Kent County’s Domestic Violence Action Network, or DVAN, encompasses 60 organizations and more than 300 individuals aligning domestic violence responses that are coordinated, trauma-informed, and centered on safety and accountability.
“Annually, law enforcement agencies across the county respond to over 2,500 domestic violence incidents, and we know this is only probably about half of the total because most victims don’t call law enforcement.”
That’s Micah Johnston, DVAN’s director. He says thanks to $4 million in ARPA funding, DVAN formed the Domestic Violence High Risk Team in partnership with the Grand Rapids Police Department, the first of its kind in the state.
“DVAN has trained the entire GRPD police force and officers now use the evidence-based danger assessment for law enforcement on every call so that they can identify individuals who are at high risk of domestic violence homicide.”
DVAN also continues its Domestic Violence Court Program, a 52-week Battering Intervention Program. Ramiel Stevenson is currently enrolled in the program.
“It helped me discover the tools I needed to become a better human being, not only as a man but also as a father, who would never want to see his little girl experience domestic violence.”
There are currently 34 active participants in the court-appointed program.
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