The holidays are a time when families and friends gather to share stories over home-cooked meals and soak in the love and comfort of those around us. It’s also a time when many of us reflect on the past year and thank those individuals who have helped us through their kindness and support. However, this holiday experience is not the same for everyone.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, roughly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, sexual violence, or partner stalking with injury. In 2022, the Michigan State Police reported 64,545 domestic violence offenses were committed in our state by current or former intimate partners. The frequency of abuse is staggering among minority populations.
More than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women and men have experienced violence in their lifetime, while 45 percent of Black women and 40 percent of Black men experience intimate partner abuse. The numbers clearly demonstrate a need for support services.
That’s why the DTE Energy Foundation continued its annual grant to 45 state-funded domestic violence shelters in Michigan. This year’s support of $420,000 brings the Foundation’s total commitment to more than $2.6 million over the past five years. The funding will be used to offer survivor-centric services that include housing, transportation, employment and support for survivors who need help with healthcare needs or are struggling to navigate the criminal justice system.
Benefiting domestic violence shelters:
- Catherine Cobb Safe House, Adrian
- Hope Shores Alliance, Alpena
- SafeHouse Center, Ann Arbor
- S.A.F.E. Place, Battle Creek
- Bay Area Women’s Center, Bay City
- Children and Family Services of Southwestern Michigan/Safe Shelter, Inc., Benton Harbor
- Women’s Information Service, Inc., Big Rapids
- Cadillac Area O.A.S.I.S, Cadillac
- Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter, Calumet
- HDC/Thumb Area Assault Crisis Center, Caro
- Branch County Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Coldwater
- YWCA of Metropolitan Detroit/Interim House, Detroit
- Alliance Against Violence and Abuse, Escanaba
- YWCA of Greater Flint/SAFE House, Flint
- YWCA of West Central Michigan, Grand Rapids
- River House, Grayling
- Domestic Harmony, Hillsdale
- Resilience, Holland
- LACASA, Howell
- RAVE – Ionia/Montcalm
- Caring House, Inc., Iron Mountain
- DOVE, Ironwood
- AWARE, Jackson
- YWCA of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo
- Baraga County Shelter Home, L’Anse
- End Violent Encounters (EVE), Lansing
- Lapeer Area Citizens Against Domestic Assault, Lapeer
- Communities Overcoming Violent Encounters, Ludington
- CHOICES of Manistee County, Manistee
- Women’s Center/Harbor House, Marquette
- Shelterhouse/Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Midland
- Family Counseling and Shelter Services of Monroe County, Monroe
- Turning Point, Mt. Clemens
- RISE, Mt. Pleasant
- Every Woman’s Place, Muskegon
- Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan, Petoskey
- First Step, Plymouth
- HAVEN, Pontiac
- Blue Water Safe Horizons, Port Huron
- Underground Railroad, Saginaw
- Anishnaabek Community and Family Services, Sault Ste. Marie
- Diane Peppler Resource Center, Sault Ste. Marie
- SafeCenter, St. Johns
- Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services, Three Rivers
- Women’s Resource Center Grand Traverse Area, Traverse City
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