CONNECT was founded by several veterans of the domestic violence movement who recognized that among domestic violence services, prevention work was virtually non-existent and that while the availability of direct services for survivors had improved over the years, the prevalence of domestic violence had not diminished.  Today, we’ve created programs to work on three levels: individual, community and systemic.

We believe that to end violence against women and girls, we must challenge and transform the conditions that allow it to occur. Thus, our approach is grounded in an ongoing commitment to addressing root causes and to confronting the way intimate violence both shapes, and is shaped by systemic violence and structural oppression. We cast a bright light on the way the dynamics of power and control work to create and sustain violence, and strategize to resist and transform them.  Through our extensive activities, CONNECT empowers individuals, social service professionals and community and religious leaders with the tools and training to create a more peaceful society free of family and gender violence.