Domestic violence reports and protective orders rose across Kentucky last year, according to a new state report, with southcentral Kentucky advocates saying the troubling trend matches what they're seeing locally.
A new statewide report highlights a troubling trend: while more survivors are reaching out for help, support systems are struggling to keep up.
Leaders at the Barren River Area Safe Space, southcentral Kentucky’s only state-designated Domestic Violence program, say the statewide data reinforces what they are seeing locally.
“We want to make sure people know that we’re here to help, simultaneously having to recognize the extent of our services is not always enough,” said Tori Henninger, executive director of BRASS.
She said that these numbers are felt, seen and heard each day in their facilities, where they offer a comprehensive range of services like emergency shelter, legal advocacy, counseling, and community resources.
More violence, less space
Data released by the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet shows domestic violence-related arrests and reports increased across the board in 2025 compared to the previous year.
Kentucky saw nearly a 3% increase in domestic violence reports filed by law enforcement agents and a more than 18% jump in protective orders served by police or ordered by the court.
Henninger said law enforcement plays a vital role in their work, offering survivors a path to safety and stability.
“I think it’s so incredibly important that we really recognize the path that survivors often have to walk includes multiple different people,” said Henninger. “We meet a lot of survivors in court for the first time for non-residential services. For shelter services, often it’s because they’ve had an interaction or engagement with law enforcement.”
However, that jump in cases leaves more work for organizations like BRASS. Henninger said the report also highlights a 15% increase in unmet shelter requests from 2024 to 2025.
She said her team at BRASS utilizes unconventional solutions when their shelter is at capacity. When someone needs to be housed and they have no more available space, they utilize other shelters around the state, local landlords, and even hotels.
Henninger says when they get a crisis call, time is of the essence. Often when victims attempt to flee or leave a domestic violence situation, they are at the highest risk.
“Something that I don’t know the report truly touches on enough is that most homicide suicides related to domestic violence occur when the victim is attempting to flee,” Henninger said. “That tends to be the moment when a perpetrator realizes that they have lost the power and control dynamic that they hold and wield over the survivor.”
The whys behind the rise
Henninger points to various factors contributing to the rise in domestic violence cases, one of them being cuts to federal funding programs like the Victims of Crime Act.
She said they have seen significant reductions in funding over the last six years — in some cases, their funding was cut by up to 60%.
The result is fewer resources available to victims in need, leaving them trapped in a dangerous environment.
Affordable housing, Henninger said, also puts upward pressure on the rising rates of violence. She said that it has become increasingly difficult to find stable housing to transition victims to after their time in the shelter.
“Our average length of stay in shelter has almost tripled in the last six years,” Henninger said. “Pre-2020 to now, our average length of stay went from about 21 days to over 60.”
BRASS continues to offer services even as resources are spread thin. Among their most important tools is their crisis line, which connects the caller with a trained advocate who can help get them to safety and explain their options moving forward.
“Every one of those numbers in this DV report is a person, and they’re often people with children, and they’re trying to figure out if it's safe to go home and when it feels unsafe or is unsafe we have to be available,” Henninger said.
If you require assistance related to domestic violence, the BRASS Crisis Lifeline can be reached 24/7 at 1-800-928-1183.
