Murder Brings Domestic Violence to Forefront

The following press release was submitted by New Hope Inc., of Attleboro:

Domestic Violence Agency New Hope, Inc.’s Executive Director and President, Kimberly Thomas, issued a statement to inform the community about services available to them, .

“We are saddened to hear of the tragic and horrific incident that occurred in Shrewsbury," she said. "Unfortunately, Ms. Liu appears to be the sixth victim of an apparent domestic violence-related homicide in Massachusetts just since January 1, 2012. That’s six domestic violence homicides too many.”

New Hope, Inc. provides domestic violence services to 54 communities, including Shrewsbury. New Hope has four offices, including one in Worcester and an advocate who works directly within the Westborough District Court to assist survivors of domestic violence with safety planning, obtaining restraining orders, and other legal protections to ensure their safety. New Hope, Inc. partners closely with YWCA Daybreak, who also provides domestic violence services within the Shrewsbury-Worcester area.

“We want to inform the public that New Hope and Daybreak have 24-hour hotlines available for survivors and witnesses to domestic violence, as well as for concerned family members, friends, co-workers and neighbors who may have safety concerns about someone they know," Thomas said. "New Hope’s hotline is 1-800-323-HOPE (4673), and Daybreak’s hotline is 508-755-9030. We encourage anyone who may be in need of our services to call and get help.”

New Hope, Inc.’s comprehensive domestic and sexual violence services include a 24-hour domestic violence and sexual assault hotline (1-800-323-HOPE), two emergency shelters for survivors fleeing violent homes, counseling services for adults and children, a supervised visitation center where non-custodial parents can visit in a safe supervised setting with their children due to domestic violence and other safety-related issues, court-based legal advocacy to help survivors obtain restraining orders, safety planning, a transitional living program to help clients gain safety and self sufficiency after violence, batterer intervention services, education/outreach services and more.

New Hope, Inc. is a registered 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization, whose mission is “Ending Domestic and Sexual Violence in Our Community.”  For more information, visit the group's website.