Maricopa County partners with shelter for domestic violence awareness
Oct 2, 2018, 4:35 AM | Updated: 11:33 am
Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery speaks during an event to kick off Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Phoenix on Oct. 1, 2018. (KTAR Photo/Ali Vetnar)
(KTAR Photo/Ali Vetnar)
PHOENIX — Every year in Arizona there are 100 deaths due to domestic violence. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office is attempting to bring awareness this month with the announcement of a new partnership with New Life Center.
“We want to thank New Life Center for partnering with us in this Domestic Violence Awareness month,” Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said at a press conference Monday.
“They are truly on the front lines of this issue delivering needed resources each day.”
A 2017 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men in Arizona are victims of domestic violence.
New Life Center offers a place for victims of domestic violence to heal and tools to succeed while starting a new life.
The Phoenix shelter also provides a comprehensive 120-day program that empowers families in starting independent lives.
New Life Center estimates more than 90 percent of the women and children completing its program move on to safe housing options.
“Our-100 bed emergency shelter can accommodate families up to 12, including boys to the age of 19, with 70 percent of residents at New Life Center being children,” New Life Center CEO Myriah Mhoon said during the press conference.
Throughout the month of October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Montgomery and his office will be holding a shoe and toiletry drive at their office at 301 W. Jefferson St. in downtown Phoenix.
Domestic violence facts:
• 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the U.S. During one year this equates to more than 10 million victims.
• 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been victims of physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
• 1 in 3 female murder victims and 1 in 20 male murder victims are killed by an intimate partner.
• Every 44 minutes in Arizona, one or more children witness domestic violence.
• More than 40 percent of domestic violence victims delay leaving a dangerous situation because they fear for their pet’s safety and don’t have a safe place to take them
