Last night 14 women and 16 children spent the night in La Casa's confidentially located emergency safehouse. Why? Risk of serious injury and death skyrockets 75% when victims are considering or taking steps to separate from abusive partners. Two-plus years of pandemic strain has also further limited vulnerable survivors' alternatives, like turning to friends and family.
Emergency domestic violence shelter is a short-term, stop-gap measure, and an absolutely essential lifeline for women and children facing domestic violence. La Casa is the only local program accessible around the clock, 365 days a year, available anytime safety is needed. Inside, we offer hope, safety, and transformational support services for up to an 8-week stay. Trauma-informed counseling, case management, and "a room of one's own" help families regroup and plan for their next steps. Where will I live? How will I support myself or my family? What supports can I put in place to protect myself and my children from violence and harm? The focused support services and the community survivors find in being together at La Casa empower them to face the complex set of practical and emotional challenges they face to break the cycle of violence and heal mother-child bonds injured by abuse.
It's a lot to do in a short time, on top of managing injury and trauma. So, support for survivors doesn't end at the close of a survivor's stay in shelter. La Casa's Drop In Center is a constant resource, offering follow up and continued access to the same tailored, trauma-informed support to families as they move forward away from imminent danger and abuse. Last year, 628 survivors accessed La Casa's Drop In Center for support.
Though public health-related restrictions have been eliminated in most environments, La Casa's shelter remains designated "high risk" by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, recommending social distancing and requiring masking, COVID testing and quarantine protocols. No one is turned away for health reasons. When women and families are facing imminent danger as a result of domestic violence, La Casa's door is open around-the-clock. Families quarantine on-site until negative COVID tests are verified, and we are proud that there have been no instances of community spread in our shelter facility since the introduction of the coronavirus. We're even more proud that there have been no interruptions in our ability to offer safety to survivors in the Bay Area.
"You were there when I needed you – the most wonderful and amazing idea in the world: a safe place for a mother and her children while the storm of a husband-with-a-gun rages. Thank you! Long may your work continue." J.G., former shelter resident
Advocates and counselors in La Casa's shelter have been working overtime to get families the resources they need, and help them move forward to their next step. Last year, La Casa sheltered and stabilized 269 survivors through 9,113 days and nights of safety, up from 162 survivors in FY21.
Most importantly, the survivors accessing La Casa's shelter-based services continue to get the help they are looking for and demonstrate incredible fortitude:
83% moved into safer, stable next-step housing
62% increased income and financial stability
95% built a critical sense of self-efficacy to meet their own and their children's needs