House of Ruth Domestic Violence Announcement

October 19, 2009

Good morning and thank you for all being here today. Thank you Carole (Alexander) for welcoming me back to the House of Ruth and for hosting us for this announcement. And before I get any further along, let me say a few words about the House of Ruth.

There is no greater voice speaking out for victims of domestic abuse in Maryland than the House of Ruth. You support programs across the state, provide counseling and legal support to victims and their children, and you do it for no reason other than it is the right thing to do. We need more groups like this and more people like Carole fighting for the most vulnerable among us.

And I’d like to also thank the media for being here today to help spread the word and raise awareness about the services available for victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

The Reach of Domestic Violence

We need to continue to talk about these programs and the efforts we’re taking together to end violence against women. We need to protect the progress that we’ve made over the years to end the stigma of domestic violence and sexual assault.

Too many of our neighbors can tell personal stories of domestic violence. We might know someone who was abuse. We might have been abused ourselves.

Last summer, this issue touched home for me and my family. My cousin Cathy was shot and killed by her estranged boyfriend. Cathy’s tragic death didn’t make me an expert about this issue, but it gave me the perspective that was necessary to help pass legislation that takes guns out of abusive situations.

Those laws took effect at the beginning of this month – and they would not be in place right now without the help of advocates like Carole and the Family Violence Council…

Need to do More

But new laws are not enough. We need to do more together to educate men and women about domestic abuse. We need to do more together to forge stronger partnerships with local government, federal government and advocates. And we need to work together to utilize state and federal grants to fullest capacity.

Governor O’Malley and I have made a strong commitment to reducing domestic violence and sexual assault. In fact, one of our 15 strategic goals is to cut violent crimes against women and children by 25 percent between now and 2012.

And we know we can’t reach this goal if we don’t give organizations like House of Ruth the tools they need to succeed.

GOCCP Grants for Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault

Since we took office in 2007, the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention has distributed nearly $9 million of grants – some state, some federal – for initiatives specifically designed to prevent domestic violence or provide services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. That $9 million does not include an additional $4 million in recovery funds that is available through competitive grant processes.

And I’d like to take a minute to talk about a few of those projects that have been funded during the last calendar:

House of Ruth received more than $72,000 for the Majeres Sanas project which serves Latino women who have been victims of domestic violence, stalking, rape and other sexual assault in Prince George’s County.
Sinai Hospital received nearly $11,000 for its crisis intervention project that provides immediate, on-site crisis intervention and education for victims of domestic violence.
Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma received nearly $33,000 for a new program that provides direct services for survivors of rape and sexual assault in minority immigrant populations.
We’ve awarded $45,000 to the Baltimore City State’s Attorney Office to help enhance their domestic violence response team.
And, we’ve awarded over $91,000 for Baltimore City’s Lethality Assessment Project which gives officers additional tools to evaluate the potential danger to domestic violence victims and helps connects victims with needed support and services in a shared effort to reduce domestic violence homicides.

Perhaps the most significant award this year, though, is Safe Haven Visitation Center Project. This project, which Sheryl Goldstein will discuss in greater detail, recently received a $400,000 federal grant through the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention and the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice.

The grant will help plan, develop and set up a pilot supervised visitation center where families involved in domestic violence can have supervised visits with their children or meet in a safe setting to exchange children from one parent to another. And it’s our shared hope that the visitation center will be in full operation by the end of the grant’s three year period.

Strength of Partnerships

We are proud of the partnerships that make these grants possible. It is true that a great deal of the money we have the opportunity to award to groups like House of Ruth and Sinai Hospital are federal grants – some funded through the Violence Against Women Act and others through the federal recovery bill that passed earlier this year.

However, many of these grants require matching funds from local jurisdictions and would not be possible without the support of local leaders. So, on behalf of Governor O’Malley, thank you for your partnerships.

Call to Action/Conclusion

Before I turn the podium over to Sheryl (Goldstein), let me make a direct appeal to anyone who may know a personal story of domestic abuse or anyone who has an interest in helping us end domestic abuse:

Help us honor Domestic Violence Awareness Month and make an individual commitment to do something about domestic abuse in your community – maybe even in your home.

If you are a victim of domestic violence or fear that you may be, seek help. There is nothing to be embarrassed about and the advocates, counselors and social workers at shelters and service centers like this one here will walk with you every step of the way.

If you know someone who is being abused, go with them to get the help they need. Often times the only thing between a victim and the help they need is a friend who can give them the strength they need to seek assistance.

And – perhaps not said often enough – if you suffer from bouts of anger, frustration and have committed physical or emotional abuse (or fear that you may), be proactive and seek counseling, and please seek this help before you put a loved one’s safety at risk.

We can end domestic violence in Maryland. But it will take nothing less than a coordinated effort and a shared commitment. Thank you very much.

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