Cape Safe House honors three people in celebrating 10 years

Every journey begins with a single step. Friday night the Safe House for Women celebrated those first steps taken 10 years ago when the idea of a shelter for battered and abused women and their children was a novel one.

"This night is really all about celebration and recognizing that we could not have done what we did without the help of some very important people," explained Cheryl Robb-Welch, director of the Safe House for Women.

Three of those important people were recognized Friday night for their contributions to the establishment of the Safe House.

They were Pat Strom, Stephen Strong and Richard Meyer.

Robb-Welch said each played a crucial role in the very beginnings of the Safe House. Strom was the first board president. Strong, police chief for Cape Girardeau, even in the days when he was a patrol officer saw the need for such a shelter.

Meyer is a retired assistant administrator at Southeast Missouri Hospital where he worked for more than 30 years.

He, too, was one of the early advocates of the Safe House.

26,038 people helped

Robb-Welch said that since the Safe House opened its doors and offered shelter to its very first recipient on Nov. 1, 1991, it has since offered shelter to 1,797 women and children. Their nights of stay have totaled 26,038, and hundreds more have received assistance with food and rent, court advocacy, counseling and support groups.

Friday night's dinner featured music from a string quartet, a presentation by U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson and a selection of poetry written by a former Safe House resident.

Though the number of programs available to women through the shelter has changed and expanded through the years, the mission of the shelter has not changed, said Robb-Welch.

"Our mission is still really the same: To serve battered women and their dependent children," she said.

The idea is to make a difficult time in a woman's life easier through supporting her and her children, Robb-Welch said.

He added that everyone in a family suffers in a domestic violence situation.

The physical and emotional scars can take many years to heal, and the disruption to the family's life can be serious.

The Safe House has as its mission to minimize that trauma as much as possible.

'Ripple effect'

"When domestic violence occurs, it has a ripple effect throughout the family," explained Robb-Welch. Even pets are affected.

"One of the concerns that many mothers and children have when there is a domestic violence situation is concern for their family pet," she said. "We couldn't really let women bring their pets to the shelter, but we understood their concern for their pet's safety."

Out of that understanding was born one of the newest programs being offered through the Safe House in conjunction with the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri.

"We have instituted what we call the PAWS program," Robb-Welch said. "Basically the Humane Society helps us find a foster home for pets until the family can again take care of their pet."

It's those little details of everyday life that can be challenging for a woman trying to start her life anew.

Robb-Welch said that through the years she has seen the caseload for the Safe House remain pretty much the same. "Domestic violence seems to recognize no boundaries in terms of economic status or even the state of the economy," she said.

"We pretty much run 50 to 70 calls per month asking for our assistance in some way," she added.

Types of help

That help may come in the form of a place to stay, or licensed and professional counseling services, court advocacy, or education programs designed for students in the schools or for young children.

Though the work of providing help to women and children who need it is very rewarding, Robb-Welch said one of the most frustrating parts of her job is making sure the shelter has the financial resources it needs to operate.

"We rely heavily on federal and state grants for funding, and as everyone knows, those are sometimes unpredictable," she said.

For instance, she added that this past year the shelter lost a $14,000 grant through cuts in the state budget.

She is still struggling for ways to make that up. Support from the community, including funding from the United Way, is crucial.

"But we also get a lot of help from local individuals and organizations who have taken us on as their cause," she said, adding that it is not uncommon to frequently get donations of household goods like paper towels and paper plates from area churches.

For those who would want to make a financial donation, Robb-Welch said a tax credit program is available for donations of $100 or more.

"We are very happy with the progress we've made in the last ten years," she said. "We just want to recognize the people that have helped us get where we are, and encourage people to help us continue to offer our help for families that need us in the future."