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Alianza tells Holyoke committee it won $200,000 DPH grant for domestic-violence prevention
Summary
Alianza told the Holyoke Public Safety Committee it received a $200,000 Department of Public Health grant to fund a community-based domestic-violence prevention initiative focused on Latino/x communities in Holyoke, Chicopee and Springfield; the nonprofit reported 875 calls from Holyoke last year and invited public engagement.
Alianza's executive director Carmen Yebes and longtime community advocate Gladys LeBron told the Holyoke Public Safety Committee on May 11 that the organization received a $200,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to support a new prevention initiative and community listening sessions.
The presentation said the prevention project will focus work in Holyoke, Chicopee and Springfield and concentrate outreach and focus groups on Latino/x communities and on specific groups including young adults, survivors, immigrant communities, older adults and LGBTQ+ residents. "We received a $200,000 grant from the Department of Public Health," Carmen Yebes said during the presentation.
Alianza framed the grant as a chance to shift beyond intervention toward prevention. Gladys LeBron, who described three decades of service, said the group has operated intervention programs for 35 years and is expanding into prevention and community engagement. "They have been in assistance for the last 35 years," LeBron said.
LeBron and Yebes described operational capacity and local demand: Alianza reported 875 calls last year from Holyoke residents, a 24/7 live hotline and an advocate stationed at Holyoke District Court through the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance (MOVA). "So last year, we received 875 calls from folks here in Holyoke," Yebes said. The presenters said staffing is limited and that the organization relies heavily on grant funding.
The group said it is working with UMass researchers to analyze listening-session data, with results expected in the fall, and described outreach plans that include tabling at community events, Spanish-language materials, local news and a community survey. Alianza representatives said they are uncertain how long the funding stream will last; the presentation referenced a hoped-for long-term horizon but noted the grant term as not fully settled.
Chair Anne Tallheimer read the Alianza 24-hour hotline for the record (877-536-1628) and representatives provided a website and chat resource for those seeking help: www.alianzaalianzadv.org. Several councilors thanked the speakers and noted the need to coordinate with housing and legal partners when survivors need assistance.
After questions the committee voted to mark the order inviting Alianza as complied with. The committee indicated it will continue to point residents to the organization and monitor the partnership as the listening sessions and research move forward.
