Santa Clara County and San Jose officials are calling for support to continue to fight domestic violence. The early onset of the pandemic saw a decrease in victim outreach and providers are now seeing an increase in the number of calls to crisis centers.
Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said budgets are a refection of priorities two years ago, the county increased its spending on domestic violence programs from a million dollars to four million dollars a year.
“Anytime that you have a hotline thats receiving over 22,000 calls annually, you known you have a problem," said Chavez.
Police Chief Eddie Garcia said he was also on board to support funding for law enforcement training to further address sexual assault.
“This issue is very important to the police department, and I know for me it's important as the father of a young woman myself'," said Garcia.
Councilwoman Maya Esparza, who represents the area south of downtown San Jose, pointed out that overcrowded housing is correlated with a higher risk of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault
“Frankly I fear for the safety of our families here in San Jose,” said Esparza.
Victims during this pandemic are urged to call or text 911.
