Antelope Valley – Violence Prevention Coalition

Building a Regional Response to Violence

In 2022, a Los Angeles County landscape analysis laid bare the scale of violence shaping daily life in the Antelope Valley. In addition to alarming rates of child abuse, suicide, and firearm injuries, Lancaster and Palmdale—home to just 3.4% of the county's population—accounted for roughly 25% of all domestic violence calls. The analysis also exposed gaps in mental health care and provider coordination.

"This reality forced us to think beyond traditional responses," says Adel Domingo, Program Manager with Antelope Valley Partners for Health (AVPH). "Survivors needed safety tools, healing supports, and trusted people showing up where violence was actually happening."

For over two decades, AVPH has helped residents navigate public health services, building the trust needed to bring partners to the table. Drawing on the county's findings and their own community assessment, AVPH convened hospitals, schools, community organizations, public safety agencies, and residents to launch a coordinated response, the Antelope Valley – Violence Prevention Coalition (AV-VPC), formalized in 2023 as an ACH through CACHI’s support.

The coalition has since developed a suite of programs, including a Hospital Violence Intervention Program (HVIP) that places case managers and provides wound care kits at emergency room bedsides. It has distributed 3,500 Pathways to Peace toolkits to help survivors navigate complex systems, from wound care and trauma recovery to legal support and housing. Prevention efforts also include gun safety campaigns in partnership with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, as well as a Stop the Hate campaign offering reporting assistance and resources to victims of hate crimes. Healing arts and youth programming extend this work into schools and shelters. By connecting survivors, public safety partners, schools, and healthcare providers around a shared agenda, the collaborative has made it easier for survivors to access help and for partners to work together to prevent violence before it happens.

“When we go to schools now, students recognize us. They’ll say, ‘That’s the lady from that program.’ It shows that just showing up, over and over, is what builds trust.” — Topanga Ronan, Antelope Valley – Violence Prevention Coalition

AV-VPC’s impact on systems transformation

With CACHI's support, AV-VPC is building the shared infrastructure to treat violence as a public health issue—coordinating partners across the Antelope Valley to prevent harm and heal survivors.

Learn more at avph.org.