The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence

“At my organization The Network, our work is built on trust as we collaborate every day with our affiliate organizations to provide services to gender-based violence survivors in Chicago and across Illinois. The success of our work rests on whether our community provides a safety net strong enough to counteract life-altering trauma. If not, survivors return to abusive relationships, situations they often navigated for many years prior. For many survivors, the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.” Our president & CEO, Amanda Pyron, wrote this latest opinion piece calling on our local and state governments to ensure safety for all survivors of gender-based violence. Read the full piece: bit.ly/3OjpsiL #DomesticViolence #GBV #SupportingSurvivors

Yesterday, a woman was stabbed to death by her husband in Portage Park, who then injured an off-duty police officer before taking his own life. According to media reports, the man was previously charged in a separate attack against his wife in October and prosecutors filed a petition to have him held in Cook County Jail pending trial. However, Judge Thomas E. Nowinski denied the petition and released the individual on electronic monitoring. Now, the woman is dead and a police officer is injured. Judge Nowinski was also at the center of the tragic murder of 11-year-old Jayden Perkins by Crosetti Brand in March. We cannot allow our court system to keep failing survivors of #GBV. Judge Nowinski has the ability to ensure safety for survivors looking to get orders of protection, and yet, failed to do so. The Network: Advocating Against Domestic Violence will continue to hold anyone impacting the lives and safety of survivors accountable. Read our full statement: bit.ly/4fH2y0D #DomesticViolence

With the holiday season coming up, we would like to remind all survivors of this life-saving resource. Our Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline is available every day of the year. Our staff are here to support you even during the holiday season. Remember that you are not alone. Call or text 877-863-6338 ?? #DVAwareness #GBV #SupportingSurvivors #DomesticViolence

Chicago’s Proposed Budget for FY2025 does not account for the loss of COVID-era funds supporting GBV services and survivors. However, Mayor Johnson and City Council have the tools to amend the proposed budget and make sure that survivor services don’t fall off the funding cliff. We urge the mayor and city council to increase the existing Domestic Violence Homeshare Tax from 2% to 4% to mitigate the funding shortage and provide crucial housing and supportive services to survivors. This is a specific hotel tax surcharge assessed on vacation rentals, such as AirBnbs, and can fill the budget gap in social safety net funding for survivors. We encourage our supporters to take action and learn more here: p2a.co/uleiyis #CallToAction #Advocacy #SupportingSurvivors #DomesticViolence

We are pleased to share the key takeaways from the latest Domestic Violence Co-Location Program Data Report for 2023. The Domestic Violence Co-Location Program (DVCLP) is an innovative and collaborative program aimed at building the systemic capacity of the Illinois Department of Children and Families (DCFS) to effectively respond to families experiencing domestic violence and meeting the needs of families experiencing both domestic violence and the child welfare system. Download the full report: bit.ly/3O21rMG Thank you to our partner organizations involved in this project! Ascend Justice, Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Remedies Renewing Lives, A Safe Place, Family Rescue, Sarah's Inn #DomesticViolence #GBV #GBVData

Chicago’s new proposed city budget does not consider the lives of survivors of #GBV who will be affected. We are calling on you to advocate for survivors by telling the mayor and city council to amend the proposed Chicago budget. Learn more about the ways survivors will be affected by this new proposed budget! Take action today! ??P2a.co/uleiyis #CallToAction #Advocacy #DomesticViolence

Our community will continue to support survivors and advocate for continued services at state and local levels. We must strengthen our grassroots efforts to create a safety net for all Illinois survivors. We are here for our community, and everyone impacted by gender-based violence. Take care of yourselves and each other. #GBV #DomesticViolence #SupportingSurvivors

Today is election day and we want to encourage you to #vote We know voting can be a difficult process for survivors of #domesticviolence. This is why we are here to help. Call or text the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline at 877-863-6338 if you need help safety planning to vote. #SupportingSurvivors

On average, it takes survivors of #DomesticViolence 7 tries to leave their abuser for good. “It’s part of the 'cycle of abuse': when perpetrators are so bent on power and control, they’ll pull out all the stops to woo you back every time you try to flee.” We encourage you to #vote for the safety and well-being of all survivors of #GBV! ??bit.ly/3YOMeVD

Our early bird tickets are LIVE! We are excited to be hosting our 4th #ReclaimingOurLove Social Justice & Domestic Violence Conference in #Chicago. Our tickets are now LIVE! Make sure to get your tickets early and plan to join us on March 19-20th at the Gleacher Center at Chicago Booth for two days of learning and exploring advocacy efforts to #EndGBV. #DomesticViolence #GBV #Conference #Networking #ChicagoConference