Longmont will use a $34,504 grant to help a local non-profit group fight domestic violence in the city. The city council accepted the Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant last week as the city also marked October as “Domestic Violence Awareness Month.”
The funds will go toward the Longmont Ending Violence Initiative — or LEVI — and its programs and initiatives. LEVI is a collaboration of over 23 agencies in Boulder County working to reduce domestic violence in the city, according to a city staff report.
LEVI provides domestic violence prevention/education, public information and easy access to services for victims and their families, the report states. The grant will be used to pay a portion of the salary for LEVI project coordinators for one year and will also include general operating funds.
City council voted unanimously to accept the grant.
Both LEVI and Safe Shelter of the St. Vrain Valley are two unique organizations dedicated to serving as a critical resource and support system for victims of domestic violence in Longmont, a city staff report highlighting Domestic Violence Prevention Month.
“Domestic violence is prevalent in every community and Longmont is not immune to this terrible crime,” the staff report states.
A data analysis from 2020 presented to the city council states that there were 952 total reports of domestic violence incidents in Longmont in 2020 compared to 915 in 2019, a 4% increase.
There were also 516 arrests for domestic violence offenses in 2020 compared to 512 arrests in 2019, a 1% increase, the report states.
Wednesday was the busiest day for reporting domestic violence in 2020 — 19% of all cases. Saturday was the second busiest in 2020, 16.8% of the cases.
By contrast, Sunday was the busiest day in 2019 and Wednesday was the second busiest, the staff report states.
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