Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Proclamation Domestic Violence topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Northumberland County proclaims October 2025 Domestic Violence Awareness Month; Transitions of PA describes services and local fatalities
Summary
The county commissioners unanimously adopted a proclamation recognizing October 2025 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Tracy Strawser of Transitions of PA summarized services, hotlines and recent fatality statistics for Pennsylvania and Northumberland County.
The Northumberland County Board of Commissioners unanimously adopted a proclamation recognizing October 2025 as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
"My name is Tracy Strawser. I'm the outreach coordinator with Transitions of PA," Strawser told commissioners after the board read the proclamation. She described Transitions of PA as "a comprehensive crime victim service center" that serves Union, Snyder and Northumberland counties and provides a 24-hour hotline, two safe houses, counseling, legal advocacy and housing assistance.
Strawser cited statewide and local statistics in her remarks: she said the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) reported 106 domestic-violence-related fatalities in Pennsylvania in 2024, and that since 1999 there have been 31 domestic-violence fatalities in Northumberland County. She also cited prevalence figures stated in the proclamation: "more than 10,000,000 people are abused each year in The United States; 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men" experience domestic violence in their lifetimes, and nearly half of LGBTQ people experience domestic violence, per the materials she referenced.
During remarks, commissioners and Strawser noted local outreach activities and the organization’s educational work in schools, universities and health-care settings. Strawser encouraged Purple Thursday, October 16, as an awareness day and reminded the commissioners that the locations of safe houses are kept confidential to protect residents.
The proclamation was moved and carried by voice vote and the board posed for a photo with the Transitions representative following the motion.
No county funding action was included with the proclamation; it was presented as a formal recognition and statement of county support for victim services and awareness.
