Women are not the only victims of family violence. Spouse abuse quite often spills over into some type of child abuse when there are children involved. Target funding to communities and counties that have the most severe problems. Make the effort early, when it is both cheaper to help and also more effective. The teen crime rate of today reflects our failures a decade ago to provide basic help for families and decent opportunities for children to grow and develop.
Community resilience is also at risk.
The capacities of community-based systems designed to ensure the quality of life of North Carolina's youth and families are being stretched beyond their capacities. Research findings indicate many systems are unable to respond to constituency needs. North Carolina is becoming more urban, a trend similar to the rest of the nation. Today, more than half of North Carolinians live in urban areas and this percentage is expected to increase. Rural counties are experiences slower growth.