The St. Petersburg City Council proclaimed October 2025 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month and heard from local service providers about the scale of need and the limits of current shelter capacity.

Vice Chair Sher Hanowitz read the proclamation and invited Lariana Forsyth, CEO of Casa, and John Long, vice president of abuse services for Hope Villages of America, to the podium. Lariana Forsyth said Casa is among the largest domestic-violence agencies in Florida and that last year her organization served more than 3,000 people and sheltered about 540 individuals, roughly half of whom were children.

Forsyth said that for every 25 people who call Casa’s hotline, the agency can shelter only one person because shelters are full. She described Casa’s family justice center as a way to provide wraparound services when shelter is not available and noted that Casa helped rehouse roughly 906 people through various housing programs, including some programs the council had funded.

Speakers emphasized prevention work: Hope Villages representatives and Casa described educational programs targeted to very young children that teach nonviolent conflict resolution and identify safe places in the home. Forsyth said the agency has focused outreach in Jordan Park and reported an approximately 70% increase in intakes from that area.

Councilmembers thanked the providers and asked how residents can support the work. Forsyth listed volunteer opportunities, thrift-store volunteering and an upcoming downtown scavenger-hunt fundraiser on Oct. 25. She also urged the council to consider the effect of anticipated federal funding cuts on local services.

The proclamation and provider remarks did not include any formal council action beyond the proclamation itself; no new budget or ordinance was proposed at the meeting.