Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month, a time to raise awareness about the significant health and social impacts of domestic violence on individuals, families, and communities. Violence prevention programs—especially those focused on domestic violence—have always been an important part of VNA’s grantmaking portfolio. From our earliest years to today, we’ve been committed to supporting agencies providing healthcare, housing, mental health counseling and other essential services to survivors of domestic violence.

We proudly partner with agencies like WINGS Program, Inc., which operates a program across several Chicagoland hospitals to provide early screening, crisis intervention, and safety planning for domestic violence survivors. Importantly, WINGS also trains hospital staff about the signs of abuse and available resources.

Between Friends, a longtime VNA grantee partner, provides healing-centered crisis intervention services like counseling to survivors. In addition, the agency offers a comprehensive prevention education to students, parents, teachers, and caregivers to raise awareness about the warning signs of unhealthy relationships and equip participants with tools and resources to help end the cycle of domestic violence.

The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence is also a valued partner. The Network is a coalition of 40+ organizations that work together to improve the lives of those impacted by gender-based violence through education, advocacy, public policy efforts, and direct service connections. Among many other initiatives, it operates the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline and shares resources and events for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

What all these grantee partners have in common is the recognition that health consequences of domestic violence are far-reaching, and frequently lead to chronic physical and mental health issues such as traumatic brain injuries, anxiety, depression, and cardiovascular disease. Although domestic violence affects all communities, uninsured and low-income individuals—who are the focus of VNA’s mission—encounter additional challenges like limited access to quality medical care and safe, affordable housing. Without adequate healthcare and safe places to live, survivors remain in environments where their health and well-being are in danger.

As critical as survivor-focused services are, though, to make significant progress to end domestic violence there need to be more proactive, “upstream” approaches that address the root cause. Accordingly, we have begun expanding our efforts in collaboration with several grantees that are launching intervention programs targeting people who cause harm. We look forward to sharing our grantee partners’ efforts and achievements in this important area in the months and years to come.

This month and every month, VNA is grateful for its grantee partners and the other Chicagoland agencies that are leading this critical work to break the cycle of domestic violence. Their efforts unquestionably improve the health and safety of individuals, families, and communities.