SHELTER NEEDS
- Bike (for an adult)
- Summer clothes for all ages, sizes, and genders
- Pajamas for all ages, sizes, and genders
- New underwear for all ages, sizes, and genders
- Boy shorts (medium and large)
- Twin comforters
- Full size comforters
- Towels/wash clothes, etc.
EPEC and HOUSING
By Melanie Kozak, Jefferson County Victim Advocate
Every client we work with at EPEC has a different story. However, all of our clients have one thing in common – bravery. One of the bravest things someone can do in their entire lives is to ask others for help. Some clients ask for help in navigating the court system, some are asking for support in working through trauma, many are seeking a safe place to go.
Recently at EPEC we’ve been facing a crisis.There are so few safe places to go. At EPEC we are lucky enough to have our own shelter. However, we only have one shelter for all of the three counties we service. We have 16 beds available for the thousands of clients we work with. Our shelter accepts clients of all genders and families of all sizes. However we have a perpetually full shelter with a constant wait-list.
Thankfully, our advocates are experts of creativity. A full shelter is not new to us so we’ve become experts at looking for alternative options. We put clients in hotels, we reach out to other shelters, we transport victims sometimes across the country to live with friends and family. However, hotels are costly, other shelters fill up and many clients don’t have support systems available that are able to take them in. With a lack of options many clients feel like it’s easier to stay in unsafe situations than to climb a mountain of red tape in order to find a new place to live.
A large portion of our clients are already stretched thin financially. Some of them previously relied on the income of an abusive partner, some of them have lost jobs or time at work because of court dates or emotional trauma. Many clients have been or are becoming single parents having to navigate child care costs and schedules. Having to come up with thousands of dollars for the first month’s rent and security deposit with little to no notice feels close to impossible.
Our community isn’t completely blind to this problem. There are a few amazing organizations who help people in need meet these financial demands in order to get to safety. However, even with financial assistance, recently housing options are scarce. Apartment complexes have months or years long waitlists. Rental properties leave the market within hours. On top of the lack of availability, rent is skyrocketing. Clients are living on friend’s couches, out of their cars and oftentimes in unsafe situations as they wait for something affordable to become available.
How You Can Help
Landlords. If you are a landlord please think about those in need before thinking of increasing rent. Think about ways to give priority entitlement to people fleeing unsafe situations bumping them to the top of the list. We also have a dedicated housing advocate that you can speak to for additional information on housing – for more information, you can reach Jenna @ housingadvocate@swcinc.org
Make Noise. Contact our legislatures at all levels and make sure they understand the housing crisis we are facing. Demand more affordable housing in our communities.
Donate. All donations to EPEC go directly to helping our clients. You can donate via our paypal @ PayPal.me/EPECsavelives. We also use the Safe Night App which, through donations, pays for the hotel stays of people in need (more info below or by clicking the link).
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Katie Spriggs, Executive Director; and Melanie Kozak, Jefferson County Victim Advocate.
Our legislative advocacy day took place virtually this year. Representatives from EPEC met with our state legislators via Zoom to educate them on the impact specific pieces of legislation can/would have on survivors in the districts we serve.
This years legislative session did not conclude without struggle. Many of the bills that impact our communities and support our mission were unsuccessful in movement towards policy. However, victims of sexual violence in our communities and the agencies that provide services and advocacy for victims did receive a big win.
House Bill 2022, the “Budget Bill,” which appropriates public money out of the treasury to various programs passed with a significant fiscal increase to programs serving victims of sexual assault. EPEC was advocating for the legislature to approve funding in the amount of $500,000, which the state had approved in previous years. The 2020 session approved an amount of $250,000 which was an increase from the dismal amount of $125,000 approved by the 2019 legislature, which is divided between 12 crisis rape centers throughout the state, all providing 24/7 services.
Here at EPEC, we are pleased to announce and celebrate the fiscal appropriation of $800,000 for sexual assault services throughout the state of West Virginia. These funds help us serve victims of sexual violence and provide education and prevention efforts to decrease the prevalence of sexual violence in West Virginia.
WE’RE WORKING TOGETHER TO PROVIDE SHELTER AND YOU CAN HELP!
Eastern Panhandle Empowerment Center (EPEC) has joined the Safe Shelter Collaborative. We are working together with other agencies in our area to provide shelter or shelter referral services to survivors of domestic violence or human trafficking.
In the past, when our shelter was full and a survivor urgently needed a place to stay, finding available emergency shelter involved multiple phone calls to other agencies trying to find available beds. Worst of all, survivors were forced to relive their trauma with each retelling of their story. The Safe Shelter Collaborative stops this cycle.
The Safe Shelter Collaborative uses technology to improve access to urgently-needed shelter for a greater number of survivors. When our beds are full and we need to locate alternative shelter, we send an online request to the collaborative. Within minutes, we receive replies letting us know who might have space for our client.
Sometimes appropriate shelter space is not available. This is when we turn to our donors for help. When there isn’t available shelter and a hotel placement is appropriate for the survivor, we can send an alert to our individual donors who have downloaded the SafeNight mobile app, asking them to pay for a hotel stay. Users receive an alert on their phone and have an opportunity to make an immediate tax-deductible donation to help fund a hotel stay for someone who otherwise has no place to go to escape an abusive situation.
You can help. Anyone can give a room, providing a safe night for a person in need. Download the SafeNight app and select our agency to support.
UPCOMING
We missed golfing with you last year but we are excited to ask you to Save the Date for this year’s golf tournament – July 23! Please follow our website/socials for updates. All social distancing requirements will be followed.
The EPEC Echo: A Bi-Weekly Podcast
The EPEC Echo podcast to be released on a bi-weekly basis. The podcast will aim to unpack topics such as masculinity and oppression. Watch our socials for release information, details to come soon!
The EPEC Annual Block Party
EPEC’s annual Block Party will take place October 2nd, 2021 this year – save the date and watch our socials for details closer to time!