October is Domestic Violence Awareness month and New York’s Governor Kathy Hochul is marking the month by releasing $35 million in funding for domestic violence law enforcement and victim support efforts across the state. Over $3.6 million will go to Long Island with just shy of $2 million of that allocated specifically to Suffolk County.
Hochul says the funding is “an investment to improve the public safety response to intimate partner abuse and domestic violence, and better address the needs of victims and survivors.”
Suffolk is one of 20 counties with the largest volume and rate of domestic and intimate partner violence. Counties with high rates of domestic violence have implemented the Statewide Targeted Reductions in Intimate Partner Violence initiative (STRIVE). The other high DV rate 20 counties include Albany, Broome, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Cortland, Dutchess, Erie, Fulton, Genesee, Jefferson, Monroe, Nassau, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Orange, Rensselaer, Schenectady, and Westchester counties.
The State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is working with the State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence on coordinated community responses to domestic violence prosecutions and victim support. The funding will be distributed to the district attorney, sheriff’s office, police departments, the probation department, and community-based providers that serve victims and survivors of domestic violence across Suffolk County.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said, "We just learned about this new funding opportunity last week so details of how those monies are going to be used are premature at this point. The $1.9 million investment from New York State in combatting domestic violence represents a significant step forward in our efforts to protect survivors and hold abusers accountable. There certainly is no shortage of need for it. This great new initiative will undoubtedly enhance our ability to pursue justice and create a safer Suffolk County."
The most recent comprehensive domestic violence data for New York State goes through 2022. Suffolk County saw a small decrease in the number of reported domestic violence victims in 2021, but the numbers ticked back up in 2022 to more than 5,000 victims.
Tierney oversees the county’s Domestic Violence and Elder Abuse Bureau and hotline. Anyone can make a report or ask for help by calling 631-854-7420. The STOP Violence Against Women is another resource that can be reached at 631-853-8222. As always, if you or a loved one is in an immediate emergency, call 911.
Domestic Violence Advocate Vanessa Petrossian was present for the funding announcement and said, “For 8 years I’ve been publicly sharing my story to raise awareness, educate, and offer support to victims and survivors – and because I made two promises to myself in 2016. One: if I could get through the court process keeping my son and I safe – I would never let anyone disrupt our peace, and two: I would never stop advocating for the many victims still living in the shadows of abuse.
DCJS will also distribute $5 million to district attorneys’ offices in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and Staten Island.