BEDFORD – Opiate settlement funds are making a significant impact in helping domestic violence victims in Lawrence County, according to a report delivered to county commissioners Tuesday morning.
Joe Diebert of the Domestic Violence Coalition told commissioners that approximately 55 percent of the allocated $30,000 has been used to provide emergency shelter and hire advocates for victims. The funds are part of a broader initiative to address the county’s history of domestic violence. Before these funds were available, many women were slipping through the system and forced to return to violent homes due to a lack of resources and support.
Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that one partner uses to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. Domestic violence can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, psychological, or technological actions, threats of action, or other patterns of coercive behavior that influence another person within an intimate partner relationship. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure, or wound someone.
“Lawrence County has a long history of domestic violence and faced huge barriers to get those in danger needed help,” Diebert said. “This has been a work in progress, but we have made great strides.”
Working in partnership with Becky’s Place, a shelter for women and children, the program has shown promising results. Since June, they have assisted 33 women experiencing domestic violence, with 14 of them successfully fleeing dangerous situations.
“Let that sink in for a minute,” Diebert emphasized. “It has been phenomenal watching the progress of this program, seeing safety plans in place and these women and their children safe.”
Diebert stressed the importance of maintaining momentum. “The key is to keep the program moving forward. We have way too much to lose,” he said. “Fourteen may not sound like a lot, but the program is working, and there is much more to do. We can’t let up now.”
The initiative represents a collaborative effort between local organizations to provide crucial support services for domestic violence survivors in Lawrence County.
