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Washington Evening Journal
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Washington Co. declares Domestic Violence Awareness month
WASHINGTON — The County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday morning to declare October “Domestic Violence Awareness Month” at the request of advocates from the Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP.)
“We do a lot of outreach during this month to make sure that people are aware of the scope of our services,” said Allison Tippe, DVIP’s volunteer coordinator and in-kind donations manager. “We want to make sure we’re reinvigorating those relationships so we can be as connected to our communities as possible.”
The move repeats similar declarations the county has made around October for the last several years.
“We are very grateful that this board of supervisors has always been as incredibly supportive of our organization as they have been,” Tippe said.
The group served 108 clients in Washington County in Fiscal Year 2022 according to Tippe, who said that number was a 55% increase from the year prior.
County Attorney John Gish said domestic violence was the fifth most common indictable crime in the county.
“The 55% increase in this county … really is significant,” Tippe said. “It’s one of the reasons why we’re doing so much focus work in Washington County, and planning on doing so for the next year as well.”
Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com
Washington County Supervisors declared October, 2022 Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Data from DVIP showed an over 50% increase in domestic violence reports from fiscal year '21 to '22. From left, Supervisors Richard Young, Stan Stoops, DVIP Volunteer Coordinator Allison Tippe, Supervisor Jack Seward Jr., DVIP Washington County Advocate Garyn Simpson, and Supervisor Bob Yoder. (Kalen McCain/The Union)
