Domestic violence impacts an estimated 10,000 people in San Mateo County each year.
What is domestic violence?
It’s a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner.
It can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological and include threats or other patterns of coercive behavior. This includes any behaviors that intimidate, manipulate, humiliate, isolate, frighten, terrorize, coerce, threaten, blame, hurt, injure or wound someone.
To strengthen services and support, the County provides Measure K funds to the nonprofit Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse, or CORA.
CORA provides safety, support and healing for individuals who experience abuse in an intimate relationship and educates the community to break the cycle of domestic violence.
CORA’s trained attorneys can provide advice, information and referrals on criminal and noncriminal intimate partner abuse cases. This includes assistance with understanding a survivor’s role in the criminal process, restraining orders, child custody, divorce and more.
In the 2022-23 fiscal year, CORA provided legal services to 1,452 individuals, exceeding the target of 775. The legal team delivered full representation for 96 individuals through the court process, exceeding the target of 35.
Intimate partner violence continues to be among the most under-reported crimes, and San Mateo County is committed to eliminating all forms of intimate partner abuse.