Officials gathered Friday at the Courts Building to declare October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Hamilton County, as demand for survivor services continues to rise in the area
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp joined Chris Sands, executive director of Chattanooga Community Safety and Gun Violence Prevention, in reading a proclamation Friday to a crowd of other officials and advocates, many wearing purple — the color for domestic violence awareness.
“I think one of the most startling realities that I came across in my first year in office was the rise in violence,” Wamp said following the proclamation. “The rise in sexual violence, the rise in domestic violence.”
(READ MORE: Demand for sexual assault services is at record high in Chattanooga area)
The month is observed across the nation. This year, the national event’s theme is #Every1KnowsSome1.
“We all know someone,” Regina McDevitt, executive director of the Chattanooga Hamilton County Family Justice Center, said at Friday’s ceremony. “Whether it’s ourselves, a friend, a family member … it touches every person in our community, directly or indirectly.”
Tennessee has the 11th highest rate of women killed by men in the nation, according to the Violence Policy Center. In 2021, the last year with complete data, around 69,000 cases of domestic violence were reported in the state.
Officials emphasized that in Chattanooga and nationwide, domestic violence affects people regardless of race, gender, economic status or sexual identity.
But marginalized communities, with less access to financial stability, housing and other resources, are at a higher risk for being hurt or killed, McDevitt said. Transgender people and people with disabilities also face higher rates of domestic violence, according to the proclamation.
At Friday’s ceremony, McDevitt read a list of Chattanooga-area women recently killed in domestic violence incidents: Shawnquell Stanfield, Sara Ferguson, Angela Young, Kimberly Phillips, Joanie Hendricks, Taja Whiteside, Quintasia Tate, Jasmine Pace and Marcella Ervin.
(READ MORE: Trial set for next summer in Chattanooga woman Jasmine Pace murder case)
Last year, Chattanooga’s Partnership for Families, Children and Adults reported a record number of calls, more than 1,600, to its 24/7 crisis hotline, which serves people who’ve experienced domestic violence and sexual assault, CEO Kevin Hyde said Friday. That’s 48% more than the year before, according to Hyde.
The partnership’s domestic violence shelter also provided 42% more stays last year, according to Hyde. About half the people staying in the shelter at any time are children and youth, he said Friday.
The partnership received funding from Hamilton County this year for the first time in years, Wamp said Friday.
“Those who have committed domestic violence and who think that’s acceptable, and who continue to and think they can get away with it — at least in this community — they are dead wrong,” Wamp said. “And they will be held accountable.”
In response to rising demand for domestic violence response services, the Chattanooga Hamilton County Family Justice Center conducted a needs assessment among service providers starting in December 2022. From the survey, the center has formed several task forces aimed at addressing domestic violence, including groups specific to homelessness, children, the criminal justice system, faith groups, mental health and substance use.
The center saw a 25% increase in the number of people seeking domestic violence services in 2022, McDevitt said previously.
Contact Ellen Gerst at egerst@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6319.