Gardner Domestic Violence Advocate Will Now Be Full Time
Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson on Friday, October 17, 2025 announced that the Gardner Police Department has been awarded a $20,000 Justice Administration Grant which will go towards making the Domestic Violence Advocate a full-time position. Other speakers included State Representative Jonathan Zlotnik and Police Chief Eric McAvene. Councilor Dana Heath represented the City Council at the announcement. Listen on any device, CLICK PLAY.
Mayor Nicholson stated, “I’m proud to be the Mayor of a City that’s not afraid to have those tough conversations and realize what reality is here in the city, and providing the resources that we need so that people who live in this community have the access to the resources they need to feel safe, comfortable, and happy to call Gardner their home.”
Representative Zlotnik stated, “The City of Gardner and the Police Department and Chief McAvene have been working on this for years. It doesn’t always come through at once, and it takes a lot of creativity, it takes a lot of perseverance to get to days like today where we can make a position like this full-time. “
Chief Eric McAvene stated, “This is a tremendous resource for the community. Several years ago, we realized that we have issues that we need to address, and we need to address them in a very specific manner. We have had domestic violence advocacy here in the city in the past. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts, we had lost that position several years ago. We received funding through the VAWA grant, and we were, to bring this position to a part-time position, we were actually overwhelmed at the need. We knew there was a need. I guess we didn’t realize how much of a need, and the work that our advocate is doing in the community, tremendous. It has grown by leaps and bounds. She is a tremendous asset we have in the community. Unfortunately, it’s a situation we do have to address, but we have the right people in the right place to address it. I hope that the community, anybody who needs this service, this service is available to anyone in the community. “