{"id":1299,"date":"2023-05-24T09:15:01","date_gmt":"2023-05-24T09:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthynewsusa.com\/?p=1299"},"modified":"2023-05-24T09:15:04","modified_gmt":"2023-05-24T09:15:04","slug":"domestic-violence-shelters-move-out-of-hiding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthynewsusa.com\/?p=1299","title":{"rendered":"Domestic Violence Shelters Move Out of Hiding"},"content":{"rendered":"
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BOZEMAN, Mont. \u2014 Sara Young packed a bag of essentials, gathered her kids, and fled her home to a refuge: an old, green house that blended in with the neighborhood in this southwestern Montana city.<\/p>\n

Nothing about the house identified it as a domestic violence shelter \u2014 it was hidden in plain sight. Young wasn\u2019t allowed to give anyone the address. The secrecy made her feel safe. But her roommate, a young mom, struggled to care for her baby without her family there to help. Some residents couldn\u2019t get to work because they didn\u2019t have a car. Several housemates tried to sneak out at night for a break from curfews, locked windows, and alarm systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were there because we needed to be kept safe,\u201d Young said. \u201cFor me, it was comfortable. For them, it felt like being in prison.\u201d<\/p>\n

The long-held standard for domestic violence shelters has been to keep residents in hiding at undisclosed addresses. That model stems from the belief that secrecy keeps survivors safe from their abusers. But domestic violence shelter directors have said keeping their locations secret has gotten more complicated, and the practice can isolate residents.<\/p>\n

Now, some shelters are moving into the open. This spring, the Bozeman nonprofit Haven finished construction of a campus minutes off a main road leading into town that replaced the green house. Sun-catching letters display the nonprofit\u2019s name on the side of the nonprofit\u2019s new building.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s space for a community garden, yoga classes, and a place for residents to host friends. It\u2019s within walking distance of grocery stores and an elementary school, and it borders a city park that\u2019s a go-to spot for people to take their dogs or to fish.<\/p>\n

Haven, a nonprofit in Bozeman, Montana, provides private housing for survivors of abuse. It is among the latest domestic violence shelters to move residents from a hidden location to a public-facing site.(Katheryn Houghton \/ KFF Health News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Erica Coyle, executive director of Haven, said the nonprofit\u2019s old shelter had been a not-so-well-kept secret for years in the city of more than 54,000 people. \u201cOur job isn\u2019t to rescue a survivor and keep them hidden away,\u201d Coyle said. \u201cWhat we need to be doing overall, as communities and as a movement, is listening to survivors and when they say, \u2018The isolation of staying in a shelter is a big barrier for me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Similar changes are percolating across the nation. In recent years, organizations in Utah<\/a> and Colorado built public-facing shelters that connect clients to resources on-site such as legal services. A victim assistance organization in New York City has spent years laying the groundwork<\/a> to create shelters that allow residents to invite friends and family over.<\/p>\n

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Rural states like Montana seem to be making the shift to open shelters ahead of urban areas. Kelsen Young, executive director of Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence<\/a>, said that\u2019s likely because it\u2019s harder to keep a location secret in towns where everyone knows everybody. Shelters in Missoula and Helena made the shift years ago, and she said plans are in the works elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Gina Boesdorfer, executive director of the Friendship Center in Helena<\/a>, said hidden sites force survivors into hiding instead of supporting people in their communities and regular routines.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really highlights a lack of other supports and resources in a community,\u201d Boesdorfer said. \u201cThat still places the burden on the victim rather than placing the burden on the offender.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe children\u2019s playroom at Haven has a glass door looking into the intake room as well as a window looking into counseling services for survivors of abuse. The survivors can have a private meeting out of earshot of their children.\t\t\t\t\t\t(Katheryn Houghton \/ KFF Health News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHaven\u2019s new campus has private rooms for survivor counseling services or meetings with legal victim advocates. \t\t\t\t\t\t(Katheryn Houghton \/ KFF Health News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

No one is tracking how many shelters have shifted to an open model. Lisa Goodman<\/a>, a psychologist and professor at Boston College who studies how to improve systems for survivors of violence, said shelters\u2019 definition of \u201copen\u201d<\/a> varies.<\/p>\n

Some open shelters simply stopped trying to hide their address, allowing residents to get rides to work while buildings remain off-limits. Others allow residents to have visitors in their quarters or offer community spaces for gatherings.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the domestic violence movement used to be, it\u2019s sort of bubbling up from the bottom,\u201d Goodman said.<\/p>\n

