TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – The holiday season is often a happy time for many, but for some, it may increase tensions in the household.
The Council on Domestic Abuse, or CODA, said they are already full and it’s only the first week of November.
Executive Director of CODA, Emily Murray, said they start to see a rise in crisis hotline calls during the winter months.
“I look at our monthly stats which includes a lot of different information but it also includes how many hotline calls we take and the numbers have already started rising,” Murray said.
Sgt. Justin Sears with the Terre Haute Police Department said they tend to see a different trend.
“Regarding domestic abuse, we typically see May and June as our higher months. December and January, we don’t see that on average,” Sears said.
The average number of calls for service for domestic abuse per month for the years 2020-2022 are as follows:
- January: 168
- February: 175
- March: 205
- April: 227
- May: 248
- June: 250
- July: 209
- August: 221
- September: 207
- October: 218
- November: 183
- December: 200
The highest months on average were May and June, with 248 and 250 calls for domestic abuse.
“We go on to these different scenes, even if they’re just verbal, you know discussions and stuff, we do everything we can to separate victims and give them the opportunity to let us know what’s going on, see if we can give them some assistance,” Sgt. Sears said.
Murray said CODA has been full for at least the past year.
As we approach the holiday season when they see an uptick in calls, Murray encourages people to look for controlling behavior or if a family member or friend seems scared of their partner.
“It’s never that simple. It’s a complicated thing, domestic violence is complicated, leaving is complicated, and so it’s just not simple. So just opening the door and saying ‘I’m here if you ever want to talk,’” Murray said.
Both Sgt. Sears and Murray said the biggest takeaway is if you see something, say something.
“We’ve got people on cots, we’ve got people on couches. Obviously, we don’t want to keep them on a couch long-term because you’re in the middle of the living area but if someone really needs to get out and we have any kind of bed for them, then we’ll make it happen,” Murray said.
If you or someone you know is in a domestic abuse situation, you can call CODA at any time.
Their number is 1-800-566-CODA. You can also message their website by clicking here.
Murray said you are also free to message the CODA Facebook page.
