Gays and Lesbian Opposing Violence (GLOV), an affiliated program of the DC Center for the LGBT Community, is pleased to announce the launch of a new 24-hour, 7 day a week, LGBTQ Violence Response Hotline in collaboration with HIPS (Helping Individual People Survive). The new hotline (202-888-7222) provides a much needed service for LGBTQ survivors of violence in Washington, DC.
LGBTQ individuals who are victims of violent crime, such as intimate partner violence, domestic abuse, bias or hate motivated violence, immigrant violence, police misconduct, sexual assault or hook-up/pick-up violence can call the hotline to speak with a trained volunteer to receive immediate crisis support and ongoing assistance or referrals to LGBTQ competent service providers in the Washington, D.C. area.
“GLOV is proud to partner with HIPS to provide this important service to the LGBTQ community,” says GLOV Chair Paul Tupper. “The resources and assistance available through the hotline will go a long way towards helping survivors of violence cope and recover.”
Until now, there has not been a 24 hour crisis support and referral service for LGBTQ survivors in Washington, D.C., which has meant that survivors have had to do the work of finding LGBTQ competent and knowledgeable organizations and survivor services themselves – a process that can be complicated, frustrating, and even re-traumatizing for many people.
For many years, LGBTQ activists in D.C. have been talking about ways to address the high rates of violence, and the difficulty to access help for LGBTQ survivors. Now, the LGBTQ community has access to a single, easy-to-access service that is culturally competent to their needs, and offers a safe “bridge” service to connect them to the appropriate service providers.
