Community assessment of same- sex survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Humboldt County

This community project involved interviews with same-sex survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) to further explore their experiences seeking formal support in Humboldt County. There are many barriers to seeking support among the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, and queer/questioning, (LGBTQ), community such as being "outed", facing harsh societal stigmas, and homophobia. By interviewing survivors of IPV, I was able to begin to understand how services were provided, the level of comprehension of services available in Humboldt County, as well as inform those participants that were unaware of the services such as Humboldt Domestic Violence Services, (HDVS). During the interview process participants were given open-ended questions about their experiences with IPV and seeking formal support. The proliferation of these results to the community will provide a brief understanding of same-sex survivors' experiences as well as opportunities to provide a better form of support from local providers such as HDVS.