ANN ARBOR, Mich. – An outreach campaign that aims to educate community members on intimate partner violence and gun-related deaths will be boosted by a newly awarded federal grant.
The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Grant program provides criminal justice funding to local governments and states for projects ranging from crisis intervention to education.
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The grant will support the SafeHouse Center nonprofit and the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office, who will work to hire an outreach coordinator and community liaison. The coordinator will create the prevention program and focus on intimate-partner violence and dynamics, related gun risks and warning signs. It will offer local resources and have a point-of-contact who survivors of violence can call with questions.
“We know that the presence of a firearm in a domestic-violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%,” said Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney Eli Savit in a release. “Working alongside our SafeHouse partners, this grant will allow us to provide community members with legal information that will keep survivors safe. In so doing, we can prevent violence before it occurs.”
Officials said the campaign will highlight the Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law, which went into effect in 2023. This law, also called a “red-flag law,” helps to temporarily remove a person’s access to guns if they are dangerous to themselves or others.
“Domestic violence incidents, including homicides, continue to impact our local community on a daily basis,” said SafeHouse Executive Director Christine Watson. “We are grateful for this opportunity to shine a light on the experiences of survivors, victims and their families, and strengthen our community based services and work in collaboration with the Prosecutor’s Office.”
The prevention campaign will hold workshops at schools, local organizations, community groups and workplaces to educate community members about ERPO laws, the connection between partner violence and gun violence, and healthy relationships.
There will also be a training session for community leaders.
“Nationwide, more than 2/3 of mass shootings are committed by individuals with a history of domestic violence,” said Washtenaw County Lead Domestic Violence Prosecutor Jessica Blanch. “The correlation between domestic violence and gun violence is apparent. Domestic violence affects every corner of our community. This grant will allow us to come together as a county and stop gun violence.”
SafeHouse Center and the Prosecutor’s Office received the award on National Gun Violence Awareness Day on Friday, June 7.