Alternative House Awarded Three-Year Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund Grant to Strengthen Domestic Violence Response in Groton
Alternative House has been awarded funding through the Greater Lowell Community Foundation’s Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund to expand its partnership with the Groton Police Department and increase access to domestic violence prevention, education and survivor services in the Groton community.
The three-year grant will support Alternative House’s Increasing Access to Domestic Violence in Rural Communities initiative, building upon a partnership between Alternative House and the Groton Police Department that began with a Memorandum of Understanding in 2022. The partnership was created to strengthen domestic violence training and resources for law enforcement while improving connections to services for survivors and families in Groton.
“Since signing our first MOU with the Groton Police Department in 2022, this partnership has flourished into something we are incredibly proud of,” said Maria Crooker-Capone, Executive Director of Alternative House. “Groton Police have demonstrated a genuine commitment to understanding domestic violence, strengthening their response and ensuring survivors know that help is available. This funding gives us the opportunity to build on that foundation over the next three years, not only by continuing to train and support officers, but by bringing education, outreach and direct connections to services further into the Groton community. Strong partnerships like this allow us to reach survivors who may otherwise feel isolated from help.”
Over the three-year grant period, Alternative House and the Groton Police Department will expand their coordinated domestic violence response through a combination of law enforcement training, prevention education, community engagement and increased access to survivor services.
Planned activities include:
- Providing ongoing domestic violence training to Groton law enforcement, including trauma-informed and survivor-centered response, high-risk domestic violence, lethality assessment, coercive control, strangulation and homicide prevention.
- Strengthening referral pathways between Groton Police and Alternative House so survivors can be connected quickly to safety planning, crisis intervention, legal advocacy, housing assistance, emotional support and Alternative House’s 24/7 services.
- Providing community-based education and workshops focused on domestic violence awareness, available resources and reducing barriers and stigma associated with seeking help.
- Offering prevention education focused on healthy relationships, warning signs, consent and teen dating violence.
- Increasing Alternative House’s presence in Groton through outreach at community events, including Spring and Winter community events, and distribution of accessible and culturally responsive domestic violence resources.
- Building a sustainable, coordinated local response that strengthens relationships among law enforcement, service providers and the community beyond the grant period.
“Strong partnerships are essential to effectively address domestic violence in our community. Our work with Alternative House has helped strengthen our officers’ training and, equally important, our ability to connect survivors and families with appropriate resources and support. This grant gives us an opportunity to build on that partnership and continue to improve how we respond to and prevent domestic violence in Groton.”, said Rachael Mead, Groton Deputy Police Chief.
“GLCF is proud to support Alternative House as they bring life-saving resources closer to home for Groton residents,” said Jennifer Aradhya, VP of Marketing, Programs and Strategy, Greater Lowell Community Foundation. “Investing in partnerships like this one — between a trusted service provider and local law enforcement — is how we build lasting safety and support in every corner of our region.”
The initiative is designed not only to improve immediate responses to domestic violence, but also to build long-term capacity within the Groton community. During the grant period, Alternative House will track law enforcement and community training participation, outreach engagement, referrals, survivors connected to services and other measures of the partnership’s impact.
“This is about making sure that where someone lives does not determine whether they can access safety and support,” Crooker-Capone added. “Survivors in rural and suburban communities can face unique barriers to accessing domestic violence services. By bringing resources directly into communities like Groton and working alongside trusted local partners, we can help close those gaps.”
About Alternative House
Founded in 1978, Alternative House provides comprehensive domestic violence services to survivors and their children throughout Greater Lowell and surrounding communities. Services include emergency shelter, a 24-hour crisis hotline, community-based advocacy, legal advocacy, housing assistance, supervised visitation and safe exchange, youth and family services, prevention and education, and other supports designed to help survivors achieve safety, stability and independence.
About the Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund
The Greater Lowell Community Foundation’s Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund supports initiatives addressing systemic health needs in Nashoba Valley communities, including domestic and intimate partner violence, mental and behavioral health, barriers to equitable healthcare, addiction and recovery, food insecurity, and other community health priorities.
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PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured from left to right: Jennifer Aradhya, Vice President for Marketing, Programs + Strategy, Greater Lowell Community Foundation; Karen Tuomi, Executive Director, Groton Trust Funds; Liz Brown, Events & Engagement Coordinator, Alternative House; Natalie Bergeron-Tarmey, Director of Survivor Services, Alternative House; Rachael Mead, Deputy Police Chief, Groton Police Department; and Maria Crooker-Capone, Executive Director, Alternative House.
