Mission

The mission of the Family Violence Project is to fulfill its vision by:

• Promoting individuals' safety by informing them of their options and supporting their decision-making processes
• Intervening with batterers to hold them accountable through a process of education and consistent community consequences
• Promoting individuals' capacity to change and take responsibility for their actions
• Preventing domestic abuse by educating communities
• Assisting in the creation of public policy that promotes victim safety and abuser accountability
  

Philosophy

STATEMENTS OF FACT...

• People often use power in a coercive way to control or dominate others. This abuse of power violates the rights of individuals, negatively impacts entire communities, and is unacceptable behavior.
• The historical imbalance of power between men and women has resulted in the current reality that over 90% of the victims of domestic violence are female. Men can be victims of domestic violence, and domestic violence occurs in same-sex relationships.
• Domestic violence takes many forms including physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, economic, intellectual, and spiritual abuse. When other members of the family or community witness domestic abuse, their lives, too, are damaged.

WE, THE FAMILY VIOLENCE PROJECT, BELIEVE...

• Victims of abuse have the potential to control their own lives and can be helped in doing this through support, information and encouragement.
• Perpetrators of abuse are responsible for their actions. All of society must hold abusers accountable by clearly demonstrating that domestic violence and abuse is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
• We have the responsibility to model behavior that is nonviolent, uses power responsibly, manages conflict constructively, and shares leadership. This model encourages individual responsibility for personal and organizational action and growth.
• Collaboration with diverse community partners is crucial to achieving a community wide recognition of, and response to, domestic violence and abuse. We believe that widespread cooperative education about nonviolence is key to building a community based on respect and ensuring safety for all.
• Above all, our work must recognize and advocate on behalf of the needs of the individuals with whom we work.