Victims of domestic violence can now text for help

Saturday, April 25, 2020 - 14:31

As domestic violence has increased with coronavirus restrictions, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday that the state will immediately modernize its hotline with a new text program and a confidential online service to help victims of abuse and provide potentially lifesaving ways to get help.

 Calls to the state’s domestic-violence hotline are up 30 percent in April compared to last year and calls increased 18 percent from February to March 2020. State Police also report domestic violence incident calls were up 15 percent in March compared to last year, according to a release from the governor’s office.

For many victims, making a phone call to get help or accessing services may be impossible because their abuser can easily monitor their calls. The new text program and confidential online service will make it easier for victims in isolation to contact the state’s Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and get the help they need.

New Yorkers seeking help can text 844-997-2121 or talk with a professional on the new confidential website at www.opdv.ny.gov. The text and online services will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week with staff who are experts in the area of domestic violence.

Tags:

More Regional News

  • Governor Hochul signs three gun-safety bills into law

    According to data graphed by the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services, shooting incidents involving injury in Albany County peaked in 2020 at over 120; similarly, the number of shooting victims hit peaked at 100 in 2020 while the number of people killed by guns in Albany County peaked in 2021 at nearly 20. By 2024, those numbers for Albany County had declined to about 60 people injured or hit and fewer than 10 people killed.

  • State grants $500K to regional food bank

    ALBANY COUNTY — Twelve percent of people, nearly 16,000, living in the 110th Assembly District, w

  • ‘It’s not waste, it’s investment’ say food pantry partners at Tonko roundtable

    With a 23-percent reduction of the emergency program, Paul Tonko said, there will be more reliance on states. That, in turn, he said, would lead to “a huge tax increase” on properties because it “then filters down to the local level.” The tax cut, Tonko said, is “spending dollars on billionaires for a bonanza tax cut.”

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.