By Drew Lindsay, Photo: John Cherry/The New York Times, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, March 1, 2022
Andrew Woods has wielded far more passion than money in his decades-long fight against violence in his hometown of Hartford, Conn. Help is on the way, however, for his nonprofit and hundreds more nationwide.
In 2004, Woods, a licensed social worker, began Connecticut’s first hospital-based program to provide mental-health services and support to victims of violence. It is part of Hartford Communities That Care, whose trained caseworkers are dispatched to the organization’s partner hospital when victims of violence arrive, then work with victims after their release and return home. The goal: help heal victims’ trauma and de-escalate the conflicts that led to their injury, which in turn reduces the chance of retaliatory violence.
The nonprofit has helped nearly 1,800 victims of violence despite a shoestring budget. “I’ve only had a staff of two to four people over the last decade or so,” Woods says.
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