Many compassionate individuals have played a role in establishing a local “safe haven” in the community for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, offering survivors not only that safety net from a former abuser, but also a comfortable home environment, a wealth of resources and practical assistance to get back on their feet and also a listening ear to help them work through past trauma.
Today, the Soteria House is marking its fifth anniversary serving in Logan County after its opening in April 2016. The shelter serves an average of 108 adults and children each year, and during the last four full years, 432 people making up 144 families have received assistance from the shelter, representatives said.
New Directions of TCN Behavioral Health operates the facility, named “Soteria” for the Greek goddess or spirit of safety and salvation, deliverance and preservation from harm, at an undisclosed location in Logan County, to protect the safety of its residents.
At the grand opening event in 2016, Debbie Brownlee, TCN’s Domestic Violence Program manager, noted that agency representatives took the time to scout the perfect location for the shelter.
“Our house is not an institution; it is beautiful and it is very special to the people who are living there right now. It’s been a busy last couple of months to make this happen, but we can hardly believe it’s a reality right now,” she said.
Just last week, Jessica Ford, shelter coordinator, said she and her fellow staff members have been sprucing up the interior recently to further update the space.
“We were feeling like it was a little drab in here, and we’re brightening up the space with various color to bring cheer to our clients,” said Ford, who manages the facility with co-manager Regina Pursley. “We want this to feel like home to them and want to create a space where they and their children feel comfortable.
“We enjoy eating meals together in our spacious kitchen, and we do various group activities and art projects. It’s a way to get to know them where they’re at and help them to grow and to overcome the trauma they’ve been through.”
Once inside the walls of the spacious home, individuals and their children also are cared for in a multitude of ways, with the center supplying groceries, toiletries, laundry facilities, clothing assistance, advocacy, legal assistance and counseling.
Shelter staff also arrange additional resources for survivors as they prepare to move out on their own by connecting them with other agencies for medical care, permanent housing, education and employment opportunities.
As a testament to the hard work of her staff to get clients back on their feet after leaving the Soteria House, Brownlee shared the shelter’s success rate that looks at how many families are safe and have not returned to an abuser after 90 days and also after 180 days of attaining independent housing.
At those points in time when looking at 2020 statistics, 89 families out of total 95 families served remained in safe, independent housing after those time periods had elapsed, the program director said.
“That is a 93.69 percent success. We’re very proud of that, and so grateful for everyone who has helped to achieve those outcomes and support our residents in starting anew.”
Before the Soteria House was established, local individuals who needed to flee from an abuser had to apply at a shelter in an adjacent county, or perhaps be housed with friends or family closer to home.
The shelter was first made possible through a $416,676 in Victims of Crime Act Grant received by New Directions in October 2015 through the Ohio Attorney General’s Office’s Expanding Services and Empowering Victims Initiative, as previously detailed in the Examiner.
To get the program up and running, an additional $20,000 in local funding was provided to the shelter from the United Way of Logan County at that time to cover unallowable costs through the VOCA grant.
While the VOCA funding provided four solid years as promised, in the fall of 2020, the Soteria House received a 34 percent funding cut, amounting to approximately $157,000 in reduced funding, Brownlee said.
Despite that difficulty, the program has been able to acquire additional grant monies, including through the United Way of Logan County and United Way of Champaign County, $50,000 from ODVN Fresh Start, and Family Violence and Prevention Service Act grant, which helps to fund New Directions of TCN legal advocate Melody Stockdale’s position.
Logan County Electric Cooperative Round-Up fund has provided support as well, along with personal donations from community members to the shelter.
“We are always seeking out ways to maintain sustainability and continue to serve our vulnerable clients,” Brownlee said. “We are especially grateful to our community donors for their kindness and generosity that allows us to continue this important work.”
“So much of our community helps keep us going and supports us,” Ford said, noting with other staff members the plethora number of practical donations that New Directions of TCN receives every year, including clothing items, toiletries and household items.
While those donations previously stretched from floor to ceiling at the New Directions office at 1855 W. State Route 47, Bellefontaine, those donations were organized by United Way Community Care Day volunteers in the fall and also during recent efforts by volunteers.
Local churches and area businesses also have provided generous assistance to the shelter, including a local congregation whose members donated numerous handmade quilts that clients can take to their new homes when they leave the shelter.
Brownlee also recalled a local business that donated vehicle parts and an auto repair shop that pitched in to fix a client’s vehicle so she could afford to move out.
Linking clients to these support systems for permanent housing, utilities and transportation — “it’s like putting a puzzle together,” the program director said.
From April 1, 2016, to September 2020, referrals to community partners have totaled more than 6,000, including courts, law enforcement, attorneys, social services, doctors, hospitals, behavioral health and substance abuse, recovery programs, jobs, childcare, churches etc.
New Directions of TCN’s family violence prevention and intervention program also serves clients who don’t live in the shelter, offering case management, counseling and legal advocacy services. Stockdale said she can help survivors navigate the court and legal systems, including working through civil protection orders and divorces.
“I can be a middle person when working with law enforcement and the prosecutor’s office,” she said. “I like to provide education and emotional support to victims; anything at all that they need, I’m here to help.”
When looking at both residential and non-residential clients from when shelter opened in 2016 to September 2020, Brownlee related that 1,262 survivors have been served, including 933 adults and 329 children.
Also during that time, 1,520 crisis calls have been handled.
Throughout her time at the Soteria House, Ford said clients have informed her that other shelters had turned them away because they were full and told them that no help could be rendered.
“We never turn anyone away; it’s a culture for us,” she said. “We figure out a solution to help in their situation.
“When clients come to us, their support systems are gone. That’s why it’s so important for us to support them in every way possible and not to judge them.”
Managing the daily details of the house, the staff members, including Pursley who works in direct care management, and assistant house monitors Morgan Wilcoxon and Loren Long noted the rewarding nature of their work in helping survivors along their journeys of hope and healing.
“The part I love to see is when someone is ready to go out on their own and how much they’ve grown and changed,” Ford said. “It’s amazing to be a part of that transformation in someone.”
For individuals facing a crisis situation, local law enforcement can help direct victims to Soteria House representatives. There also is a local crisis line available at (877) 394-1046. The Logan County New Directions of TCN office can be reached at (937) 593-5777.
The Soteria House also maintains a Facebook page. Wilcoxon has recently taken over the task of managing the page, providing updates on specific needs from volunteers and donation items, along with advocacy and awareness campaigns.