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A Safe Place adapts to state budget cuts: Services to victims of domestic abuse remain strong
ZION, IL (July 27, 2009) – Springfield’s budget cuts to social services have had a profound effect on service providers across the state. A Safe Place is no exception, but is adapting in ways that allow the 29-year-old organization to continue meeting the safety and counseling needs of victims of domestic violence.
“We’ve had to make hard decisions about how we deliver the services that are vital to the safety of women and children in Lake County and across northeastern Illinois. We laid off six staff members, but despite doing so we are still providing all of our services that keep victims safe and give them a place to go when they must leave their abuser,” stated Phyllis DeMott, Executive Director of A Safe Place. “The cut in our funding from the State of Illinois has caused us to examine our program delivery and find ways of delivering the same quality and volume of services. In the meantime, we continue to seek funding from other sources that will enable us to emerge from this challenging economy as a stronger organization.”
A Safe Place continues to operate its emergency shelter for women and children, while supplementing shelter beds with nearby hotel stays through a grant from the Emergency Food and Shelter Program administered by FEMA. Counseling services and courtroom advocacy for residential and non-residential clients remain open. Abuser treatment services address the safety needs of victims by educating perpetrators about the cycle of violence and choosing nonviolence. Prevention and community education programs educate teens and the entire community about the warning signs of domestic abuse and dating violence.
Even during this difficult economic time, A Safe Place is still making plans for the future. In early 2010, A Safe Place is scheduled to open Lake County’s first supervised visitation and exchange center in collaboration with the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Courts. With the support of the US Department of Justice and the local courts, this center will provide a safe haven for women who have been victimized by their former spouse or partner to comply with visitation orders following the dissolution of the relationship between the adults. DeMott explains, “This furthers our goal of reducing and eliminating violence among families. Our clients need us, and we are committed to being here for them.”
For additional information, visit www.asafeplaceforhelp.org
About A Safe Place
Founded in 1980, A Safe Place is Lake County, Illinois’ only provider of services exclusively for victims of domestic violence.
A Safe Place provides emergency shelter; affordable transitional housing; a 24-hour help line (847-249-4450); court and non-legal advocacy; individual, group, and children’s counseling; batterer intervention services; and community outreach, prevention education, and professional training. Our service area includes Lake, McHenry, and northern Cook counties in Illinois; however, our clients come to us from across the state, region, and country. A Safe Place serves more than 2,500 adult and children victims of domestic violence each year, helping them on their path to a safer future.
For more information about A Safe Place, call 847-731-7165 or visit www.asafeplaceforhelp.org.
Media Contacts:
Phyllis DeMott, A Safe Place, 847-731-7165 x105 or pdemott@asafeplaceforhelp.org
Noelle Moore, A Safe Place, 847-731-7165 x109 or nmoore@asafeplaceforhelp.org
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