x
Breaking News
More () »

Idaho family advocates see a spike in domestic abuse, protective orders

Organizations say more people are reaching out for help than the same time last year.

BOISE, Idaho — One tragic element of Idaho's stay-at-home order is domestic abuse.

Local nonprofit family advocate organizations say they are seeing a dramatic spike in people seeking protective orders.

Darci Anderson is the court-appointed special advocates program director for Family Advocates in Boise. She said they have seen a large spike in calls for help.

"Yeah we are, and to give you some stats that I ran really quick. This time last year, so in 2019, our guardian ad litems were serving 284 children that were involved in a children protection case due to abuse and neglect. And this year, and these numbers are just from March, April and May, we are currently serving 304 children that are involved in an active child protection case,” said Anderson.

“Did this spike, did you see that happen mid-March, did it go up then?” asked KTVB.

“Yeah, so we closed out office to staff mid-March and it was week after that that we saw a huge spike in cases,” she said.

Idaho COVID-19 latest:  Latest news | Map of confirmed Idaho cases | Stay-at-home order details | COVID-19 resources | Testing sites | Employers hiring | Essential business list | Closings | School closings Help nonprofitsGolf info | Full COVID-19 coverage 

Family Advocates and Faces of Hope are two organizations that running strong right now for those that need help with issues involving domestic or child abuse and more.

Clink on the links above to find out more about what they do.

If you’re in need of immediate assistance don’t hesitate, don’t delay -- call 911.

RELATED: Idaho appellate court upholds ex-Boise priest's prison sentence

RELATED: Resources for domestic violence victims during the 'stay home' order

Facts not fear: More on coronavirus

See our latest updates in our YouTube playlist:

At KTVB, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the virus. To see our full coverage and the latest COVID-19 case numbers, visit our coronavirus section here: www.ktvb.com/coronavirus  

Coronavirus resources:

Closures:

 List of schools and universities that cancel class in Idaho due to the coronavirus

Before You Leave, Check This Out