North Carolina LGBTQ Domestic Violence Response Initiative: Building Capacity to Provide Safe, Affirming Services

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is as prevalent or more so as reported by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals compared with non-LGBTQ individuals. Yet largely due to prior harmful and nonaffirming experiences with service providers, they are reluctant to seek services from domestic violence service providers (DVSP). These factors, combined with the reality that those who do seek services may not be provided with safe, affirming, and effective responses, exacerbate the impact of IPV on LGBTQ health and recovery. The North Carolina (NC) LGBTQ Domestic Violence Response Initiative (NC Initiative) was developed to increase DVSP capacity to serve LGBTQ survivors. This article describes the first four phases of the Initiative's development: (1) formative focus group research with DVSPs statewide, identifying agencies' interest in improving their responses to LGBTQ survivors; (2) Initiative launch, including funding and identification of partners; (3) development of capacity assessment tools; and (4) review of baseline capacity assessment findings. The development of tools, specifically designed to assess capacity of DVSPs to serve LGBTQ survivors, is a unique contribution as no tools existed to do so. The common capacity-building needs and data-informed recommendations identified provide a starting point for agencies expanding into LGBTQ-focused work, who may not have the benefit of grant funding, tools, or evaluators to assist. Our findings, lessons learned, and tools may be used by agencies to evaluate and inform their own practices, thereby creating safer, more affirming agencies that are capable provide effective care to meet unique needs of LGBTQ survivors.