When Safety Isn’t Guaranteed: Ohio Domestic Violence Deaths Reach Record Highs

The numbers are staggering. According to a new statewide report, Ohio lost 157 lives to domestic violence in the last year alone. That’s a 37% increase from the year before, the highest number of intimate partner homicides our state has seen in over a decade.

Most of these deaths involved firearms. And most were preventable.

At SafePlace, we don’t need a report to tell us what’s happening. We see the warning signs every day, women quietly leaving abusive homes, mothers sleeping in cars with their children, survivors reaching out with nowhere to go. What the headlines don’t show is the gap between surviving and truly being safe. The system is not built for prevention. It’s built for cleanup.

Our communities deserve better.

This spike in violence is not just a statistic. It is a call to action. SafePlace was founded because safety should never be a luxury. We believe in a model that goes beyond shelters and courtrooms, one rooted in healing, housing, legal advocacy, and support that actually meets women where they are.

We cannot fight this alone. The surge in domestic violence deaths makes one thing clear: Ohio needs more trauma-informed responses. We need local investment, safe housing options, trained advocates, and proactive systems that don’t wait until someone dies to act.

You can help. Donate. Volunteer. Share this post. Tell your local officials you support long-term funding for domestic violence programs like SafePlace.

Because safety is not optional.

It’s urgent.

It’s life or death.

SafePlace. Because Safety Shouldn’t Be a Luxury.