Safe Haven changing to keep pace with need

Safe Haven Domestic Abuse Shelter on Thursday commemorated Domestic Violence Awareness Month with a candlelight vigil attended by dozens of community members showing their support for the center and helping draw attention to domestic abuse and sexual assault.

The vigils at the Shawano shelter have been held annually in October, but the societal problems being highlighted have not gone away, according to shelter officials.

“Last year, demand for services was very high with the shelter occupied at optimal capacity or over capacity,” Safe Haven Executive Director Stacey Cicero said.

Capacity is five families, one to each room. Families share rooms when the shelter is over capacity, something that happens 69 percent of the time, Cicero said.

The shelter never has fewer than two families receiving services at any given time, she said.

The shelter provided safe housing for 62 women and 64 children last year, with an average length of stay of 30.6 days and 3,942 bed nights; the highest number to date.

Advocates answered 2,185 crisis calls and met individually with 555 victims (397 women, 34 men and 124 children).

Although Safe Haven provides services throughout the county, 44 percent of all the victims served last year were from the city of Shawano.

“These statistics are a stark reminder that many people face life or death situations in their own homes; a place they should feel most safe,” Cicero said.

Cicero said survivors of domestic violence and assault all too often get advice that is out of touch with what they’ve experienced.

“For example, they are told they should just leave,” Cicero said. “Often victims intuitively know what research bears out, leaving without support and without a plan can be more dangerous than staying and potentially fatal.”

Cicero said such advice only makes things worse because victims who are cut off from support networks are at greater risk and tend to have the most difficulty escaping.

“In contrast, the process of listening, expressing concern and building trust can ultimately help the survivor better understand the abuse and take steps to improve their safety,” she said.

Safe Haven touted some new proactive efforts aimed at addressing domestic violence and sexual assault.

The shelter has partnered with law enforcement throughout Shawano County to implement a Lethality Assessment Program that gives officers and advocates a tool to assess for a potential homicide.

“The committee from our area, chaired by Shawano Police Chief Mark Kohl was one of nine counties in Wisconsin chosen to participate in this program,” Cicero said. “We have been trained by the Maryland Coalition and will begin training all officers and advocates later this year.”

Another new program is the Voices of Men, a committee started by Safe Haven to encourage men to step up to help end sexual and domestic violence against women and girls and work toward building a culture of respect.

“Voices of Men is a group of men dedicated to changing attitudes and actions of men and boys that contribute to the abuse of women and girls,” Cicero said.

Safe Haven also experienced agency growth over the past year.

Additional support staff were added, including a part-time administrative assistant, and increased hours for overnight and weekend staff to allow for staff overlap during shift exchanges.

Several other positions, including the domestic violence victim’s advocate and children’s advocate, were re-evaluated, with duties changed to better reflect the needs of those using the shelter.

Those positions have since been renamed program services supervisor/counselor and family services advocate.

Safe Haven employs six full-time and 12 part-time staff.

“With the growth of our staff and services, the Safe Haven board of directors is also looking at possible building expansion,” Cicero said, adding more details on that would come later.