Bronx News 12
October 25, 2018
A new study is helping domestic violence shelter workers better understand how they can help survivors and their families.
Safe Horizon is the country’s leading crime victim assistance group, serving nearly 1,900 adults and children every year in its shelters in the city.
The new Lang Report revealed 67 percent of participants said they felt cut off or distant from their social or family connections. Because of this, Vice President of Shelters Kelly Coyne says Safe Horizon is proposing an open shelter model. In this new model, a trusted family member would be allowed to visit the facility.
Safe Horizon is working with state and city partners to make this possible while still keeping safety in mind.
The facility spoke with 83 participants in six emergency shelters in the five boroughs and interviewed them three times. They were interviewed when the first got to the shelter, several months into their stay and when they left.
Safe Horizon has also begun adding mental health clinics, financial literacy training, and hired a housing coordinator.