06/05/2026
Violence Free Minnesota is excited to share the "Rooted in Community: Survivor Defined Safety Through Culturally Responsive Practices" report.
https://www.vfmn.org/reports
VFMN wants to thank AICHO, Esperanza United, Missions Inc. Programs, Kissy's Stay Put Services, Phumulani Minnesota African Women Against Violence, and Transforming Generations for their time, expertise, and dedication to this work. We are grateful for your partnership.
This report answers the question: โWhat might domestic violence response, support, and services look like if we listened to the survivors most often left out of the conversation?โ
VFMN partnered with culturally specific advocacy programs across Minnesota to conduct focus groups with survivors of domestic violence from diverse communities. Survivors shared their experiences with abuse, barriers to seeking safety, and the interventions they believe could have made a difference.
While each community identified unique challenges shaped by culture, history, and systemic inequities, common themes emerged across groups, including the need for safe and affordable housing, flexible financial assistance, culturally specific advocacy services, healthy relationship education, community-based intervention options, and improved responses from systems such as law enforcement, schools, and employers.
The findings underscore the importance of investing in survivor-centered, culturally responsive approaches that recognize the diverse realities of survivors and expand pathways to safety, healing, accountability, and long-term well-being.
This report is a reflection of what survivors told us and a call to action for building responses that truly meet the needs of every community in Minnesota.
