Hartford Nonprofit Declares War On Teen Dating Violence

Interval House

HARTFORD, CT — A Hartford-based nonprofit dedicated to combatting domestic violence is pledging this month to continue its fight against teen dating violence despite imminent federal budget cuts.

Interval House — Connecticut’s largest domestic violence agency—is observing "Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month" throughout February.

Organization leadership announced recently its intention to "double down on prevention initiatives despite looming cuts from the Victims of Crime Act and other Federal sources," wrote the agency.

Though based in Hartford, Interval House programs assist people in the towns of: Andover; Avon; Bloomfield; Bolton; Canton; East Granby; East Hartford; Ellington; Farmington; Glastonbury; Granby; Hartford; Hebron; Manchester; Marlborough; Newington; Rocky Hill; Simsbury; South Windsor; Tolland; Vernon; West Hartford; Wethersfield; and Windsor.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 15.5 million
children are exposed to domestic violence in the United States every year.

Without intervention, two out of three of those young witnesses of abuse will repeat those
behaviors in their adult relationships wrote Interval House.

According to Interval House, every year in Connecticut, there are roughly 14 domestic violence-related murders

“This pattern of violence is not new but is senseless in a world where we have the information and resources to stop it. The CDC has long recommended education about healthy relationships as a top strategy for preventing intimate partner violence, so that’s what we’re doing,” said Mary-Jane Foster, Interval House's president and chief executive officer.

“Our intention is to elevate our prevention work as high as our intervention services in order to help kids, parents, and educators to identify the warning signs of abuse and avoid unhealthy relationships altogether.”

In response to an increasing caseload and major Federal funding cuts to victim services, Interval
House is strategically committing resources to its prevention program called, “Breaking the
Cycle.”

The initiative provides education on healthy relationships, boundaries, and self-love to
youth in schools, and libraries.

A press conference on these topics will be held at Connecticut State Community College’s
Capital Campus in Hartford on Friday, Feb. 14 at 11:30 a.m.

Meanwhile, a toolkit containing multimedia educational resources is available for download at this link by administrators, faculty, and parents.

Founded in 1977, Interval House is the largest agency in the state of Connecticut dedicated to
preventing and breaking the cycle of domestic violence. It offers a 24-hour hotline at 860-838-8467. To support Interval House, visit www.intervalhousect.org/donate. To follow: www.Facebook.com/intervalhousect; www.Instagram.com/intervalhousect; and www.LinkedIn.com/company/intervalhousect.