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Safe House Denver urges Northglenn to build protective services around new Adams County Family Justice Center
Summary
Safe House Denver director Natasha Adler briefed Northglenn City Council on domestic violence dynamics, local incident counts and how a Family Justice Center in Adams County could deliver coordinated services and reduce harm for survivors.
Natasha Adler, director of survivor services for Safe House Denver, told the Northglenn City Council on May 5 that domestic violence is typically a pattern of behavior and that coordinated, multi‑agency response through a Family Justice Center can reduce harm and lower barriers to safety.
Adler opened by defining domestic violence as “a pattern of behaviors over time that involve intimate partners, either current partners or past partners,” and described how abuse can be both overt and subtle. She cited Colorado crime statistics showing Northglenn had “about 50 to 200 cases per year in the past five years,” Thornton roughly 800 per year and Adams County about 200–300 per year, while Denver reports several thousand cases. Adler said strangulation, the presence of firearms, stalking, prior reported domestic violence and recent or pending separation substantially raise lethality risk.
The Family Justice Center model Adler described places multiple agencies under one roof so survivors can get a protection order, counseling, housing assistance and legal help without retelling their trauma at multiple offices. “You walk into the building, and there are dozens of organizations…you can hit all of them,” she said, arguing that co‑located services reduce retraumatization and improve access for people with limited transportation or other barriers.
Council members asked about operational details and local readiness. Council member Kondo asked whether Northglenn police receive strangulation training; a deputy chief responded that officers are trained and that a domestic violence case review process in Adams County has included strangulation screening for about two to three years. Adler also noted the Alliance for Hope provides an intensive four‑day strangulation training for law enforcement and partners.
Council members and staff raised transportation and shelter gaps. Adler said transportation is a recurring barrier in Denver and likely in Adams County; she recommended planning for accessible transport and community‑level victim compensation to cover urgent needs (for example, car repairs or short‑term housing costs). Several council members and Adler noted Adams County currently lacks domestic‑violence‑specific shelters besides more distant options such as Gateway.
Adler outlined common barriers survivors face: financial control, isolation, disability or injury, immigration status, fear for children and pets, and gaps in benefits eligibility when tax filing or insurance ties complicate access to resources. She described protective factors the Family Justice Center can support—stable housing, coordinated service navigation, peer groups and legal advocacy—and said those measures help prevent repeated victimization and homicide.
Council members thanked Adler and signaled support for the Adams County Family Justice Center effort and for considering local supports such as transportation partnerships, community victim compensation and expanded local domestic‑violence services. Adler provided her agency contact information for follow‑up and community coordination.
The presentation and Q&A were part of the city’s study session; no formal action or vote was taken by the council on this item.
