$1 million federal grant approved to help the Bronx tackle domestic violence
NEW YORK -- Domestic violence plagues New York City, and the hardest hit borough is the Bronx.
As CBS2's Dave Carlin reports, new rounds of funding, resources and advocacy are being added to the fight.
Angelina Rosado, a survivor of domestic violence, had the attention of Bronx community advocates, politicians and other survivors at a brainstorming session to help the city better handle its ugly problem with domestic violence.
She was physically and emotionally abused by an intimate partner, beginning when she was 15.
"At the time, I did believe I was in love, yes," Rosado told Carlin. "I decided to go into hiding."
At the brainstorming session, she told the audience, "At 23 I entered a system that I didn't realize was so broken. A system that traumatized me."
"When you hear Angelina talk about her experience, it's because she's probably went through that. She was double victimized. She felt like she was the victim again and again and again," said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson.
Gibson announced the approval of a $1 million federal grant, which will help tackle a problem making headlines in the borough, including the case of Arianna Reyes-Gomez, an NYPD officer stabbed to death allegedly by her estranged husband inside her Bronx apartment on June 13.
"During the pandemic, it grew even more because many victims were forced to live with abusers indoors," Gibson said.
Enhancement is the goal, from advocacy for survivors to accountability for offenders from the precinct level at first contact all the way through the system.
"When you are going into a precinct or you're going into sex crimes and the special victims unit at the NYPD, we wanted to make it more friendly," Gibson said. "And so all of that has been reformed."
"I wanted to give that hope back to other people," Rosado said.
Rosado founded "Returning Hope," calling it that because Hope is the name of her now-10-year-old daughter, who she says inspires her to doing this important work.
"I'm happy to grab that torch and keep the marathon going," she said.
Step by step, helping show everyone the way to real love without insults, threats, and hurt.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, help is available:
- Call 311 to be connected to the nearest NYC Family Justice Center.
- Find resources and support in NYC by searching the City's HOPE Resource Directory online at www.nyc.gov/NYCHOPE.
- Call the City's 24-hour Domestic Violence Hotline: 800-621-HOPE (4673) for immediate safety planning, shelter assistance, and other resources.
- In an emergency, dial 911.