Immediate Support For Survivors Of Domestic Violence

Hope House’s Co-Responding Advocate program partners directly with the Independence Police Department (IPD) to provide immediate, compassionate support to survivors of domestic violence. The program embeds a trained Advocate alongside police officers as they respond to domestic violence calls, ensuring that survivors receive crisis intervention, resource referrals, and ongoing assistance in a timely and trauma-informed manner.

Why Immediate Support Matters

Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behaviors—physical, emotional, psychological, and economic—used by one individual to gain control and power over another. It affects people across all races, incomes, ages, and backgrounds. Survivors of domestic violence often face complex and dangerous challenges that require more than just immediate safety. They need comprehensive, trauma-informed support that addresses not only their physical safety but also their emotional well-being, legal rights, housing stability, and long-term recovery.

Research shows there is a critical “window of opportunity” shortly after a violent incident when survivors may be most receptive to receiving help. Hope House’s Co-Responding Advocate program seizes this moment, offering immediate crisis intervention and connections to vital resources. This approach increases the chances that survivors will engage with services that can make a lasting difference in their lives.

How The Co-Responding Advocate Works

When the Independence Police Department responds to a domestic violence call, the Co-Responding Advocate accompanies officers to the scene. After the officers ensure the safety of everyone involved, the Advocate meets privately with survivors to provide compassionate crisis intervention. This includes:

• Offering emotional support and safety planning tailored to the survivor’s unique situation.
• Connecting survivors to resources such as legal aid, emergency shelter, counseling, and financial assistance.
• Explaining survivors’ rights and options for protection orders and legal remedies.

Beyond the initial response, the Advocate coordinates follow-up visits alongside police officers to survivors’ homes. These revisits provide an additional opportunity to offer support, check on safety, and ensure survivors remain connected to ongoing services. This continuity is vital for survivors as they navigate the complex aftermath of abuse.

Local Need: Domestic Violence In Independence

The urgency of Hope House’s Co-Responding Advocate program is underscored by local data from 2023. The Independence Police Department recorded 4,919 domestic violence-related 911 calls, served 215 protection orders, and arrested 137 offenders for violating those orders. Additionally, 69 survivors were referred to Hope House for help in filing emergency temporary protection orders.

Alarmingly, 86% of intimate partner violence survivors in Independence screened as high risk for lethal outcomes, highlighting the danger many face. Police officers contact Hope House’s crisis hotline when a survivor is identified as high risk, but only 42% of survivors are able to connect with an Advocate immediately during the incident. Efforts to reach survivors after the fact—including phone calls, letters, and police-accompanied revisits—result in only 17% being present during their case hearings in Municipal Court.

These statistics reflect the difficulties survivors face in accessing timely, ongoing support and highlight the critical role the Co-Responding Advocate program plays in bridging that gap.

Providing Holistic, Survivor-Centered Services

Hope House’s approach is grounded in trauma-informed care that centers the voices and needs of survivors. The program recognizes that recovery from domestic violence extends beyond immediate safety and includes:

• Preventing post-separation abuse and further victimization.
• Healing from emotional and psychological trauma.
• Securing safe, affordable, and stable housing.
• Supporting survivors’ self-sufficiency through access to education, employment, and community resources.

The Co-Responding Advocate program ensures survivors receive wrap-around services—coordinated care that addresses all these facets—to help survivors build new, empowered lives free from abuse.

Building A Safer Community

Domestic violence is not only a deeply personal crisis but also a community issue. Addressing it effectively requires a coordinated effort between law enforcement, advocacy organizations, legal systems, and community partners. Hope House’s collaboration with the Independence Police Department exemplifies this collective approach.

By embedding Advocates directly with responding officers, the program fosters trust and connection between survivors and support systems. It also enhances the police response by ensuring survivors’ needs are met beyond law enforcement intervention, improving safety outcomes and reducing repeat victimization.

A Vital Step Toward Healing & Safety

Hope House’s Co-Responding Advocate program provides a critical lifeline for survivors of domestic violence in Independence, Missouri. By responding alongside police, offering immediate crisis support, and coordinating ongoing services, the program addresses the complex challenges survivors face and helps them move toward safety, healing, and independence.

This program exemplifies a compassionate, effective, and survivor-centered approach to domestic violence intervention—one that prioritizes survivors’ voices, dignity, and long-term well-being. Through continued funding and community support, Hope House will expand these vital services, ensuring more survivors receive the help they need when they need it most.

Locations

Click on the window icon (upper right corner) of the map below to expand. List of all program locations is included with expanded view of map. Locations are also listed on this page below the map.

Hope House's physical address is not published as a security measure.