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Advocacy building funding continues

TRANSITIONAL CARE FACILITY will house day care, rape exam facilities, administrative offices at Safe Harbor crisis center.

Tom Busselberg 24.JUL.07
KAYSVILLE — Even as the goal of $1 million for a new advocacy services building is drawing closer, fund-raising is continuing for the new Safe Harbor facility. Safe Harbor is the domestic violence shelter and provides myriad services. At the same time, it is bursting at the seams and needs more space, says executive director Kay Card.

“We have had to turn more people away (refer to other agencies) in the past six months than we had to in all of the previous six years,” she says.

This 7,000 square-foot facility will include offices for administration, protective order processing, the rape crisis program and a nursery for children living in transitional housing.

Part of the rape crisis program would be a forensic room for Code R exams for victims of rape.

“Day care is really a big issue for our shelter residents and our transitional residents,” Card says.

“When people come into our shelter, they often can’t continue to use the day care they were using. It’s not safe to leave their kids there because perpetrators know where that is,” she says.

“They’re (mothers) attending court hearings, DWS (Department of Workforce Services) meetings, etc. It’s very hard for them to make these appointments with kids in tow,” she says.

“This will provide that kind of structure, supervision while moms do those necessary things,” speaking of emergency shelter clients.

“Then, when they’re in transitional housing, affordable day care is hard to find. They will be able to access it as needed. I think it will solve a huge problem that we’ve really been fighting for a while,” Card says.

The forensic exam facility will be the first of its kind in the county, she says. “There is one for the kids at the Children’s Justice Center, but it is ill-equipped for rape victims.

“They are currently being transported to Weber County for the exam. It’s difficult for law enforcement to make the trip and very hard for victims to hang in there. It delays the process, makes it all the more difficult.

“To have a facility for adult rape victims where all can access it is just going to be huge,” she says. “It’s been needed for a long time.”

Emphasizing the need for the new facility, she says, “We are fuller than we’ve ever been. In the last 12 months we continue to be pushing up against being at full capacity all the time.”

Shelter services have skyrocketed in use all over the state, she says. “I do think the message is getting out that you do not have to live in violence. There are answers for you.”

It’s hoped that construction could start next spring and be completed by fall of 2008.

Looking at the need for shelter of domestic violence victims, Card says, “We will need another shelter. We may be looking at a satellite shelter in the Bountiful area, just to handle the overflow.

“The need is there all over the county. Our three biggest hot spots are Bountiful, Clearfield and Layton.”
tbusselberg@davisclipper.com