Hosting Ulster County’s 6th Annual Domestic Violence Information Forum on October 25, 2018
Kingston, NY – Ulster County Executive Mike Hein proclaims the month of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in Ulster County. The County Executive and the Ulster County Inter-Agency Council on Domestic Violence are sponsoring the 6th Annual Domestic Violence Information Forum, Offender Accountability, featuring guest speakers: Gwen Wright, Executive Director of the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence’s Fatality Review Team; Jay Sadowitz and Andrea Rodriguez of Family of Woodstock’s EVOLVE Program; Ulster County District Attorney D. Holley Carnright, Kingston City Police Chief Egidio Tinti, Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Culmone-Mills, Kassondra Delpozzo of the District Attorney’s Office Intimate Partner Violence Initiative; and representatives from the National Network for Safe Communities at John Jay College. The public is invited to this free event which will be held on October 25, 2018 at the SUNY Ulster College Lounge in Vanderlyn Hall, 491 Cottekill Road, Stone Ridge, NY from 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pre-registration is required at http://bit.ly/2018dvforum.
Michael P. Hein, Ulster County Executive
“Each year it is important to continue to raise awareness about the difficult topic of domestic violence and to remind people that there are resources available to help,” said County Executive Mike Hein. “Domestic violence can take many forms and can include physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse and is perpetrated by one person against their intimate partner. Unfortunately, domestic violence is a national epidemic which affects millions of people; on average, twenty people per minute are victims of physical violence by an intimate partner in the United States, and every year, five million children witness domestic violence. I encourage anyone in need of help to call the 24-hour hotline at 845-338-2370. I want to thank the members of the Ulster County Inter-Agency Council for their outstanding efforts as they continue to provide information to the public through the Forum, the Teen Dating Violence Video Contest, and the `Ulster County Domestic Violence´ smartphone app which is available for free at the Apple App Store and Google Play.”
D. Holley Carnright, Ulster County District Attorney
“Mike Hein is one of those leaders that really gets the significance of domestic violence and the devastating impact it has on our community,” said Ulster County District Attorney D. Holley Carnright. “He has been and remains a formidable ally in this fight.”
Michael A. Iapoce, Esq., Commissioner of the Ulster County Department of Social Services and Chair of the Ulster County Inter-Agency Council on Domestic Violence
“The Ulster County Inter-Agency Council on Domestic Violence is pleased to join County Executive Hein in recognizing October as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month,” said Michael A. Iapoce, Esq., Commissioner of the Ulster County Department of Social Services and Chair of the Ulster County Inter-Agency Council on Domestic Violence. "We are proud to collaborate with Executive Hein and UCCC in presenting the 6th Annual Domestic Violence Information Forum – Offender Accountability. The Council is committed to continuing to raise awareness about services and promote education on how to prevent domestic violence in our community.”
Domestic Violence is a national issue and is defined as a pattern of coercive behavior that is culturally learned and socially condoned. It can include physical and sexual abuse as well as verbal, emotional/psychological abuse; coercion and threats; isolation; minimizing, denying, blaming; using children; intimidation; and economic abuse. Domestic violence can also be perpetrated by and/or against a member of the same family or household. Countless New Yorkers are impacted by domestic violence without regard to age, race, religion or economic status. In 2016, more than 300,000 calls were made to domestic violence and sexual assault hotlines and over 310,000 orders of protection were issued.
County Executive Hein would like to inform the public of the many ways our County is working to address the issue of domestic violence:
- Hosting an annual Domestic Violence Information Forum;
- Lighting the County Office Building and the cupola at the Crime Victim’s Unit Office at 1 Pearl Street in Kingston purple;
- Providing four billboards to be displayed throughout the County;
- Hanging Domestic Violence Awareness banners with the hotline number at various locations;
- Displaying the Clothesline Project Art Exhibit in the lobby of the Ulster County Office building; and
- Including information to employees regarding Domestic Violence Awareness Month and encouraging employees to wear purple on October 18, 2018.
Some of the resources available in Ulster County for victims of domestic abuse include the Family of Woodstock Domestic Violence Services hotline, which can be reached 24 hours-a-day at 845-338-2370, and the Ulster County Crime Victim Assistance Program, which can be reached at 845-340-3442. These programs provide counseling, shelter, as well as legal and financial support for victims. For more information please visit the Crime Victims Assistance Program at: http://ulstercountyny.gov/probation/crime-victim-assistance and the Family of Woodstock at: http://www.familyofwoodstockinc.org/domestic-violence-services. In addition, the videos from the Teen Dating Violence Video Contests can be viewed at https://youtu.be/yvtSUAF8XtY and the domestic violence smartphone app can be downloaded at the Apple App Store or Google Play by searching “Ulster County Domestic Violence.” (See Proclamation and Domestic Violence Information Forum Flyer below)
