As a young prosecutor in Fayette Co., joining the District Attorney’s office in April 2018, I was astonished to learn the staggering number of domestic assault cases passing through our courtrooms. The reality only set in when working these cases revealed the difficult issues they raise; underlying complexities of intimate relationships, financial need, and emotional support bind themselves to the case.
Fortunately for me, I learned I serve a community ready and willing to support survivors of domestic assault. Fayette Cares is the cornerstone of that support. At the outset, Fayette Cares provides training to local law enforcement agencies in the Lethality Assessment
Program, or LAP. Law enforcement officers use this tool by walking an individual through a series of questions set to assess the danger of a domestic violence occurrence. At the completion of the assessment, the at-risk individual is put in touch with a Fayette Cares advocate to help connect them with services. When applicable, I review the completed LAP form to help in my assessment of the companion criminal case.
Further, Fayette Cares advocates support survivors on court dates to encourage them, ask questions, and engage in the criminal justice process. Fayette Cares stands ready with emergency housing, food and clothing supplements. At-risk individuals are also offered counseling, career and vocational support.
Sometime later in my career, I joined Fayette Cares as a volunteer. Helping with various fundraising events like the annual April plant sale and the High Cotton 5k, my heart was encouraged by the outpouring of community support. Hope pierced what I had previously perceived as a staggering issue.
Now serving on the Board of Directors, I share in the determination of Fayette Cares’ mission: empowering those in need with solutions to end homelessness, break the cycle of domestic violence, and create stability and self-sufficiency from crisis.
