DC SAFE

On Thursday July 20, 2023, we proudly hosted the Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for our new SAFE Space Crisis Shelter in Northeast DC. It marked a significant milestone for us in our ongoing commitment to providing dignified emergency housing and comprehensive support for survivors of domestic violence. 

Despite facing numerous obstacles during the unprecedented global health pandemic, the two-year construction journey culminated in an extraordinary achievement—the delivery of a 30-unit crisis shelter that will triple current capacity, housing an estimated 750 survivors and families each year.

Deputy Mayor of Public Safety & Justice Lindsey Appiah

“Certainly you’ve heard about the challenges of getting the building built, but also the resilience of survivors," said Deputy Mayor Lindsey Appiah, "I think on so many levels—what we’re standing in—is a representation of resilience.”

Several community leaders joined Deputy Mayor Appiah in delivering remarks, including Office of Victim Services & Justice Grants Director Jennifer Porter, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Council members Charles Allen, Brooke Pinto, and Zachary Parker. Afterward, we invited everyone to tour the finished building for the very first time!

We were particularly excited to show off the residential spaces, ranging from studios to three bedrooms, designed to expand and contract based on family size. We also guided guests through our shelter intake offices and penthouse level, which includes recreational areas for adults and a rooftop play area for children.

Shelter Unit Kitchen

Shelter Unit Living Room

Going from room to room, our team was struck by the magnitude of what we had accomplished, which was only made possible by the tremendous backing of our shelter project partners, to whom we extend heartfelt gratitude.

Natalia Otero, Co-founder and Executive Director, DC SAFE

Because of their tireless efforts, SAFE Space's impact will extend beyond individual survivors, positively influencing the entire community by fostering a culture of empathy, support, and empowerment.

As our Executive Director Natalia Otero said, "Social change is not for the short of patience or perseverance...and it can only be innovative and adaptive if it is backed up by collective action. This incredible building is a testament to that."

We put the first steps in motion for building SAFE Space over six years ago, and needless to say, this has been our shared dream for a long time. Thank you to all our friends and supporters throughout the community for helping make this possible!

Written by Rina Jeanette, Guest Contributor

The reproductive health rights of Americans are currently under attack, with far-reaching consequences. In particular, restricting reproductive health rights, including abortion access, severely compromises domestic violence survivors’ ability to obtain safety and self-determination. In the U.S., domestic violence is a public health problem that affects one in three adult women and one in ten adult men. In fact, the annual cost of medical and mental health care services for domestic violence survivors is estimated to be as high as $8 billion a year due to physical injuries and mental trauma caused by abuse.

Unfortunately, a significant portion of these injuries stem from sexual abuse. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, women experience 4.8 million incidents of physical or sexual assault annually in the U.S. Given the scope of these numbers, as well as the possible unreported cases, it becomes even more crucial that reproductive health rights are accessible to survivors.

How Reproductive Health Rights Can Change a Survivor’s Life

One of the markers of abuse is that individuals experiencing abuse have restricted lives. In fact, abusers often use reproductive coercion against survivors, preventing them from using birth control and pressuring them to become pregnant against their will. Unfortunately, survivors who are forced to continue their pregnancy are more likely to remain with their abuser, thus leading to a cycle of domestic abuse. It's worth noting that this is also especially common among racial/ethnic minorities, adolescents, and low-income women, since the existing power differences make it harder for survivors to leave the situation.

In fact, One Safe Place even reports that 40% of the individuals that they have served were abused by their intimate partners during pregnancy. As a result, survivors have to experience physical or sexual abuse while taking on the physical, emotional, and financial toll of pregnancy and childbirth.

With several states banning abortion, it’s become an urgent matter that legislators understand how reproductive health rights like birth control and abortion care can mitigate the effects of domestic violence across the US. After all, the decision to ban abortion across several states doesn’t only harm women, but also threatens community safety across the country, given that healthcare access and quality can affect one’s health, outcomes, and quality of life. By taking away the bodily autonomy of women, community members may suffer from the impact of increased risky behaviors and a higher likelihood of intimate partner violence.

The Support That Domestic Violence Survivors Need

Alongside the protection of reproductive rights, there's so much more that needs to be done for survivors of abuse. Domestic violence survivors have different needs, and it’s important that there are avenues of support available for them, as reproductive rights, civil rights, and human rights work hand in hand.

