Hope Shores Alliance Wraps Up Domestic Violence Awareness Month Efforts

Hope Shores Alliance wrapped up their Domestic Violence Awareness Month efforts Wednesday evening with a candlelight vigil at the Alpena County Library.

While October will soon be over, the fight to end domestic violence does not end after 31 days.

“What we need is for the community to be able to be just as empathetic when they listen to survivors as a Hope Shores Alliance advocate is because the vast majority of folks aren’t able to get to Hope Shores Alliance services,” said Jeanine Kaltz of Hope Shores Alliance. “Abusers put those barriers, plus we know it’s really hard out there.”

They held candle light vigils in several counties throughout northeast Michigan and read the names of over 400 people who have lost their lives to domestic violence. While these things are hard to hear, it’s important for people to hear them to truly understand what’s happening.

“When you hear domestic violence, you just think of battered women, but if you spread what Domestic Violence Awareness Month is about, if you spread awareness of that it all looks different, there’s no one way that domestic violence can be produced,” said Connie Fluharty of Hope Shores Alliance.

One major element of domestic violence awareness is accountability for abusers. Hope Shores Alliance has a strong relationship with the prosecutors’ offices of northeast Michigan.

“We focus very much on working with the survivors of domestic violence and helping them through the entire process in order to eventually hold the suspects accountable for their actions and bring justice to the situation,” said Alpena County Prosecutor Cynthia Muszynski.

Hope Shores Alliance will continue to make the public aware of how to spot domestic violence and support survivors year round.