‘Crucial steps’; Spokane group receives domestic violence prevention grant

SPOKANE, Wash – Spokane’s Regional Domestic Violence Coalition is getting a big boost from a national gun safety organization, in an effort to bring down the rate of domestic violence in the community.

Everytown for Gun Safety announced Friday $70,000 in grants to seven organizations nationwide.

Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Coalition is one of them and the group already has plans for how they’ll use the money.

“We are incredibly grateful to Everytown for Gun Safety for funding our work to establish a Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board in Spokane,” said Taffy Hunter, Interim Executive Director of Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Coalition. “This support will help us identify gaps in services, better understand the factors leading to fatal incidents and improve our community’s response to domestic violence. Together, we are taking crucial steps toward preventing future tragedies and ensuring safety and support for those impacted by violence.”

A recent report shows that Spokane has a higher rate of domestic violence than Washington as a whole.

The Spokane Regional Domestic Violence Coalition has been active since the early 1990s. It partners with law enforcement and other agencies to focus on prevention and education to end domestic violence.

Everytown For Gun Safety formed in 2013, merging two other groups working on gun safety issues.

In the news release announcing the grant, Everytown says that every month, an average of 76 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner.

Other agencies receiving the grant are in Louisiana, New Mexico, Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Vancouver, Washington.