Pima County working to revitalize response to domestic violence [Video]

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – As October marks Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Pima County is working to rebuild its Coordinated Community Response to improve safety and accountability.

“In order for a community to truly have a coordinated response to domestic violence, it can’t just be criminal justice systems partners,” said Anna Harper, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Emerge Center for Domestic Abuse.

In recent years, as families continued to lose loved ones to domestic violence, Pima County’s coordinated community response declined. When a community’s CCR is not fully active, it can impact a survivor’s support and safety.

“It is our belief that when we have a coordinated community response, we can ensure that we’re not just raising awareness about the issue, but really helping our community to understand there are real, concrete ways that we can support people and connect them into services and resources,” said Harper.

April Barbosa has taken on the role of program manager. For her, this …