Barriers experienced by Target Population: According to a 2017 study, Black women are at highest risk of any group for experiencing sexual violence perpetrated by police officers. A recent report by the University of Southern California shows evidence that LA communities of color experience over policing while also reporting an uptick in community-initiated calls to police over time. A 2020 study by the Safe Communities Institute on over-policing of LA communities of color further proves that in South LA, the LAPD stops African Americans three times as often as white and Latino drivers, even though 66% of the population in South LA is Latino.

More than 36% of women in the United States have experienced stalking, physical abuse and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner at some point in their lifetime. According to the CDC, these rates are much higher for people of color as compared to their White counterparts. Lesbian, gay, and bisexuals experience an even higher rate of intimate partner violence (IPV) compared to their heterosexual counterparts.

The limited research on IPV for gender minorities suggests that transgender people experience some of the highest rates of IPV than cisgender people. In African American/Black homes across the county, and especially in our target area, “What Happens In This House Stays in This House” is a commonly heard mantra. Survivors within the Black community may delay accessing help or reporting a crime because of damaging personal, familial, and community experiences with law enforcement and mental health professionals. When survivors delay reporting, the likelihood of justice or restoration decreases, and the likelihood of the abuser continuing to cause harm increases.

Whatever the reason may be, by discrediting mental health and justice-related services, abusers can leverage known fears associated with systemic injustices, ensuring the violence experienced within the home remains a secret. This reality disproportionately impacts many young victims in the Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ communities who know who their abuser is and have learned that no one is coming to ‘save them' once the abuse begins. Without cultural and historic fluency, many won’t understand the full scope of what it is their clients may be going through. The result is misunderstanding and potentially misdiagnosis.