Prevention in Virginia

Drawing of the socio-ecological model with four concentric circles, individual being the smallest, relationships in the next larger, community in the next larger, and society in the largest.

The Action Alliance is engaged in helping local communities develop strategies across the range of comprehensive prevention: from building awareness to delivering primary prevention strategies to mobilizing communities. We know that investing in preventing violence before it occurs, called primary prevention, is an essential strategy to build safe, stable, and nurturing communities. Therefore, we dedicate most of our prevention technical assistance to working with programs to increase their capacity to create effective primary prevention strategies.

Click here to learn more about the terminology we use here in Virginia to distinguish primary prevention from awareness, risk reduction, and secondary/tertiary prevention.

Virginia’s Guidelines

Cover of the 2022 Prevention Guidelines with a peach background, Fostering Community Resilience: Virginia's Guidelines for the Primary Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence across the top and nine different nature-toned patches each filled with a different icon to represent each of the nine principles.

For an in-depth resource on primary prevention, please consult Fostering Community Resilience: Virginia’s Guidelines for the Primary Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence. The purpose of Fostering Community Resilience: Virginia’s Guidelines for the Primary Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence is to assist local communities in creating primary prevention strategies that focus on identifying and dismantling the root causes of sexual and domestic violence. The Guidelines have been built on the foundations of two core concepts: social justice principles and public health models. Social justice and public health have a lot in common. They both seek to address health challenges (i.e., violence) by changing cultural norms, systems, and institutions while understanding that oppression is at the root of inequality and access to health. This document draws heavily from the original 2009 Guidelines for the Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence and Intimate Partner Violence, which was the product of Virginia’s Primary Prevention Guidelines Work Group, which consisted of representatives from several local sexual and domestic violence agencies, the Virginia Department of Health, the Action Alliance, and other allied partners.

Download the Prevention Guidelines (2022)

Our Projects

The Action Alliance is engaged in several primary prevention projects specifically designed for teens, campuses, and parents. To learn more, please see:

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DO YOU

Transparent image of teal and yellow rectangles with words that read "Ask. Listen. Respect."

Ask. Listen. Respect.

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The Red Flag Campaign

Where Prevention is Funded in Virginia

A map of Virginia marking county lines with purple areas highlighted to indicate where prevention is funded in the state.

The map indicates the distribution of prevention funds from the Virginia Department of Social Services, Virginia Department of Health, and the Building Healthy Futures Fund (funded in part by proceeds from the sales of the Peace Begins at Home license plate).

  • Abuse Alternatives (Bristol)
  • Action in Community Through Services/Turning Point (Manassas)
  • Alexandria Domestic Violence Program & Sexual Assault Center
  • Avalon (Williamsburg)
  • Bedford County Department of Social Services- Domestic Violence Services (Bedford)
  • Center for Sexual Assault Survivors (Hampton)
  • Choices (Page County)
  • The Collins Center (Harrisonburg)
  • Empowerhouse (Fredericksburg)
  • Fairfax County Office for Women, Domestic Violence, and Sexual Violence Services (Fairfax)
  • Family Crisis Support Services (Norton)
  • Fauquier DSS DV Program (Fauquier)
  • The Haven Shelter (Warsaw)
  • Help and Emergency Response (Portsmouth)
  • The James House (Petersburg)
  • LAWS (Leesburg) 
  • The Laurel Center (Winchester)
  • Project Hope, Thrive VA (New Kent)
  • Project Horizon (Lexington)
  • Safe Harbor (Henrico)
  • Safehome Systems (Covington)
  • Salvation Army Turning Point (Roanoke)
  • Samaritan House (Virginia Beach)
  • SARA (Charlottesville)
  • Shelter for Help & Emergency/SHE (Charlottesville)
  • Transitions Family Violence Services (Hampton)
  • Women’s Resource Center of The New River Valley (Radford)
  • YWCA Richmond 

Find Support Near You

Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Agencies

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