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.

2008 SafeHouse Statistics:
•297 women and children were provided with 8,798 nights of emergency shelter and support services
•838 women were provided with individual and group counseling, advocacy and support services at our nonresidential Counseling and Advocacy Center
•308 young people received individual counseling, participated in teen groups and received support through our holiday In the Spirit program
•Staff and volunteers responded to 10,828 crisis and information calls
•Community Education staff reached 4,594 people through 126 educational presentations

Needs Statement

1) General Operating Support
2) 2009 Gala Sponsorship – We are currently seeking sponsorship for our 2009 Gala, Monte Carlo Nights. The event will be take place on on Saturday, October, 10th, 2009 at the new 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

As the economic downturn presents new challenges, we remain committed to maximizing the dollars directed toward our mission. We are proud to report that 81 cents of every dollar donated to SafeHouse Denver goes toward assisting women, children and youth in reclaiming their right to a life free of domestic violence.

During 2008, SafeHouse Denver focused on strengthening our infrastructure to ensure that we will remain strong in the years ahead. We established specific client outcomes to help our donors and funders more clearly understand the impact of their generous support. Staff reviewed our service delivery models and implemented new practices to better serve our clients in culturally appropriate ways. We revised our revenue goals, aggressively monitored operating expenses, and ended the year without lay-offs or compromising client services. We also established a Staff Relations and Retention Committee, comprised of staff from each department, with the goal of continually enhancing work culture and job satisfaction.

We were pleased to complete several physical improvements in 2008. A new children’s playground and a completely renovated community bathroom brought a sparkle to our emergency shelter. Through a special gift from the Junior League of Denver, we received funding to purchase new beds, mattresses and dressers for the entire shelter, creating a safer and more comfortable environment for our clients.

Last year, we watched many of the women we serve lose their jobs and struggle to find employment, and therefore health insurance. Through a unique partnership with the Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation, SafeHouse Denver clients without medical insurance can now receive both preventive and acute care services at the Bruner Family Medicine Center.

As our Board and Staff work together to ensure that the highest quality programs and services continue to be available to those impacted by domestic violence, your continued support as a donor, funder, volunteer or partner in the community is critical. Thank you, in advance, for supporting women, children and youth in our community and for your ongoing commitment to the life-saving work of SafeHouse Denver.

Board Chair/President Statement

In 2007 SafeHouse Denver celebrated 30 years as a community leader helping victims of domestic violence and working to eradicate the problem in Denver. SafeHouse Denver fosters a culture of hope and change and has made a critical difference in the lives of thousands of women and children in crisis. At SafeHouse we don’t just treat the symptoms of domestic violence; we work in our community to prevent it.

The board of directors for SafeHouse is an energetic, vibrant, diverse, and committed group of passionate professionals. We recently completed a nation-wide search for our new CEO and are working to implement an ambitious plan to double the number of women and children served in our shelter and to drastically increase our community prevention and education programs.

As a financial partner with SafeHouse Denver you can be assured that you are an important part of making a difference for those who need it the most.

“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.”