Quigley House, a domestic violence shelter with locations in Orange Park and Green Cove Spring, is working with survivors to help them overcome trauma with a (seemingly) simple holiday gift.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – One in three women and one in four men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. UNF is doing its part to educate and raise awareness about domestic violence, which, according to domestic violence advocates, affects more than 10 million people yearly across the United States. During the pandemic, domestic violence has increased in the home due to partners being isolated together, UNF said. Take Back the Night went virtual this year to shed light on those affected, harmed and killed by domestic violence.

The number of calls to hotlines is falling, but that doesn’t mean there is less domestic violence. Mondays are typically the busiest day of the week for domestic violence hotlines and shelters. “Typically on a Monday, we’ll receive between 30 and 40 calls from domestic violence victims who are reaching out after a weekend. “I really worry about suicide, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, child abuse if this is allowed to go for months and months on end with nothing,” said Gov. At the National Domestic Violence Hotline, advocates are available 24/7 to talk confidentially with anyone in the United States who is experiencing domestic violence, seeking resources or information, or questioning unhealthy aspects of their relationship.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The search is on for a Jacksonville man with a criminal history who’s suspected of breaking into a home and attacking someone inside, authorities said Friday. Christopher Broadwell, 35, is wanted on a warrant charging him with burglary, felony battery, false imprisonment and witness tampering, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Duval County court records show Broadwell has a history of arrests and convictions for domestic violence. The Sheriff’s Office said Broadwell forced his way into a home off Monument Road on Monday, attacked someone who lives there and kept them from leaving or calling 911. “I have a pregnant girlfriend upstairs, so I’m definitely going to be on the lookout for this guy,” the man said.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s 42 locally operated domestic violence shelters are concerned about funding after the governor ordered an investigation into the statewide nonprofit that distributes money from the state to the local level. In 2004, lawmakers said funding for local shelters would be distributed by unnamed nonprofit. In 2012, they selected the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence to handle that responsibility. In that role, the organization was the sole conduit of $46 million in state funds circulated to local shelters. “The well-being of survivors of domestic violence depends on there being the strictest integrity at every level,” Baldwin said.