseling sessions with the therapist following the client's discharge from the shelter. The client already had the certification necessary to work as a CNA and while in the shelter, did obtain two different jobs in the medical field. Every day while she was in the shelter she would get up early in the morning, get her children ready and help out around the shelter before heading out and trying to accomplish something positive each day. Even after being turned down on a couple of housing applications, the client continued to work diligently to improve her situation. Once the client has provided a safe place to live and ongoing support, she was able to focus on the steps she felt she needed to take to regain a sense of independence and stability. The client was able to secure full-time employment, trusted daycare, and stable housing with the help and support of EWP staff and she was able to exit our program successfully. 

24-Hour Crisis Hotline

If you need to talk to someone right now,
 
please call (231) 722-3333 or text us at (231) 468-6060.
 

Legal Aid of Western Michigan (Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana)

Free Legal Services:  Legal Aid will provide free civil legal assistance to eligible low-income families and individuals in matters such as domestic violence, eviction, foreclosure, collection and garnishment actions, and public benefits such as disability and unemployment. 
Human Interest Story: 

In the spring, our client, a single mother, suffered a mental health crisis. To protect her child during a difficult time, she voluntarily gave custody of her child to the child's father. From that point in 2017 and then throughout 2018 and 2019, the client worked hard to improve her mental health and get back on her feet so that she could reestablish a relationship with her child. Despite continued personal growth by our client, her child's father continued to cite her mental health crisis from 2017 as a reason that our client should have very limited and supervised parenting time with her child. In 2018, she was granted only 1 hour of supervised parenting time with the child each weekend. With much cooperation and eventually agreed to a regular parenting time schedule giving our client alternating weekends and alternating holidays. the best thing to come out of this was that the client and the child's father learned to trust each other again to do what was best for the client. 

 

Community Overcoming Violent Encounters (COVE) (Oceana) 

Domestic/Sexual Violence: COVE supports victims of domestic violence and sexual assault providing protection; advocacy and shelter. We offer safety and resources to residential and non-residential survivors, 365 days a year in Mason, Lake, Manistee & Oceana counties. We help build a survivor's knowledge to make a life change. 
Human Interest Story: 

The Children's Advocate at COVE has been working with a young teenager on a sexual assault case that involved human trafficking. The child’s mother was also working with us since the two had been staying in shelter to flee a domestic violence situation. COVE assisted the family to secure housing in Oceana and has continued receiving services from our Outreach (Oceana) Advocate, the Domestic Violence Counselor, the Sexual Assault Counselor, and the Children’s Advocate. During their stay in the shelter and after transitioning to their new home, the Children's Advocate worked with the child on safety for herself at home and school as-well-as on internet safety precautions intensely. Advocates have done extensive safety planning with both clients throughout since each case was initiated. Together, the Children’s Advocate and Outreach Advocate have worked extensively with the mom and her daughter to assist them in transitioning to a new normal and move to a better position to help both of them continue to grow and feel safe with their new lives. Additionally, COVE put the family in touch with a non-profit organization known as Rahab’s Daughters which specializes in the rescue, rehabilitation, and reintegration of survivors of trafficking. Their program helped by teaching the family safety measures along with assisting the child to regain her independence and regain a sense of self-worth. Additionally, both Advocates attended multiple court dates, providing emotional support to mother and daughter. At the final court date, Advocates collaborated with the organization Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) to show support to the family. The Outreach Advocate also accompanied the clients to meet with the Prosecutor for a pre- and post-sentencing briefing. The Outreach Advocate also provided support to the mother while she read her Victim Impact Statement to the Judge. Both the President of BACA and the Children’s Advocate accompanied the child when she read her Victim Impact Statement to the Judge. While the outcome was not what was hoped for, our team provided plenty of emotional support and safety planning throughout the process.

IF YOU OR SOMEBODY YOU KNOW EXPERIENCED SEXUAL ASSAULT OR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

CALL NOW 1.800.950.5808