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The Korean American Family Service Center in Flushing will receive $300,000 in federal funding.
By Forum Staff
Every year, the New York City Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee releases an annual report which details the occurrence of domestic violence incidents reported in NYC. The 2015 report describes 914 domestic violence homicides, involving 881 perpetrators, that occurred in New York City from 2002 through 2014, with regards to demographic factors (e.g., age, gender, race, ethnicity, and neighborhood), victim and perpetrator contact with City agencies, and the community level socioeconomic circumstances that intersect with family-related violence.
In 2014, there were 63 family-related homicides, accounting for almost 1 out of every 5 homicides in New York City. Homicide reflects the most extreme outcome of family-related violence, and makes up only a small fraction of all crimes that are classified as family related. A broader indicator of the impact of domestic violence in the City is the number of domestic violence incidents recorded by the police. Last year, the police responded to 282,648 domestic violence incidents.
To address the aftermath of the current siege of continuing domestic violence incidents, U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand have announced $1.8 million in federal Department of Justice (DOJ) funding for domestic abuse support programs in New York City.
“Domestic and dating violence is never acceptable and we must do all we can to both prevent it in the first place, and to take care of those who are victimized by it,” said Sen. Schumer. “I will continue doing everything I can to ensure organizations like these have the resources they need to combat these horrible crimes.”
The funding was allocated through the DOJ’s Office on Violence Against Women and is authorized through the Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program.
Specific grants include:
Sanctuary for Families– will receive $599,999 in federal funding to provide quality representation to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking in New York City. With this funding, Sanctuary for Families and its project partners will provide victim advocacy and comprehensive holistic legal services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and/or dating violence through direct representation in family law matters such as divorce, child custody and/or child support; immigration, administrative agency, campus proceedings and housing matters as well as other similar legal matters arising as a consequence of the abuse or violence.
The Violence Intervention Program -will receive $300,000 in federal funding to provide culturally specific resources and services that address the safety, economic, housing and workplace needs of victims and sexual assault, domestic violence or stalking.
The Manhattan Legal Services -will receive $600,000 to provide quality representation to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking in Manhattan. The organization will provide a Life Skills Program to assist 48-60 Latina immigrant survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in navigating systems necessary to live independently in the U.S. each year over the two year contract.
With this funding, the organization and its project partners will provide victim advocacy and comprehensive holistic legal services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and/or dating violence through direct representation in family law matters such as divorce, child custody and/or child support, immigration, administrative agency, campus proceedings and housing matters as well as other similar legal matters arising as a consequence of the abuse or violence. The organization will implement and/or enhance project activities that protect victim safety, confidentiality and autonomy and increase offender accountability. The funds will support two part-time victim advocates that will provide safety planning, referrals for emergency housing and other supportive services for victims of sexual and domestic violence. The organization will conduct legal workshops at local colleges and universities and rape crisis centers and support one supervising attorney and one staff attorney who will provide direct civil legal assistance to clients.
The Korean American Family Service Center –the Queens center will receive $300,000 in federal funding to provide free and comprehensive services that empower low-income Korean-American and Korean immigrant victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. The focus of the Chin-Jung Community Project will be the extensive, vulnerable Korean population that resides in Queens and Manhattan.
“By increasing accessibility to services for survivors we can help provide the support and resources they need to be protected and put their lives back together,” Senator Gillibrand said.
The goal of the grant programs through the Office on Violence Against Women is to create sustainable change within and between organizations that results in accessible, safe and effective services for individuals who are victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking and accountability for perpetrators of such crimes. The Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program is designed to strengthen civil and criminal legal assistance programs for adult and youth victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking who are seeking relief in legal matters arising as a consequence of that abuse or violence.
