Across King County, we are seeing more families speak to experiencing domestic violence. When domestic violence or the risk of domestic violence occurs within a family relationship, our prenatal to five partners provide support and refer families to services. Too often families get lost in the referral process and do not get connected to the comprehensive supports they need.
Through our Domestic Violence Emergency Response Pilot request for applications, we are excited to pilot a collaborative approach and create a pathway for warm referrals so that families experiencing domestic violence are directly connected to services and provided with concrete resources and wrap around supports.
We’re excited to partner on this systems building pilot with Atlantic Street Center!
Atlantic Street Center (ASC) is being awarded $406,000 for the period of November 2024 – October 2027. ASC will work with Best Starts partners to pilot a systems pathway to increase domestic violence service access for prenatal to five families. ASC’s Gender-Based Violence (GBV) program provides advocacy, therapeutic, and housing services to support survivors in navigating systems, accessing resources, increasing independent life skills, and strengthening networks necessary to work towards safety and stability.
In a statement provided by ASC they said, “In 2023, 398 participants were served by our ASC GBV program, with 17 participants that received counseling services, and 68 participants receiving housing assistance through the program. In 2024, we have begun our after-hour service line to provide 24/7 support and referrals to callers seeking support for domestic violence and sexual assault services. Our services are run in both Spanish and English. Our services are mobile so that we are meeting participants in safe spaces across King County whether that is at a participant’s home, a friend’s place, or a chosen community space.”
