Eastside Domestic Violence Program (EDVP) will host its “Hope Starts Here Breakfast” Oct. 4, in an effort to mark National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and raise funds to benefit its clients.

EDVP answered 10,069 crisis line calls and worked with 4,700 local victims of domestic violence last year. In 2011, the agency is noticing a rise in the urgency of calls.

“This year, we’re seeing more traumatic cases, where families are barely holding on,” said Barbara Langdon, EDVP Executive Director. “Our clients arrive at our offices with frightened children and the realization that they are out of resources. The 2011 Hope Starts Here breakfast helps us provide critical services to these families in desperate need.”

One of EDVP’s clients, Penny, will share her harrowing story about domestic violence in her family. A judge sentenced the man who abused her to 26 years in prison, and with the help of the King County Prosecutor’s office and EDVP, Penny now sees a more stable future ahead for herself and her seven children.

“The isolation was debilitating,” said Penny. “I remember the day I found the strength to become a survivor and no longer be a victim. My role now is to be a voice for other victims of abuse who can’t speak out.”

Prosecution of abusers plays a paramount role to help victims of domestic violence heal, and King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg will deliver the keynote address at this year’s “Hope Starts Here” breakfast. While local law enforcement reports an uptick in aggravated assaults, about 70 percent are now felony domestic violence cases. The downturn in the economy is believed to be behind the growing violence, because victims stay in relationships longer, with resources to get them to earlier safety in short supply.

“Five years ago, it took us on average, one year to move a family to permanent housing and return them to a sense of normalcy,” Langdon said. “Now that process to relocate and find jobs takes an average of three years. Our service times have tripled.”

This year’s breakfast, to be held Tuesday, Oct. 4 at Meydenbauer Center, will be hosted by KING 5 news anchor Jean Enersen, with Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna and his wife, Marilyn, hosting the breakfast.

Registration begins at the Meydenbauer Center, 11100 NE 6th St. in Bellevue at 7 am, with the program lasting from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. While there is no cost to attend the breakfast, a minimum donation of $150 is suggested.

EDVP’s ‘Corporate Partner of the Year’ Award will be presented to Polygon Northwest Company for its ongoing leadership to end domestic violence in the community.

To learn more about domestic violence, visit EDVP at www.edvp.org. If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, call EDVP’s 24 hour Crisis Line at 425-746-1940 or 1-800-827-8840.