Southern Valley Alliance Receives Violence Against Women Act Grant

Southern Valley Alliance (SVA) is excited to announce that they recently received a VAWA S.T.O.P. grant to assist in the creation of a lethality screening for victims.  This grant is administered through The Office of Violence Against Women (OVW), which is a component of the U.S. Department of Justice.  VAWA funding is allocated to each state to address violence against women through its Services*Training*Officers*Prosecutors (STOP) Formula grant program.  SVA applied for, and was granted, funding to support their effort in creating and implementing a screening tool that identifies lethality in domestic violence cases.  The lethality screening program will strengthen the ability of SVA and law enforcement in Scott and Carver counties to respond more effectively to women experiencing violence and the risk of death.

“When there is a domestic violence situation, it is vital that law enforcement, SVA advocates and the victim are aware of the potential lethality of the situation so they can work together to determine the best course of action,” notes Christie Larson, SVA Executive Director. 

This project will, literally, be a life saver for the highest risk victims of violence in Scott and Carver counties. As described in New Approaches to Policing High-Risk Intimate Partner Victims and Offenders | National Institute of Justice (ojp.gov), the use of lethality assessment screens decreases the rate of repeat, severe, lethal, and near-lethal violence and increases the rate of emergency safety planning and help-seeking. Speaking to a client advocate increases the use of protective strategies and decreases victimization. The sooner that SVA and our law enforcement partners can adopt these danger assessment best practices, the sooner more victims will be able to live safer, healthier lives.

Brady Juell, Elko New Market Chief of Police says, “Our police department looks to SVA Advocates as subject matter experts regarding domestic violence. Creating a tool that is easy for officers to complete and which communicates potential risk to SVA and prosecutors will in turn significantly reduce potential domestic violence homicides.”