Latest news with #FamilySafetyCenter
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
2 killed, 1 critically injured in domestic violence shooting
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Developing tonight, Memphis Police are searching for a suspect in a deadly domestic violence shooting. The deadly shooting unfolded in a Frayser neighborhood on Tuesday night. Memphis Police said three people were shot in the 1700 block of Cleoford Avenue. Sadly, two victims died and another is in critical condition. At a Memphis City Council meeting in March, Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis mentioned an uptick in domestic violence cases. 'Of course we see more cases of domestic violence than we care to see and we're really thinking hard about how do we work with our partners in reducing domestic violence cases in the city,' Davis said. Multiple shootings reported across Memphis overnight So far this year, there have been 597 reports of aggravated assaults involving domestic violence. In 2024, there were 646 reports of those incidents. The Family Safety Center served as a resource for domestic violence victims. However, its abrupt closure has created a gap within the Memphis community. 'This can be a very confusing time for victims, not knowing where to go, not knowing you know, who to call, not knowing what agency to reach out to,' Gwen Turner said. 'So, I must say that it is a full-team effort that's going forth.' Turner, the Shelter Coordinator for the YWCA of Greater Memphis, said the organization is working with others to fulfill the needs of domestic violence victims. For instance, orders of protection are now being handled by the Shelby County Crime Victims and Rape Crisis Center. No charges for pregnant woman who shot husband dead in attack Turner told WREG that legal assistance and a safety plan are usually the resources domestic violence victims need the most. 'Everybody needs a safety plan because sometimes you have to remain safe in the situation you're in until you can get to a point where you can get [out] and possibly come to a safe place like this,' Turner said. She also said it's important for people to be aware of the signs of domestic violence. As Memphis Police piece together Tuesday's deadly shooting, they're working closely with the YWCA and other organizations to protect victims and hold abusers accountable. In January, Memphis Police launched its joint 'Domestic Violence Prolific Offender Initiative.' Its Fugitive Unit has arrested 105 domestic violence suspects this year, while its Domestic Violence Unit has made 953 arrests. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Memphis domestic violence center abruptly closes amid statewide fight for victim funding
An attendee looks at a series of banners for National Crime Victims' Rights Week Candlelight Vigil on the National Mall on April 24, 2024, in Washington, D.C. The Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime held the event to pay tribute to victims and survivors of crime and individuals who provide service and support. (Photo by) A Memphis domestic violence agency has abruptly closed its doors amid an urgent fight for state funding by victim-serving organizations in Tennessee. The Family Safety Center of Memphis and Shelby County shut down without warning or public explanation last week. The agency served as a 'one-stop shop' for victims of domestic violence, aiding victims in obtaining orders of protection in coordination with police and the District Attorney's office, and connecting families to housing, food and other resources. Its sudden closure has left a web of agencies that worked together to address domestic violence scrambling, said Marqulepta Odom, executive director of the YWCA Greater Memphis. 'We were all caught off guard by its closing in the middle of the week like that,' said Odom, whose agency operates a 78-bed domestic violence shelter, the largest in the state. Odom said the closure will have a 'great impact and a loss for our community for sure. It was that central place that survivors and victims knew where to go.' But Odom's agency — like victim-serving agencies across Tennessee this year — also faces an uncertain funding future: federal funding for victims of crime in Tennessee has dwindled in recent years from a peak of $68 million in 2018 to $16 million last year. The YWCA Greater Memphis experienced a 17% percent cut last year as a result and faces the prospect of crippling budget cuts this year if it cannot find a way to replace the lost federal dollars. Agencies that operate crisis hotlines, provide counseling to child abuse victims, conduct sexual assault exams and operate shelters are facing additional cuts in federal funding up to 40% more come July. Those ongoing cuts in federal dollars had already hit the Family Safety Center hard before it closed its doors. The agency received $742,000 in federal crime victim funding in 2020, according to the Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs (OCJP), which distributes the federal funding to Tennessee nonprofits. This year, that funding had dwindled to about $132,000. The OCJP got notice March 6 that the Family Safety Center had shuttered the previous day. Ethel Hilliard, the center's executive director, 'stated that the closure was due to a board decision related to financial issues,' a spokesperson for the OCJP said. The most recent available tax records show the agency operated at a deficit in 2021 and 2022, when it reported a $289,000 deficit. Like other agencies funded through the federal Victims of Crimes Act, it faced steep cuts again in July. Tennessee victim-serving agencies warn cuts will be 'catastrophic' if Gov. Bill Lee fails to act And while 35 other states have taken action to provide their own state funding in the face of federal crime victim budget cuts, Tennessee is not one of them. Stephen Woerner, executive director of Tennessee Children's Advocacy Centers, said the Memphis agency's closure illustrates the vulnerability of agencies that aid victims of abuse. 'I do not know the details of why they closed, but it speaks to the fragility of the victim serving community, particularly those that have not truly invested in diversifying their funding,' Woerner said. Woerner's organization operates 46 centers across the state that employ specialized counselors who work with children who have been abused, neglected or sexually assaulted. The organization received $5.5 million annually from the federal crime victims fund at its peak; this year, it received $2.1 million, he said. Woerner is among hundreds of advocates across the state who are pressing Gov. Bill Lee to include $25 million in recurring state funding to crime victim agencies in the state's budget. Thus far, Lee has not committed. Lee's office did not respond to a question about the funding on Friday. Leaders of the Family Safety Center in Memphis have made no public statements about the reasons behind the closure and Ethele Hilliard, executive director, did not respond to emailed questions from the Lookout. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
