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Montgomery County proclaims October 2025 Domestic Violence Awareness Month; Family Justice Center launches "hope card" program
Summary
County council and the County Executive declared October 2025 Domestic Violence Awareness Month and heard local providers describe new outreach and victim services, including a soon-to-launch Family Justice Center "hope card" to help victims document protective orders.
Montgomery County officials on Oct. 21 proclaimed October 2025 Domestic Violence Awareness Month and highlighted local victim services and outreach efforts, including a new wallet-sized “hope card” the Family Justice Center plans to issue to people with protective orders.
The proclamation, read and signed during the council session, cites local and national statistics on intimate-partner violence and directs attention to county services for survivors. The proclamation was signed by Council President Kate Stewart and County Executive Mark Elrich.
Why it matters: County leaders and service providers said raising public awareness and making practical supports available can help survivors access services earlier and enable bystanders to provide actionable help.
At the council meeting, Tom Mannion, director of the Family Justice Center, described the center’s new “hope card” pilot. “We will issue them a small card…about, you know, wallet sized…with all of the important pertinent information about their protective order listed right on the card,” Mannion said, explaining the card will list the order’s conditions and whether the perpetrator has access to firearms, so victims can show it to law enforcement in a violation.
The Family Justice Center, which co-locates legal, civil, advocacy and social services, provides free services in multiple languages and does not require appointments, county staff said. County officials also described a poster campaign at Metro stations aimed at bystander intervention and encouraging the public to direct victims to local resources.
County participants at the ceremony included staff and leaders from Volunteer Legal Advocates; the Montgomery County Commission for Women; the Montgomery County Family Justice Center; the Office of the State's Attorney (John McCarthy was present); the Sheriff’s Office; Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) behavioral-health staff; and other victim-service organizations.
County representatives and the Family Justice Center urged community members to believe survivors and to offer practical assistance. “Everyone in this room, everyone watching, everyone knows someone who’s going to go through this,” Mannion said, urging residents to learn warning signs and local resources.
The proclamation cites county programs that include a 24/7 crisis line, the Family Justice Center’s services at 600 Jefferson Plaza in Rockville, and county policies such as earned sick and safe leave that permit employees time off for matters related to domestic violence. The proclamation also references outreach by the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council and notes statewide hotline call volumes.
Officials closed the observance by asking the public to review outreach materials and to direct victims to local services; a group photograph followed the signing.
