Recently domestic violence has become a local matter. Domestic violence homicide rates are on the rise in the city of Toledo, Ohio. …show more content…
The amount of murders total so far this year in Toledo is astounding. “One of the most disturbing things this year is we’ve had seven homicides that are directly related to domestic violence” (Montgomery, Alexandra). There are hundreds and hundreds of varying solutions to the issue of the rising numbers of domestic violence homicides, but there is only one solution of the highest quality. One possible solution to the rise of domestic violence homicides is creating more shelters in downtown Toledo for victims of domestic violence, or abusive relationships. A shelter would serve as a safe place for victims to get away from their abusive relationships. Many shelters around the country help victims change their life and restart in a harm free environment. Every domestic violence shelter across the nation has a set of rules or guidelines to ensure safety and security for the victims and their staff. Many domestic violence shelters are gender specific and/or have a limited number of days you can stay in the shelter. For example, a shelter in California, Women’s Shelter Long Beach, is open to women only and has a 30 day stay limit (Pisarra). In Toledo, there are several abandoned buildings that are sitting empty and collecting dust when …show more content…
There are plenty of national hotlines that victims can call at anytime but a local hotline number could be more beneficial for the victims. More and more victims are calling hotlines nationally and locally for help.”‘I think there’s an awareness that this isn’t OK … so there’s a lot more people calling for help,’ Andris said” (Hartley). With a local hotline, victims can speak with local advocates for domestic violence and abuse who can talk them through their situation and help them create a plan to leave their abusive relationships and restart their life safely. Local hotlines would be run by city volunteers or employees would be hired if needed. The hotline would have to be available to the victims twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. The costs for a local domestic violence hotline number would come from reconstructing one or two of the abandoned buildings in downtown Toledo into a call center, buying the phones and paying the bills, and possibly hiring employees such as counselors, therapists, etc., to answer the phones and talk with the victims. The actual cost for a local hotline and call center for victims would vary depending on how many employees are hired, how many phones are bought, and how much money it will take to transform one of the abandoned buildings into a call center. Having a local hotline would be emotionally