"In March 2020, our entire world changed in just a matter of days. Here in Arlington, those working on the front lines of essential health and human services moved quickly to remap ways to support our most vulnerable.

Amid constantly changing information and guidance, safety net nonprofit organizations and government agencies have remained in this mode for 18 months and counting - striving to sustain core operations, respond to emerging needs, maintain safety, and find the resources to do so along the way. Working to offset sustained, extreme hardship, not one stopped serving at any point."

On Monday, October 25th at 2 p.m., the Arlington Community Foundation will be holding a virtual panel discussion to discuss the report and to dive a little deeper into our collective story. Join us!

Survivors need YOU to educate and advocate. See 5 ways you can take action during and beyond October to raise awareness, inspire action, and create change in our community.

"The Petito case has received overwhelming media attention and public scrutiny, but experts in gendered violence said coverage and conversation lack context on the broader dynamics that make violence against women a pervasive social problem," writes Alia E. Dastagir.

"(Petito) is not the only one who has had this type of experience," says Ruth Glenn, president of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. "Why is this one at the top of the news? I'm asking journalists, 'Why is this one different?'"

"Domestic violence disproportionally impacts women of color, though their stories rarely capture national attention," Dastagir reports. "Indigenous women experience the highest rates of domestic violence and homicide. From 2011 to September 2020, 710 Indigenous persons were reported missing in Wyoming, and 57% of them are women, according to a report funded by the Wyoming Division of Victim Services."

"I don't want to take anything away from what happened to Gabby or what her family's going through," says Kiersten Stewart, director of public policy and advocacy at Futures Without Violence. "We would just ask the media to also realize that this is happening to other families, too."

"The D.C. area is much deeper in the hole than the rest of the nation when it comes to rental debt, putting thousands across the region at risk of losing their homes," Axios reports. And Arlington residents have the highest average rent debt in the region, nearly twice the national average.