$7,500

Last year, Sylvia's Place assisted 2,161 callers via our 24/7 hotline. 470 of those callers seeking immediate shelter services. Our shelter facility provided 2,358 safe bednights to 95 victims of domestic violence that made the hard decision to flee an abuser. An additional 122 clients were provided non-residential services from our Victim Legal Advocate. Your support would offer services to just as many, or more victims of domestic violence. Our services are available 24/7 to those enduring abuse.

Ryan Sabatke, President
Amanda Wolf, Vice President
Lauren Olmstead, Secretary
Lindsey Williams, Treasurer
Kristin Alkire
Lora Kamyszek
Laurie Fuelling
Jenelle Johnson

Our mission is to create and sustain a safe environment that empowers survivors of abuse through preventative education and advocacy which promotes stronger individuals, families, and communities. It is the vision of Sylvia’s Place to be recognized as a definitive resource and safe house provider for survivors of domestic violence in Allegan and surrounding counties. Sylvia's Place has offered refuge to over 3,643 women and children since opening the doors in 1996. Last year advocates assisted over 2,161 callers on the 24/7 hotline. Services are vital for those suffering a lifestyle full of fear, isolation, danger and toxic control. Abusers establish a power over victims that is an especially hard cycle to break. Once victims reach the realization that a better lifestyle is attainable, they need a safe place to turn. Abuse will often escalate immediately following the decision to flee, resulting in an even higher risk of danger and potentially death. When considering what “emergency shelter and supportive services” consists of, one may primarily think of a temporary place to reside, or aid for abuse victims. Overall that is a reasonable, yet extremely vague, description of what we actually provide. Support is a generic term that encompasses an extensive range of possibilities. When it comes to domestic violence, support is quite complex. Each individual we support comes with a varying degree of trauma, barriers and experiences. Largely, when survivors enter shelter they are starting their lives over…entirely.

Our program provides safety and empowerment to help victims build a solid foundation and framework for an independent lifestyle free from abuse and fear. Our purpose is to establish trust and conviction with someone who has involuntarily lost all hope; to revitalize aspirations and identify purpose and goals; to restore healthy, engaging lifestyles to those isolated and controlled by fear and anguish. Our program is so much more than the simple term “support”; it is honestly life changing!

As a result of funding reallocations at the federal and state level, our facility no longer receives dollars for utilities and communication. Expenses for our 24-hour hotline operations were displaced, shelter staff wages were eliminated. These continued inadequacies must be reallocated to other funding sources, as they remain vital parts to our operations. Keeping the shelter warm and the electricity on for those we serve is indisputable. Offering 24-hour access to our services via the hotline is pivotal. We must rely heavily on our community and local support to keep our doors open, and maintain services for those fleeing abuse. We offer a service like no other agency in the county. Advocates answer calls on weekends, holidays, and in the middle of the night. We work closely with law enforcement and court officials to ensure victims get the help they need, when they need it. There is an urgency to our services that is literally the difference between life and death for many victims of abuse. Trained, knowledgeable shelter staff are an invaluable resource, especially in our current economy. Recruiting and maintaining motivated, qualified candidates is as challenging as it has ever been. The job market is expansive and competitive; however, the pool of candidates is quite the opposite. Program supplies and client specific needs are areas enduring deficits as well. Consider the cost required to maintain your personal lifestyle…rent/mortgage, utilities, food, clothing, an exhausting list of supplies from toilet paper to furniture…all of this times 6 families in a communal atmosphere is what it takes to keep our doors open for those fleeing an abusive partner. The cost is excessive, but the need for it is even greater.

The requested $7,500 is 1.3% of our overall annual budget for the agency. The impact it will have on the lives of those we serve is instrumental. Ever-changing funding for our agency is a constant battle, however, our dedicated staff and Board of Directors have recognized the necessity to maintain our existence and overcome the hurdles as they come our way, just as we empower survivors to do. We sincerely ask that you consider the role you play in the lives of victims enduring abuse and join our mission to put an end to the violence by supporting those we serve with the requested grant funds.

The areas of which AWARE funding would be utilized, such as 24/7 hotline operations, shelter facility utilities, supplies, client assistance dollars are all considering unallowable or only partially fulfilled by another funding source. Unrestricted dollars are used to bridge the gaps as available, however committed funding is not nearly enough to maintain the required necessities. Additionally, with the unpredictability of federal funding in its current state, we could potentially encounter significant cuts to our existing funding levels. This could be detrimental to our agency, those we serve and our community. It is crucial that we extend the importance of maintaining our services to all funding sources to ensure our services remain uninterrupted.

Over the past 28 years, Sylvia’s Place has assisted over 3,643 victims within the walls of our shelter facility. Additionally, our non-residential program has advocated over 5,243 families since piloting in 1998. We have learned from our served population that domestic violence does not recognize “business hours” and has a tendency to increase during times such as the stress and commotion of holidays and the heat of the summer. Although there is no exact pattern to violence or how/when it occurs, we can expect some of these events to trigger higher call volumes. Encountering inconceivable scenarios and unbelievable situations is common in our line of work; just when we think we have heard the worst story ever from a devastated victim of domestic abuse, we get another implausible, heartbreaking recollection of events. We can continue to learn from each endeavor, but will never have a comprehensive understanding of why abuse occurs. What we can identify from each survivor is the ability to overcome regardless of the level of trauma.

Our current annual budget is sourced 35% from Federal grants, 43% from Corporate/Community supporters, 20% from local foundation/organization grants, and 2% from State funding. With the added support of Westshore AWARE we can ensure these vital services are available when a survivor finally decides they have had enough and makes the call for safety. Obtaining funding is will always be a challenge, but we will always work diligently to assist the most survivors we can with the funds available.

Domestic violence is the broad term to define behavior designated to manipulate, control, belittle, or otherwise cause harm. Domestic violence is common and can strike any group of individuals, regardless of their demographic makeup. Those impacted can include all gender identities, ages, backgrounds, sexual orientations and socioeconomic status. The only common denominator they all share is that they are experiencing abuse. The relationship between the abuser and the survivor is usually romantic, sexual, familial or otherwise intimate. Often, the perpetrator resides in the same household as the person enduring the violence. Incidents and severity remain unpredictable, therefore, it is critical that we remain accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week…victims may need us at any given hour, on any given day. For this reason, our shelter is staffed around the clock and we operate a 24-hour hotline to ensure availability when victims are ready and it is safe for them to make the call for help.

With the right support system, a robust, engaging lifestyle is absolutely possible. It may not be easy, but nonetheless achievable with committed perseverance. Restoring faith, courage and independence in the life of survivors that have overcome, regardless of the obstacles in their way, is the ultimate success. Your support would have an invaluable impact on those we serve.

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