Council proclaims October 2025 Domestic Violence Awareness Month and commissioners outline recent initiatives

The Albuquerque City Council read a proclamation on Oct. 20 recognizing October 2025 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and invited members of the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (DVSA) Commission and community partners to address the council.

Teresa Garcia, chair of the DVSA Commission, Sherry Alipat (co-chair), and Mary Ellen Garcia, executive director of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence, thanked the council for prior and current support and outlined recent accomplishments the commission has advanced with city backing. Speakers listed accomplishments that city staff and the commission said were already implemented or funded, including a newly implemented restraining-order packet to make filing more accessible, a unanimously approved lethality-assessment program to identify high-risk cases, expansion of hoteling options for survivors in crisis, ongoing trauma-informed training for responders, and a council-funded allocation of $250,000 to support the commission’s work.

Commission leaders also requested continued and sustained funding, noting that domestic and sexual violence is a year-round crisis requiring ongoing resources. The commission introduced new chair and co-chair appointments and said they will continue to work with city staff on policy and operational improvements.

Ending: Council members and commission leaders thanked each other; commission representatives invited continued collaboration on survivor-centered programs and resources.