GRANT TO SAFE HOUSE HELPS MEET BIG NEED

When family violence strikes, many women have no place to turn. They need a helping hand, a friendly ear and a place to stay.

The Safe House for Women in Cape Girardeau has been meeting the needs of women and children throughout the region since opening its doors in November 1991.

Thanks to a boost from Sikeston-based First National Bank and the Federal Home Loan Bank, the Safe House will be able to offer transitional housing to women working toward new, independent lives. The Safe House received a $217,500 grant that will be used to purchase an apartment complex with eight two-bedroom units.

The process to obtain this sizable grant was a model of teamwork.

First National Bank worked with the Safe House to obtain the grant for low-income housing. The Safe House board, staff and bank completed the 40-page application. Local unions, the Cape Girardeau Police Department and other agencies also lent a helping hand.

Volunteer labor -- especially the labor unions -- will be used to help renovate the building. Last weekend, some 70 volunteers from Southeast Missouri State University worked to clean the apartments.

The Safe House reaches out to victims of domestic violence in Cape Girardeau, Scott, Bollinger, New Madrid and Mississippi counties. Women and their children escape violence at home, spending from a few days to a few months at the shelter. The average stay is about six weeks.

The Safe House provides a secure place where their abusers can't find them. The locations of both the main Safe House and the new apartment complex are kept confidential.

The Safe House keeps busy. It has served nearly 1,500 women and children since its doors opened in 1991. The problems of domestic problems in the region seem to mirror the rest of the country. Nationally, one in seven women are the victims of domestic violence.

First National Bank is to be commended for its leadership role in this project. Thanks to the bank, the Safe House can better serve women and children in crisis. Together, these agencies and businesses are helping to make a real difference in the fight against domestic violence.