$100,000 Investment Will Focus on Culturally Responsive Education and Prevention Programs for Marginalized Communities Most Impacted by Gender-Based Violence
Seattle (July 9, 2019) – Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced $100,000 in additional 2019 funding in the second quarter’s supplementary budget for education and prevention programs seeking to address gender-based violence in Seattle. The funding will support existing organizations to build their capacity and advance youth programming, education programs for boys and men, and programs focused on marginalized populations, including Latinx, Black and African American, and Native American and Indigenous communities.
“We must do more to prevent and end gender-based violence,” said Mayor Durkan. “We have a responsibility to invest in programs that work to stop this violence from occurring in the first place, especially for communities most impacted. Seattle stands up for survivors, and our services must be available and accessible for all. To the survivors in our city: We believe you, and we will fight for you.”
The City of Seattle invests more than $10 million annually in gender-based violence services, including prevention, legal, intervention, housing, and offender accountability services. The Mayor’s $100,000 mid-2019 investment supports upstream programming to prevent the violence from taking place at all and will focus on programming for Latinx, Black and African American, and Native American and Indigenous communities.
A significant percentage of gender-based violence fatalities occur when the victim is 21 years or younger, and these victims often meet their perpetrator in middle or high school. Additionally, language barriers, lack of culturally relevant services, threats of deportation, and fear of isolation put marginalized communities at an increased risk of experiencing gender-based violence. Women of color and Native women are two-to-three times more likely to experience a gender-based, violence-related fatality than their white counterparts.
“These funds will help increase support for communities we know are in need and disproportionately impacted by gender-based violence,” said Jason Johnson, Director of the City’s Human Services Department. “We believe that ending gender-based violence is a collaborative community effort and are proud to work with partners with a long history of service and success in these communities.”
The Mayor’s 2019 supplemental funding seeks to address these disparities by investing in prevention programs that conduct outreach to vulnerable and underserved communities. The additional $100,000 in funding will support the following programs:
FILIPINO COMMUNITY OF SEATTLE – $60,000
The Filipino Community of Seattle, in partnership with Casa Latina, Multi-Communities, and Mother Nation will receive an addition $60,000 for the Access to Advocacy outreach and mobilization projects. These projects work to prevent gender-based violence in marginalized communities including Native American and Indigenous, Latinx, and African American and Black communities.
- Casa Latina will coordinate culturally relevant sexual harassment education and training workshops in Spanish for Latinx domestic workers.
- Multi-Communities will organize and implement prevent projects focused on engaging African American and Black boys and men.
- Mother Nation will provide healing circles for survivors of gender-based violence which includes traditional sweat and educational therapy.
HARBORVIEW CENTER FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT AND TRAUMATIC STRESS – $20,000
Harborview Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress (HCSATS) will receive an additional $20,000 to support Athletes as Leaders, a program that works with girls’ high school sports teams to address the root causes of gender-based violence and create safe and equitable communities on their teams and at school.
Athletes as Leaders seeks to break down traditional gender norms and increase empathy and grow leadership among women and non-binary young people. The program is implemented alongside Coaching Boys into Men (CBIM) – a nationally proven practice that positively impacts male athlete’s bystander behaviors and reduces violence perpetration.
The Athletes as Leaders trainings are estimated to reach over 300 young people, and are co-sponsored by the Seattle Mariners, Seattle Seahawks, and Seattle Storm.
KING COUNTY SEXUAL ASSAULT RESOURCE CENTER – $20,000
The King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KSARC) will receive $20,000 to increase and improve data systems, data security, and service delivery. KCSARC works with survivors and their families to ensure that all those impacted by gender-based violence get the treatment and advocacy they need. Enhancing the security of the personal and protected information of their clients is crucial to providing efficient and effective services.
Visit this website for more information on the City of Seattle’s work to address gender-based violence.
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