Aurora Health Care today announced that it is awarding a total of $3.4 million in grants through its Better Together Fund to 23 community organizations, colleges and universities throughout eastern Wisconsin. The funds will be used to support the development and/or expansion of community-based sexual assault and domestic violence prevention and treatment programs.
Also as part of the Better Together Fund, Aurora awarded nearly two dozen federally qualified health centers and free clinics throughout eastern Wisconsin $6.6 million in April. Those funds are to help community-based providers improve access to primary care and behavioral health services.
The recipients of this latest grant are:
• Advocates of Ozaukee County, Ozaukee County, $16,500 to further train crisis counselors, social workers and advocates to better assist the victims of domestic and sexual violence in Ozaukee County;
• Association for the Prevention of Family Violence, Walworth County, $20,498 to expand domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy services for two at-risk populations that are currently being underserved in Walworth County – teens and elders;
• Family Services of Northeast Wisconsin, Brown County, $47,367 to add a crisis counselor to the organization and to provide additional counseling services to victims of sexual assault in Brown County;
• Friends of Abused Families, Washington County, $25,000 to increase the capacity of the Transitional Living Program for victims of perpetrator violence;
• HELP of Door County, Door County, $28,500 to expand the safe shelter program, allowing more families to stay in a safe shelter for extended periods of time;
• Hmong American Women’s Association, Milwaukee County, $21,000 to support the Young Leaders Anti-Violence Program in increasing community awareness around gender-based violence;
• Jewish Family Services, Milwaukee County, $48,325 to provide mental health and trauma-related counseling sessions to adults who are survivors of sexual assault and/or domestic violence;
• Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin & Upper Michigan, Racine County, $17,200 to help operate and further expand sexual assault programming to help meet the growing needs of those in the county;
• Marquette University, Milwaukee County, $209,429 to support the Creating a Safe Campus Environment program which works to prevent sexual violence and support survivors;
• Meta House, Milwaukee County, $31,716 to provide much needed in-depth trauma services and advocacy;
• Milwaukee LGBT Community Center, Milwaukee County, $20,455 to expand sexual assault and domestic violence advocacy services to the underserved population of LGBT-identified individuals in the Milwaukee area;
• Near West Side Partners, Milwaukee County, $499,998 to staff the PARC – Promoting Assets and Reducing Crime – Initiative, which will help address sexual assault violence in the Near West Side neighborhood of Milwaukee;
• Pathfinders, Milwaukee County, $30,000 to increase and improve sexual assault advocacy service delivery and capacity to underserved populations;
• Reach Counseling, Winnebago County, $30,000 to expand support and services to victims of sex-trafficking;
• Safe Harbor, Sheboygan County, $44,000 to increase capacity to serve victims of domestic and sexual abuse;
• Sojourner Family Peace Center, Milwaukee County, $1.4 million to help with construction costs for the new facility and to provide a specially-trained sexual assault nurse and counselor on site at the facility for the next five years;
• University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Foundation, Brown County, $127,786 to develop the Relationship and Sexual Violence Program, which will provide education around the topic of sexual violence;
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, $255,000 to create a comprehensive approach to sexual violence on campus – increasing awareness of sexual violence, enhancing prevention and expanding bystander education;
• University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha County, $407,750 to develop a collaboration between UW-Parkside, Carthage College, Gateway Technical College-Kenosha Campus, and Women and Children’s Horizons, Inc., which will then create and provide a consistent, cohesive approach to sexual violence awareness and victim services;
• Walworth County Alliance for Children, Walworth County, $34,000 to expand the Walworth County multi-jurisdictional sexual response unit;
• Women and Children’s Horizons, Kenosha County, $15,476 to support programs designed to assist victims of domestic and/or sexual violence in the county;
• Women’s Center – Waukesha County, $45,000 to support collaborative efforts with The Child Advocacy Center of Waukesha County and to help increase staff counseling capacity; and
• Women’s Resource Center of Racine, Racine County, $25,000 to support the expansion of emergency shelter services in the community.
“Aurora Health Care is proud to be working hand-in-hand with these dedicated community-based providers throughout eastern Wisconsin to help stem the tide of domestic violence and sexual assault,” said Dr. Nick Turkal, chief executive officer of Aurora Health Care. “Aurora has never shied away from difficult conversations and community concerns. While we’ve been championing efforts to put an end to domestic and sexual violence for more than 25 years, we know that there is still much work to be done and that – together – we can make a tangible difference.”
The $3.4 million in grants to support sexual assault and domestic violence prevention and treatment programs are the final awards through Aurora Health Care’s Better Together Fund. In total, Aurora Health Care has provided $10 million in grants to help expand access to health care through community-based providers.
