October 9, 2009 — Two Boston nonprofits—Brookview House and Casa Myrna Vazquez—are taking steps to strengthen responses to violence against women during Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, which coincides with the launch of a new public information campaign by Casa Myrna.

Brookview House, a Dorchester nonprofit that helps homeless mothers and children, announced that it has received a $250,000 grant from the U.S. Dept of Justice that will enable it to partner with Casa Myrna Vazquez, a multicultural organization dedicated to ending domestic violence, and the Women’s Clinic for Health and Safety at Carney Hospital in Dorchester.

Deborah Hughes, executive director of Brookview House, said, “This grant supports a partnership that will deliver safe and secure services to women and their children homeless as a result of domestic violence.”

The grant was made by the U.S. Dept of Justice Office on Violence Against Women.

Transit Campaign Aims to Raise Awareness, Build Brand

Casa Myrna recently launched its third, annual statewide transit ad campaign to help raise awareness about the issue of domestic violence in general and its impact on children in particular.

English, Spanish, and Portuguese versions of the ads, shown here, will run through October on buses in Haverhill, North Andover, Lawrence, New Bedford, Fall River, Brockton, Worcester, Pittsfield, Springfield, and Northampton.

“By bringing the issue of domestic violence to public spaces like buses, Casa Myrna is working to bring domestic violence out in the open, no longer a secret. Through increased awareness and information, we can all help to keep families and communities healthy and safe.” said Linda Jo Stern, Casa Myrna’s Executive Director.

The ads are aimed at helping victims of domestic violence get help, as well as strengthening Casa Myrna’s brand, said Nathalie Favre-Gilly, the organization’s director of development and communications.

Describing this year’s ad campaign as “edgier and stronger” than the last two campaigns, she said the intent was to capture attention and make a strong statement about Casa Myrna’s mission.

Established in 1990, Brookview’s mission is to help homeless and at risk families learn the skills necessary to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. Sites in Roxbury and Dorchester enable the organization to provide a safe, community setting with customized services to give homeless moms and kids the help and skills they need to succeed.

Casa Myrna Vazquez was founded in the mid-1970s and named to honor Myrna Vazquez, an actor renowned in her native Puerto Rico, after she died suddenly in 1976. Today, the agency is New England’s foremost provider of comprehensive services to victims of domestic violence, with emergency shelters and transitional living programs in Boston.