Meeting about LGBTQ+ Dating & Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking

A meeting was held Monday, November 25, 2019, concerning LGBTQ+ Dating Violence, Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking. Representatives from TransFamily, Safe Journey, SafeNet, Crime Victim Center, Greater Erie Alliance for Equality (GEAE), NWPA Pride Alliance, and Erie Gay News were present.

The newly formed group is focusing on education, integration, and communication. They seek to increase knowledge of available services among members of the LGBTQ+ community, to integrate those services into the community, and to ensure that service providers and others are aware of the full extent of services available to LGBTQ+ clients. They seek to better communicate client needs among the groups and to make all of Erie County better aware of the issues, implications, and impacts of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking among our community.

In discussing domestic violence and sexual assault services and education for community members, the service agencies stressed that all services are confidential, free of charge, and available to everyone, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation. For Erie County residents north of I-90, SafeNet provides emergency shelter services and transitional housing to domestic violence victims. South of I-90, those services are provided by Safe Journey. Crime Victim Center serves all victim of crime, including sexual violence, throughout Erie County.

The group hopes to conduct a community needs assessment among LGBTQ+ community members and will meet again in January. More information about domestic violence is available at www.safejourney.org; or www.safenet.org. Information for other victims of crime is available at www.cvcerie.org.For more info, contact Lori Palisin of Safe Journey at (814) 438-2675 or safejourney@safejourney.org