Safe Haven adapts to COVID-19, continues to offer shelter, services

SHAWANO — Safe Haven Domestic Abuse shelter in Shawano is continuing to provide shelter and services, but with changes being forced by the COVID-19 coronavirus.

“We’re not doing in-person meetings or in-person support groups or those types of things,” Safe Haven Executive Director Stacey Cicero said.

“We’re doing lot of things online, including our support groups and our individual advocacy,” she said. “We’re still providing support through food boxes and hygiene boxes and all of those kinds of things.”

Cicero said Safe Haven is still providing shelter for victims of domestic abuse, “but in a different way.”

She declined to be more specific for reasons of confidentiality.

Cicero said domestic abuse victims can still reach out to Safe Haven, even amid the coronavirus health emergency.

There is some concern that the statewide order for citizens to stay at home if at all possible could spur an increase in domestic violence incidents.

“We have people locked in their houses, staying in their houses and there’s a lot of tension right now even in normal families,” Cicero said. “It’s a lot of togetherness.”

In the case of households where domestic violence was prevalent to begin with, the coronavirus situation could potentially make matters worse, Cicero said.

“What I’m afraid is happening, is the victims don’t want to come forward right now for lots of different reasons,” she said.

One reason is, people are unsure of where they would go if they left home, Cicero said.

“We are in kind of a scary time where you have the COVID virus out there and people don’t want to catch it and they don’t know where they’re safe to go,” she said. “That really concerns me a lot, and that’s why I want to make sure people understand our services are still available.”

That includes the shelter’s 24-hour crisis line at 715-526-3421.

“If somebody just needs to talk or needs to discuss options, we can do that,” Cicero said.

Safe Haven can also be contacted by text at 715-584-1258, which is a text-only line, and by email at help@shawanoshelter.org.

Under normal circumstances, victims often have an out from homes where there is domestic abuse occurring, Cicero said.

“They can go to work. The kids can go to school. They can go meet with friends or family or get out of the house for a while,” she said. “Right now, that’s just not what people can do.”

In addition to continuing to provide services, Safe Haven is also still accepting donations of non-perishable food items, hygiene products, cleaning supplies, diapers and other basic needs.

“We really need those products right now,” Cicero said. “Our shelves are looking pretty bare because we’ve been giving out so many food and hygiene boxes and helping our clients with that, and we’re not getting things in because obviously donations are way down.”

If people are interested in donating, they can contact Safe Haven to find out exactly what’s currently needed.

The shelter is also taking online financial contributions, which, Cicero said, have been very helpful.

“We’re utilizing the (federal food assistance) Feeding America program and that’s been really helpful because they have stuff,” she said. “Now if we send somebody to the store to get toilet paper or diapers, there’s none there. Even if we have somebody willing to go get it, the product isn’t there.”

Safe Haven is not accepting donations of clothing or used products right now, partly because of coronavirus concerns, but also because the shelter doesn’t have the staff to sort through those items.

“Since Goodwill has closed, people just think, ‘oh, I’ll just leave it on the front porch of Safe Haven, they’ll need it.’ And we really don’t,” Cicero said.

tryan@newmedia-wi.com