TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Ryan Alsop - County Executive Officer
REPORT BY: Leah Doyle-Stevens - BOS Staff Assistant
SUBJECT: Proclamation- Domestic Violence Awareness Month, October 2023
RECOMMENDATION
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Presentation of a proclamation to be received by NEWS - Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Services Executive Director Tracy Lamb, declaring October 2023 as “Domestic Violence Awareness Month” in Napa County.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
NEWS, Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse Services is commemorating 42 years of service to survivors of domestic violence in Napa County, having opened the first confidential safe house on October 5, 1981 and began providing safety to those escaping abuse. In Fiscal Year 2022/2023 NEWS provided services to nearly 1,800 of our Napa County community members, including 24-hour response, assistance with protective orders, safety and shelter, permanent housing, financial aid, support groups and children’s services, for issues related to violence in the home.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
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Is there a Fiscal Impact? |
No |
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
By observing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we show that our community is committed to supporting survivors and working toward the prevention of domestic violence among future generations.
Every day in this community of middle class values, wonderful homes, and families, there is a dark, seldom-discussed reality of domestic violence. This violence creates homes that are filled with fear, children that are lost, and families that are broken.
The community came together to create and support NEWS by opening its first shelter on October 5, 1981. That leadership to prevent domestic violence brings Napa County together, each year, to commemorate the Family Violence Prevention month.
Every year since 1989, the United States Congress has proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, thereby renewing our country's commitment to preventing and ending domestic violence.
Napa NEWS receives over 600 crisis calls per year. A conservative estimate is that three times that number of incidents go unreported, demonstrating that the need for the services of NEWS is critical to the community.