In early 2025, the Michael Reese Health Trust published a landscape scan report that identified a need for more voluntary resources for people who cause harm (PWCH) in Chicago. These resources are being requested by PWCH who are concerned about their behavior, as well as by their loved ones. The report noted that Illinois’ Domestic Violence Hotline, run by The Network, receives up to 100 unprompted calls a year for this purpose.

In response, The Network is developing hotline agent protocols and training for such calls, and the Chicago Department of Family & Support Services (DFSS)‘s Division of Gender-Based Violence is funding voluntary programming.

While some existing violence intervention programs have demonstrated anecdotal success, these programs focus heavily on court-mandated participants. Some non-court-mandated PWCH do attend these programs, but spaces are limited and the format is not always appropriate for those participating voluntarily.

Knowledge and outreach regarding intimate partner violence intervention programming are also limited within Chicago. This project aims to identify key stakeholders, support regional coordination, and develop materials to help frontline staff or those in less formal roles refer willing PWCH to programs. Ultimately, the goal of this work is to reduce instances of domestic violence and provide more options to support survivors and potential survivors who are concerned about their partners’ behaviors.