Survivors need holistic support as they begin to get back on their feet. Not only do survivors deserve dignified crisis housing, but a safe space that provides varied low-barrier supportive services. For example, DC SAFE’s shelter facility in the District of Columbia, provides 24/7 immediate placement, prioritizing high-risk survivors experiencing severe abuse. In addition to DC SAFE’s crisis intervention services, residents in the shelter program can also connect to other on-site partners, like the DC Forensic Nurse Examiners, who provide 24/7 forensic nursing care and other reproductive health care services to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Easy access to all services, albeit emergency shelter or reproductive health care, is essential to providing support and community care that targets the whole person.

Conclusion

Abusers already seek to take away survivors’ agency, and bans on reproductive health services will only continue to reduce their choices. Increasing the accessibility when it comes to supportive services, especially reproductive healthcare, is thus crucial so that survivors can start over, free from abuse. As such, we must continue to advocate for survivors and reproductive justice, and fight to protect the right to bodily autonomy. By advocating for full and equal access to reproductive healthcare, we can create safety for all.

Honoring Lives Lost, 2021

Although it is never very far from our thoughts all year long, we like to close out Domestic Violence Awareness Month by dedicating space to remember the lives lost to domestic violence over the past year. The casualties of domestic violence are very real and that is never lost on us. We are a crisis intervention agency, but our commitment to our community very much includes prevention work. We have served on the city’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board since 2009, which tracks domestic violence-related deaths, assesses associated risk factors, and makes recommendations to improve the systematic response to domestic violence. 

Frankly, we are in the middle of a violence epidemic. In the past year, DC saw 147 homicides and violent crime increased by 200 incidents from the year prior. We know of at least six domestic violence homicides, including a double homicide, committed in the District of Columbia in 2021. Today we honor Tiffany Hardy, Dara Northern, Wanda Wright, Ebony Wright, Talaya Campbell, and Nikiesha Thomas.

Sadly, one in four women experience intimate partner violence, Homicide is a leading cause of death for women in the U.S. under 44 years old, and nearly half of female homicide victims are killed by a current or former partner.

The nation was recently stunned by the heartbreaking case surrounding the search and murder of Gabby Petito. A communal sadness was experienced across the country, and we too grieved her loss. At the same time, it’s so important that we pay attention to stories like Gabby’s that don’t get the same level of national attention, especially those of Black, Brown and Indigenous women and LGBTQIA individuals. Stories right here in DC. Like Ebony’s. Like Talaya’s. Like Nikiesha’s. 

The reality is that all of these stories give an important reminder to learn the signs of dating abuse and intimate partner violence—it literally saves lives. Of all the warning signs of intimate partner homicide, strangulation is one of the strongest predictors. According to the Training Institute on Strangulation Prevention, “A woman who has suffered a nonfatal strangulation incident with her intimate partner is 750% more likely to be killed by the same perpetrator...” 

This is why we ask our clients if they have ever experienced strangulation during our Lethality Assessment, which helps us determine if a client is at high-risk for re-assault or homicide. If the client is deemed to be at high-risk, they receive expedited and enhanced coordinated services city-wide. 

Our Crisis Intervention Director, Kylie Hogan, confirmed this research saying, “In every training I do for DC SAFE, I try to highlight the dangers of strangulation. The injuries and long-term risk from strangulation are subtle and overlooked. Providing information and resources is a critical aspect of our work and having very real and direct conversations about the dangers of strangulation with both our partners and our clients is essential. This aspect of abuse is often minimized or discounted altogether even though clients describe the experience of being strangled as terrifying. The lack of bruising or outward physical harm makes the fear and injuries easy to overlook. I am a strong supporter of any action to help make the criminal justice system take strangulation more seriously. Not only is this act at its most basic an attempt to kill or at least make someone afraid for their life, but it is a hallmark of a very dangerous relationship and pattern of violence that is escalating.”

The DC Council is taking steps to fix this. Bill 24-116, the Victims’ Protection Amendment Act of 2021, commonly known as the “Strangulation Bill” would create a felony offense for the strangulation of another person. Legislative protections like this signal the seriousness and severity of strangulation and we hope that enacting them will deter people from committing this type of violence. 

To wrap it up, in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we hope you will join us in taking a moment to honor the lives lost to domestic violence this year. Every life lost is tragic and senseless. We will continue to always remember why we do this work and push harder.