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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
COOK COUNTY RECOGNIZES THE ILLINOIS DOMESTIC HOTLINE FOR 25 YEARS OF SERVICE
WHEREAS, the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline, which began as the City of Chicago Helpline in 1998, is 25 years old this year; and
WHEREAS, the Hotline expanded to cover the state of Illinois in 2008; and
WHEREAS, the IL Domestic Violence Hotline provides crisis safety planning and referrals to emergency housing and support services to survivors of domestic violence in Illinois; and
WHEREAS, the Hotline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is multilingual, and now features safe, free transportation for survivors moving from crisis to safety; and
WHEREAS, a Victim Information and Referral Advocate is trained to listen, offer support and safety planning, and connect callers with resources, including emergency housing, counseling, and legal advocacy; and
WHEREAS, an average of 3,000 people reach out for support per month, waiting an average of just 39 seconds to speak to an advocate; and
WHEREAS, according to a 2023 report by The Network, the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline received 36,150 contacts in 2022 alone. This includes 94 of 102 counties from across the state; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, there were 19,834 contacts made to the Hotline from Cook County. This includes 18,626 calls, 999 chats, 209 texts, accounting for an increase of 13% compared to 2021; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, 55% of Illinois contacts identified the type of abuse they were experiencing, and some callers reported multiple forms of abuse occurring simultaneously. Emotional abuse was the most reported followed by physical, sexual and financial abuse; and
WHEREAS, there are several forms of abuse that survivors may report while speaking with Hotline. Abuse ranges from physical and emotional abuse to stalking and threats to coercion involving children and pets; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, 10,513 contacts reported emotional abuse, 8,120 reported physical abuse, 610 reported financial ab...
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