MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — ASHA Family Services has launched a new initiative aimed at preventing domestic violence before it starts.

The program, called the Ujima Men's Program SOS, focuses on identifying the root causes of violence and intervening before situations escalate.

ASHA Executive Director Antonia Drew-Norton, who has spent decades working to address domestic violence and improve community health in Greater Milwaukee, said the program was developed from years of working with survivors.

"If we continue responding only after violence has occurred, we will continue mourning lives that might have been saved," Drew-Norton said. "Sometimes, the answer is not simply doing more of what we have always done. Sometimes the answer is having the courage to do something different."

The new initiative is being led by Brother Shawn Mohamed, who returned to ASHA Family Services last year to direct the campaign.