Increasing Safety for People Experiencing Domestic Violence: Reflections on the Evaluation of the Advocate Initiated Response (AIR) Program
In 2025 our Research & Evaluation (R&E) Team was contracted to evaluate the Advocate Initiated Response (AIR) Program. This program, created by the New Orleans Health Department (NOHD) in partnership with the New Orleans Family Justice Center (NOFJC), was designed to reduce repeat incidents and increase the safety of people experiencing domestic violence. Through this program, individuals who have experienced domestic violence are contacted directly by AIR advocates after law enforcement responds to a domestic incident or domestic disturbance. The advocates help connect people to resources and services they may not otherwise know about or know how to access.
Evaluating a program like AIR is essential to make sure that programs truly meet the needs of the community.
The data gathered from these evaluations helps programs understand what’s working, what isn’t, and what changes could make the biggest difference. We were honored to take on this responsibility and help ensure the effectiveness of such an important and life-changing program.
After meeting with partners from NOHD and NOFJC, we created a plan that would analyze not only numbers but would also ensure that the voices of the Advocates — those who work with the survivors every day — were meaningfully included in the evaluation. AIR shared a large amount of detailed data that allowed us to look closely at several key areas related to its effectiveness. These included the incidence of repeat calls, the escalation of risk factors, and the utilization of services provided through NOFJC. While analyzing these data was essential, we recognize that not all stories can be told through numbers; sometimes we need to look at the stories behind the numbers. Since some insights could only be gained by talking to people who do the work every day, we conducted a focus group with Advocates to share their experiences and reflect. Based on the quantitative and qualitative findings, we drafted a series of comprehensive, actionable recommendations that NOHD and NOFJC could implement to make the program even more effective and more likely to achieve its goal of increasing the safety of people who have experienced domestic violence. Specifically, these recommendations focused on strengthening data quality, coordinating receipt of data from external sources, streamlining processes to ensure service delivery, and refining program scope to address the drivers of domestic violence.
The AIR program is vital in addressing a critical gap that occurs after first responders leave the scene of a domestic violence incident. Ensuring that individuals are connected to services after experiencing a traumatic incident can support their own healing and safety, ultimately making communities safer.
Besides being a great opportunity to serve a community need, evaluating the AIR Program was a valuable experience for everyone on our R&E team. As a team, we gained new insights and hands-on experience with methods of data analysis and collection that were new for some team members, helping us be more prepared for future program evaluations. We are extremely proud to have been part of such an important program evaluation, and we hope that the results and recommendations provided to NOFJC and NOHD help them in their mission to build a safer, healthier tomorrow for folks impacted by domestic violence.