My Sister”™s Place, a White Plains nonprofit that supports victims of domestic violence, will receive $191,188 in federal funding as part of a new initiative aimed at reducing domestic homicides.
U.S. Rep Nita Lowey, D-Westchester/Rockland and the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, shepherded the funds through Congress.
My Sister”™s Place was selected by the Department of Justice”™s Office of Violence Against Women to participate in the first 12-month phase of the “Domestic Violence Homicide Reduction Demonstration Initiative,” which seeks to identify the best ways to prevent domestic violence-related homicides in communities around the country. This includes helping to build the capacity of state and local jurisdictions to identify and serve high-risk victims as well as monitoring high-risk offenders.Â
My Sister”™s Place was one of 12 sites selected nationally for the initial phase. It will collaborate with Westchester County”™s Office for Women as part of the demonstration.
“While much progress has been made in reducing instances of domestic violence, the sad reality is that too many families know the pain of domestic violence and too many remain at risk for further violence,” said Lowey.Â
Homicides by intimate partners account for 14 percent of all murders in the U.S., Lowey reported. Researchers also estimate that for every domestic homicide, nine people are nearly killed as a result of domestic violence.
