The little boy stands next to his mother, nervously shifting his weight from one foot to the other. It’s cold, but he wears no coat and his shirt is wrinkled and stained. His mother holds him close to her side, bursting into tears as the door opens and a smiling face appears. As they are welcomed inside, the warmth feels so good, and the aroma of hot food envelopes him. Tonight, both mother and son will eat until full and sleep in a warm bed, safe and secure. Tomorrow will be a better day…
The Crisis Shelter opened its’ doors in December, 2003, and has housed over 700 women and children victims of abuse. The shelter is unique to the area by being the only true emergency shelter serving domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking and other crime victims, in addition to homelessness and other emergency victims.
The Crisis Shelter works with each client to provide case management, crisis intervention, life skill classes, job readiness, job skills, and family support. The Crisis Shelter started a 12 step program in 2009, and has seen great participation with those involved with the program. Due to lack of space and resources the shelter has unfortunately had to turn away over 30 families in 2010. Nights of Safe Shelter for 2010 total 4297, which is an average of 12 people per night.
From the Desk of the Director:
I have been the shelter director since February 2006, and during that time I’ve worked with many victims of abuse and homelessness. We have seen triumphs, and have experienced difficult times. I have often said, “if we could just tell the stories, people would see the need and be willing to help.” I want to share some of those with you now. Of course, the names have been changed to protect the innocent, and the confidentiality of victims.Susan came into the shelter after fleeing a long term abusive relationship with her husband. She came in very discouraged and feeling hopeless. “I was living under a bridge in a 20 yr. old car with my five children, two of whom are severely disabled. We each had three sets of clothing, very little food, and just enough gas in the tank to get into town.” After leaving her abusive husband, Susan struggled to survive with her children.
We worked with Susan for about 4-5 months in the shelter to get the children proper medical and mental health care. She was able to obtain employment during that time also. We watched Susan be a mother to her 5 children like no other mother. The staff would routinely say that she deserved a “mother of the year” award. It seemed like no matter how difficult the children would be, she would still be patient with them. Susan was like a ray of sunshine to us; a reminder of why we do this work, and a light at the end of the tunnel. She was the reason we come in each day and face the ugliness of the stories, the sorrow of broken hearts, and the trauma of abuse. She is why we are impassioned about tomorrow. She shows that tomorrow will change and tomorrow will be better.
Because of her decision to use shelter services, she is now in her own place with her children safe, nourished and healthy. Susan is in her 2nd year of college, and is securing an even brighter future for her family.
Thank you for your time and interest in our organization and check back often as I plan to update our successes.
Sincerely,
Melissa Morgan, Shelter & Housing Director
