Our Programs

Our direct services—crisis response, supportive advocacy, and emergency shelter—are evidence-based and operate through an empowerment framework of advocacy that enables survivors of domestic violence to determine the best next steps in their lives.

background on the lethality assessment project (LAP)

The LAP is based on the research of Dr. Jacqueline Campbell of Johns Hopkins University, the originator of Danger Assessments in 1986. We worked directly with Dr. Campbell and the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence, as part of the city’s High-Risk Domestic Violence Initiative (HRDVI), to develop a danger assessment tool to our daily work here in Washington, DC. This work was part of a 2009 City Administrator Order, which first established the HRDVI, calling for: 1) A tool to identify high risk cases; 2) Coordination of services in high-risk cases; and 3) A coordinated high-risk team to ensure collaborative and effective interventions. If you’re interested in seeing our specific lethality assessment tool, contact Jenny Wesberry, Director of Operations, at jwesberry@dcsafe.org. And for a full list of our LAP partners, click here.