Grantmakers In Health’s Maya Schane spoke with Jennifer Rosenkranz of the Michael Reese Health Trust in Chicago, Illinois, about the Trust’s recently published research, People Who Cause Harm: Policies, Funding, and Strategies in Cook County.

The research involved a landscape scan of Cook County, Illinois’ policies, funding, and services for people who cause harm with a goal of engaging the stakeholders and providers doing this work as well as survivors and those who receive services to identify barriers, challenges, and strengths of domestic violence prevention programs. The research examined Partner Abuse Intervention Programs (PAIP) in particular, a standard intervention for people who cause harm that is overseen by the Illinois Department of Human Services.

The research showed much of the incredible work being done across Cook County but also highlighted that many of these programs are underfunded and face systemic barriers. Findings highlighted how organizations have difficulties innovating and expanding their programming due to lack of funding; how people who are not involved in criminal courts have few service options; how children who witness violence need more assistance; how there is missing coordination between the service providers, courts, and law enforcement; and that there is need for greater education around healthy relationships.

This interview discusses the research itself as well as what other funders can learn from it. It has been edited for length and clarity.

What attracted Michael Reese Health Trust to studying Partner Abuse Intervention Programs? Prior to conducting this research, were you already engaged in work on domestic violence in Cook County?

We have been engaged in this work for many years. In fact, we have funded domestic violence programs since our very first grant cycle, and we found that despite all the good work that we knew was going on, the incidence of intimate partner violence and the calls to the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline kept increasing, so we thought that there had to be something more we can do.

Read the full article about preventing domestic violence by Jennifer Rosenkranz and Maya Schane at Grantmakers In Health.