This Giving Tuesday, #GiveForDV.

Dear Friends of MCEDSV,

This holiday season, we can all take action towards creating a safer and more inclusive community for survivors in Michigan. I am asking you to #GiveForDV this Giving Tuesday by donating to MCEDSV. A gift of $50 can go a long way toward addressing survivors’ financial hardships during the pandemic.

Before the pandemic, survivors were already facing economic devastation. Up to 60% of intimate partner violence survivors report losing their jobs as a direct result of that violence, and 77% of survivors say that their perpetrators interfered with their employment.  Pre-pandemic, survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence already faced a range of social disadvantages regarding their financial well-being and ability to recover from violence. Housing insecurity, medical care affordability, and economic insecurity pose significant structural burdens for survivors and their healing journeys, especially in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities.

As you can imagine, the COVID-19 epidemic has impacted access to services for survivors.  Some services have been limited, while others are no longer in existence. As an organization on the front lines of advocacy for survivors in Michigan, MCEDSV acted to support those disproportionately impacted by Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault during the pandemic. We produced a COVID-19 response guide for our member programs/shelters, a safety net fund to support the immediate needs of survivors, and provided FREE Uber codes to survivors who needed transportation throughout the state of Michigan.  During a time when intersectional service provision is difficult for survivors to come by, advocates on our 24/7 state-wide sexual assault hotline have been providing trauma-informed, survivor-centered, and intersectional services to callers locally, nationally, and internationally. Our call center has seen a dramatic uptick in calls since April when self-isolation and quarantining began. Survivors on society’s margins have difficulty accessing critical services due to closures of organizations that serve their specific identities. Our advocates were able to fill in the gaps of these services.

Unfortunately, this is not enough; we continue to see many complex needs for survivors in our state. As a coalition, we are committed to centering the most marginalized survivors and their needs in our movement.  Right now, survivors face heightened economic challenges regarding credit card bills, car payment and repair bills, groceries, moving expenses, and legal fees.

The more supporters we bring into our community, the more we can help survivors and their families. COVID-19 has drained resources and poses a dire threat to the long-term outcomes of those who experience sexual and domestic violence, with impacts that may be felt for generations to come.

Giving Tuesday is the most significant giving movement in the world. In a year filled with danger and uncertainty for survivors, we need you to #GiveForDV.

Thank you for joining us in this critical work.

In Community,

Sarah Prout Rennie

Executive Director

**Checks payable to “MCEDSV” can be sent to our address, or you can donate by credit card online by clicking “donate now”**