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When helping for the holidays can save lives

by | Nov 21, 2023

The holidays are a time when families and friends gather to share stories over home-cooked meals and soak in the love and comfort of those around us. It’s also a time when many of us reflect on the past year and thank those individuals who have helped us through their kindness and support. However, this holiday experience is not the same for everyone. 

A family bedroom at the Women’s Resource Center in Petoskey, Michigan

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, roughly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience severe intimate partner physical violence, sexual violence, or partner stalking with injury. In 2022, the Michigan State Police reported 64,545 domestic violence offenses were committed in our state by current or former intimate partners. The frequency of abuse is staggering among minority populations. More than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women and men have experienced violence in their lifetime, while 45 percent of Black women and 40 percent of Black men experience intimate partner abuse. The numbers clearly demonstrate a need for support services. 

That’s why the DTE Energy Foundation continued its annual grant to 45 state-funded domestic violence shelters in Michigan. This year’s support of $420,000 brings the Foundation’s total commitment to more than $2.6 million over the past five years. The funding will be used to offer survivor-centric services that include housing, transportation, employment and support for survivors who need help with healthcare needs or are struggling to navigate the criminal justice system.  

Benefitting domestic violence shelters:

  1. Catherine Cobb Safe House, Adrian
  2. Hope Shores Alliance, Alpena
  3. SafeHouse Center, Ann Arbor
  4. S.A.F.E. Place, Battle Creek
  5. Bay Area Women’s Center, Bay City
  6. Children and Family Services of Southwestern Michigan/Safe Shelter, Inc., Benton Harbor
  7. Women’s Information Service, Inc., Big Rapids
  8. Cadillac Area O.A.S.I.S, Cadillac
  9. Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter, Calumet
  10. HDC/Thumb Area Assault Crisis Center, Caro 
  11. Branch County Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Coldwater 
  12. YWCA of Metropolitan Detroit/Interim House, Detroit 
  13. Alliance Against Violence and Abuse, Escanaba 
  14. YWCA of Greater Flint/SAFE House, Flint 
  15. YWCA of West Central Michigan, Grand Rapids 
  16. River House, Grayling 
  17. Domestic Harmony, Hillsdale 
  18. Resilience, Holland 
  19. LACASA, Howell 
  20. RAVE – Ionia/Montcalm 
  21. Caring House, Inc., Iron Mountain 
  22. DOVE, Ironwood  
  23. AWARE, Jackson 
  24. YWCA of Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo 
  25. Baraga County Shelter Home, L’Anse 
  26. End Violent Encounters (EVE), Lansing 
  27. Lapeer Area Citizens Against Domestic Assault, Lapeer 
  28. Communities Overcoming Violent Encounters, Ludington 
  29. CHOICES of Manistee County, Manistee 
  30. Women’s Center/Harbor House, Marquette 
  31. Shelterhouse/Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Midland 
  32. Family Counseling and Shelter Services of Monroe County, Monroe 
  33. Turning Point, Mt. Clemens 
  34. RISE, Mt. Pleasant 
  35. Every Woman’s Place, Muskegon 
  36. Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan, Petoskey 
  37. First Step, Plymouth 
  38. HAVEN, Pontiac 
  39. Blue Water Safe Horizons, Port Huron 
  40. Underground Railroad, Saginaw 
  41. Anishnaabek Community and Family Services, Sault Ste. Marie 
  42. Diane Peppler Resource Center, Sault Ste. Marie 
  43. SafeCenter, St. Johns 
  44. Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services, Three Rivers 
  45. Women’s Resource Center Grand Traverse Area, Traverse City  
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