CLACKAMAS
Finding safety for the abused
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Editorial
BY JÉANETTE WRIGHT
THE CLACKAMAS PRINT
After a year of being closed for rebuilding,
Clackamas W om ens’ Services (CWS) re
opened their Village of Hope.
CWS provides help to those in need of
help after sexual or domestic abuse. Their
headquarters is located at A Safe Place
Family Justice Center in Oregon City.
“ The Village is housed in a confidential
spot in Clackamas County, and the building
is specifically designed to help survivors feel
safe and comfortable, ” Bethany Morris, CWS
shelter coordinator said.
Originally a 1900’ s-era shelter, the
building had to be rebuilt to accommodate
the new services and space requirements
CW S wanted to incorporate. The new
building has lots of offices and living spaces,
as well as community rooms for group use.
The Village is the largest em ergency
shelter in the Portland Metro area for
women escaping domestic violence.
Unique to the Village, the base length
o f stay is 30 days, although participants
may apply for an extension. “ The average
stay is two to three m o n th s,” Kristin
Schlotterbeck, CWS community education
and communications program manager
said.
Offices are available for meeting with
outside resources, like law enforcement
or counseling. 24-hour sta ff and help
are available, with lines connecting law
enforcement directly to the Village in case,
of urgent situations.
CWS has a counseling team that offers
their services for free and can m eet
participants at the V illage. Building
connections w ith outside partners and
helping survivors find the right programs,
resources and aid is one of the biggest things
CWS does-.
’ “ We recognize that we can’t provide
[everything],” said Angie Drake, housing
program m anager, “ and in some cases
probably shouldn’t because there’s already
folks Out there doing fantastic work. A big
part for survivors’ ongoing success and
healing also includes breaking isolation
which we believe is really at the core of
abuse.”
The Village also has rooms for community
programs, such as yoga, self-care groups
and.support groups.
Support groups for sexual and domestic
assault are currently held in both English
and Spanish, and the Village has Staff that
can speak, Farsi, Spanish, Russian and
English currently.
ON THE COVER:
“ This com m unity-centered model is
focused on building safe and supportive
connections,” Schlotterbeck said. “ The
opportunity for survivors o f dom estic
violence to stay connected to theirshelter
community, particularly for their children,
is a key component in breaking the isolation
and depression that follow an abusive
relationship.”
I
“ The best way to support
someone would be to share
your concerns and help
mitigate any fears they
may have for coming in "
- Kristin Schlotterbeck
As adaptable as. the shelter is, the
confidential aspect of it can be challenging.
“ I think sometimes participants just don’t
even know th at, y ’know, a place like
this exists,” Morris said. “ W e just feel
so fortunate, really, to be able to be like,
wait, this is a shelter. I think it’ s such a
difference in the ways that people think of
shelter being, maybe, like, gymnasiums,
with, like, cots in it, and just some blank
walls, and it was definitely one of the things
that we were really just.. .trying to keep that
“ home” feel to it, and not have it feel so
institutionalized.”
Space is a huge concern for people jolted
from their homes and seeking shelter, and
the Village maximizes the space available
by adding long hallways and lots of space
in between doors to create a feeling of
individual living spaces.
Bedrooms are adaptable, with w alk-in
closets and the possibility of adding beds,
or cribs, to house all family sizes. There is
room for approximately 13 women and their
children to stay, and the Village usually sees
around 100 women staying there each year.
“ I think we recognize that sometimes
shelters’ space can be a barrier for larger
families accessing shelter arid that was one
of the things we really wanted to make sure
wasn’t going be a factor for participants
trying to access shelter as well, ” Morris said.
The Village imposes no age, gender, or
ability restrictions; for those with different
ability needs, the village has a second
building to meet those accomodations.
“ W ithin shelter, we just see a lot of
generational abuse that’ s happened, so
we’re able to take in fam ilies. That may
be grandma, mom and kids,” Morris said.
“ We don’t exclude people. Like, we really
try to be an inclusive shelter, and just low
barriers, and so what we see within that is,
if we can keep the family unit together as
much as possible, then that’s what we’re
wanting to do.”
“ We recognize that abuse doesn’t just
impact the person that it’s directly targeted
to, but it has those trickle effects within the
family as well,” Morris said.
Whether you are the person seeking help,
or it’s someone close to you, knowing about
the available resources is vital.
/•'•“ It can be really challenging to ask
for help, especially if someone is being
threatened with escalating violence if they
do seek safety,” Schlotterbeck said. “ The
best way to support someone would be to
share ydur concerns and help mitigate any
fears they may have for coming in. If you are
close to the person experiencing violence,
maybe offer to call thecrisis line for them, or
come with them to visit A Safe Place Family
Justice Center.”
A Safe Place Family Justice Center is open
Monday through Friday 8 a.m . to 4 p.m .,
and the 24-hour crisis line can be reached
at 1-888-654-2288.
photo by Jared Preble
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March 14, 2018