How Bay Area Community Can Support Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence
CORA is heartbroken by the murder of Karina Castro, a mother of two and member of our community. We send our deepest condolences to Ms. Castro’s family, and are supporting her family and community during this unimaginable time.
This event is a reminder that San Mateo County and the broader Bay Area community can work together to support survivors who need to escape abuse and want help. One thing CORA encourages is learning about safety planning for loved ones who may be in an abusive relationship and creating a safety plan if you are a survivor yourself.
A safety plan focuses on strategies to escape an abusive situation safely. For every survivor it will be different, but some key components might include times that are safest to escape, locations the survivor can go to that are unknown to the abuser, code words between the survivor and a trusted friend, a hidden go bag, and a secondary phone to avoid location tracking. In 2021, 96% of CORA’s clients completed a safety plan.
Anyone who faces abuse in their relationships can reach out to CORA, anytime, any day. We want everyone to have information to safety plan and access to services they need as swiftly as possible.