The earliest havens arose when women took other women into their homes. Starting in the 1970s, shelters were built on the assumption that secrecy is safest. But as shelters grew to serve more people, staying hidden became less practical as more survivors work and have kids who attend school. Not to mention the challenge of technological advances like phone GPS tracking.<\/p>\n

Goodman said there is no national guide for shelters considering an open model. Each needs to weigh big questions, such as: How do shelters screen visitors to make sure they\u2019re not a threat? How do they protect a survivor whose abuser is still loose and dangerous? And how do they balance residents\u2019 independence with confidentiality for those who want it?<\/p>\n

Moving into the open isn\u2019t always an easy sell after decades of emphasizing secrecy.<\/p>\n

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Haven\u2019s Kendeda Fund Library includes computer workstations, a reading room, and meeting spaces for clients to connect with safety-net services on-site.(Katheryn Houghton \/ KFF Health News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2021, a once-hidden shelter in Colorado\u2019s Vail Valley, a cluster of rural towns tucked amid world-class ski resorts, opened a new facility. The property comprises small apartments alongside services such as behavioral health, housing, and legal aid for residents and nonresidents alike.<\/p>\n

Sheri Mintz, CEO of the Bright Future Foundation<\/a>, which owns the shelter, said it took time to build buy-in. Some advocates against domestic violence worried the transition would risk survivors\u2019 safety.<\/p>\n

In response, the organization upgraded the shelter\u2019s security system well beyond its former site. Police officers toured the facility to check for safety and create response plans for security breaches.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo far, we haven\u2019t had any serious incidents,\u201d Mintz said. \u201cWe have always had a situation where there are clients that might be victims of stalking. I don\u2019t see that that has increased or changed in any way since we\u2019re in this public-facing shelter.\u201d<\/p>\n

In New York City, Olga Rodriguez-Vidal, vice president of domestic violence shelters for Safe Horizon<\/a>, said the victim assistance organization is still working to get funders on board with an open model.<\/p>\n

There, the leadership hopes to create a mix of confidential emergency housing for people leaving a crisis, while allowing tenants in more transitional housing to decide whether they want visitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is very new and innovative and maybe a little scary,\u201d Rodriguez-Vidal said.<\/p>\n

In Bozeman, Haven has two buildings on its new campus. The first is a resource hub with employee offices, services for clients, and space for community events. Cameras attached to a security system can flag license plates registered to known abusers, and every visitor is screened before being buzzed in.<\/p>\n

The new site allows for much more advanced security systems compared with what the nonprofit could use when trying to blend in with the neighborhood, Coyle said.<\/p>\n

Inside, the building is designed to feel like a safe space for people who have experienced trauma. Each window has a view of what will be the property\u2019s gardens. One side of the building includes therapy rooms for adults. One of those rooms has a view of a kids\u2019 playroom so parents can get help while knowing their children are safe.<\/p>\n

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Young, pictured with Reese, her dog, weighed in on the design of a new public-facing shelter for survivors of domestic violence in Bozeman.(Louise Johns for KFF Health News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Haven\u2019s housing, a short walk from the main hub, is still off-limits to anyone but staff members and residents to keep that space private. Survivors choose when and if they want to interact through events hosted next door. The driveway to residents\u2019 housing is gated and private.<\/p>\n

Sara Young was among the survivors who weighed in on the design of Haven\u2019s new shelter and, overall, she\u2019s excited about the changes. She\u2019s happy there will be more space for residents compared with the house that was her refuge and that there\u2019s easier access to services.<\/p>\n

But Young is a little unsure about the idea of a public-facing shelter. She felt safe knowing the address wasn\u2019t public for her ex to see. She liked that shelter neighbors didn\u2019t necessarily know why she was there; she didn\u2019t want to feel judged for having been in an unsafe relationship. But a public address wouldn\u2019t have kept Young from showing up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was desperate, I\u2019m sure I would have gone,\u201d Young said, adding that she wouldn\u2019t have the stability she feels today without that help. \u201cBut I didn\u2019t want anyone to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then again, Young said, maybe having the shelter out in the open will help whittle the judgment she feared, and help more people understand that anyone can find themselves trapped in unsafe relationships, and what to do when that happens.<\/p>\n

She plans to watch how it plays out.<\/p>\n