SafeHouse Denver, Inc

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Impact Statement

SafeHouse is proud to participate in the Denver Triage Team, a unique collaboration among judicial system parties and system and non-system advocates. Representatives from SafeHouse, the City and District Attorney’s offices, the Denver Police Department, AMEND and the Denver Domestic Violence Coordinating Council meet each morning to review domestic violence-related arrests from the previous day. Among the many benefits of this innovative process, is that SafeHouse connects almost immediately to victims of abuse who might otherwise never reach out for supportive services.

Since 1977, SafeHouse Denver has been providing comprehensive services to women, children and youth in our community experiencing the devastating effects of domestic violence. In 2009, we provided 326 women and children with 9,695 nights of emergency shelter and worked one-on-one and in group counseling sessions with 530 women and youth at our nonresidential Counseling and Advocacy Center. Our advocates and trained volunteers answered 15,195 crisis and information calls, an increase of nearly 30% over 2008. Our Community Education staff provided 135 educational presentations about the dynamics of domestic violence reaching an audience of 3,465 individuals in our local community.

Needs Statement

1) General Operating Support
2) 2010 Gala Sponsorship – We are currently seeking sponsorship for our 2010 Gala, Some Enchanted Evening. The event will be take place on on Saturday, October, 2, 2010 at Infinity Park Event Center.
4) Wish List - Please visit our website for updated wish lists for our emergency shelter

Background Statement

SafeHouse Denver was established in October 1977 as an emergency shelter for battered women and children. Community professionals were working with a large number of women on a variety of issues, and found that in many cases the underlying problem was domestic violence, but there was no safe place for these women to go. SafeHouse was born out of this desperate need for an emergency shelter for women and children living with domestic violence. Shelters, however, solve only part of the problem. In 1993, SafeHouse expanded its program to provide nonresidential counseling and advocacy services to victims of domestic abuse. Today, SafeHouse is the only agency in Denver providing both emergency shelter and nonresidential programming specifically for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

Executive Director Statement

2009 was a challenging year for many nonprofit organizations including SafeHouse Denver. However, we are pleased to report that through the resourceful controlling of expenses and tireless fundraising efforts, we finished our fiscal year in a positive financial position. In 2009, 83 cents of every dollar went directly to our mission of assisting women, children and youth in reclaiming their right to a life free of domestic violence.

We would like to take this opportunity to recognize the work of our staff, volunteers and Board of Directors throughout the 2009 program year. While we were able to avoid layoffs, we did freeze open positions in administration and in our non-residential counseling program. This meant an increased amount of work and responsibility for our remaining staff. Their passion and countless hours spent working with our clients made certain that our ability to serve women and children did not falter during this time of increased need. Volunteers continued to give generously of their time, answering our 24-Hour Crisis and Information Line, working with our Children’s Program and, new this year, preparing event and fundraising mailings in-house to cut expenses. Additionally, leadership from our Board of Directors made certain that we not only ended the year on a positive note financially, but that we are also in a good position to continue to provide the high-quality services we are known for in 2010 and beyond.

Board Chair/President Statement

“We can all be the women we are striving to be…thank you for the love and support.”

Sheila had been married to her husband for 15 years when he became abusive. He forced her to quit her job because she earned more than he did and kept her isolated from family members. Over time, Sheila began to recognize patterns in his behavior, knowing that when he drank two to three times per week, she could expect a violent outburst.

After one of these episodes, Sheila called the SafeHouse Denver 24-Hour Crisis and Information line. When she arrived at shelter, her physical injuries, which included broken ribs, a black eye and a dislocated shoulder, were so debilitating that she was unable to leave the building for a whole month.

Despite the emotional and physical trauma Shelia had endured, her advocate remembers how motivated she was to look for housing and find a job. Her advocate had to encourage her to slow down long enough to let her body heal. As time went on, Sheila’s physical injuries did heal. She no longer had to cover the bruises and her self-esteem and self-image greatly improved. As Sheila learned about the dynamics of domestic violence in group sessions, she decided that she wanted to leave her husband for good. She simply wasn’t going to live with the violence any longer.

While at shelter, Sheila made strong connections with other residents. The children even called her ‘Grandma.’ When she moved out of shelter, Sheila wrote the words above in a heartfelt letter to fellow residents and staff. She now lives in her own apartment and recently called her advocate to let her know she has a well-paying job with benefits. Her advocate could hear the hope in her voice and knew that Sheila was certainly becoming “the woman she was striving to be.”