S.A.F.E. shelter expansion underway in Hamilton

by Michael Howell

The ground was broken last week on the expansion project now underway at Supporters of an Abuse Free Environment (S.A.F.E.) in Hamilton.  S.A.F.E. is the only provider of emergency shelter and services in Ravalli County for survivors of domestic and intimate partner abuse. The new building project promises to enhance and extend the critical services that the organization has been providing since first being formed in 1988.

 S.A.F.E. is the offspring of an effort initiated by the Soroptimist International of Hamilton, a volunteer organization of women dedicated to empowering, educating and encouraging women and girls to improve their self-confidence, health, and socio-economic standing. According to Soroptimist President Teri Polumsky, “a little group of old ladies looked around at the time, saw a need and went to work.”  They began back in 1988 working with the YWCA in Missoula by establishing a crisis hotline for people experiencing domestic and sexual violence. The crisis line continues to this day. Just call (406) 363-4600. Originally called Family Violence Services, emergency shelter was made available by members offering their own homes as a temporary refuge. At the same time, they began raising funds to establish a regular shelter. 

In 1991, the program was renamed Supporters of an Abuse Free Environment and by 2000 the organization was able to build a four-bedroom facility for emergency services and developed nine units of transitional housing where folks suffering from domestic and sexual violence could stay for a longer term as they established more permanent solutions.

Polumsky called the Soroptimist group, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year,  an “incubator” group that has helped spawn a number of community programs including a mammogram program at the hospital, the Colors of Cancer campaign and others. She said the success of the S.A.F.E. organization made them feel like “proud grandparents.”

Stacey Umhey, Director of S.A.F.E. since 1999, said “We thought at the time that we were done with working on building projects,” said Umhey, “but the community has just grown and grown to the point that we found ourselves unable to keep up with the need. In the 2021 program year we turned people away over 90 times and when we turn people away they really have no other options.”

Up until recently they were able to rely on the Bitterroot Family Shelter to take up the slack. That group was footing the bill to place people in need of shelter in local hotels. But last fall they announced that they would no longer be able to due to rising costs and lack of available hotel rooms. 

“That’s when we started working with the City [of Hamilton] and Human Resource Council and came up with this plan to expand,” said Umhey.

Hamilton Mayor Dominic Farrenkopf has been a longtime supporter of S.A.F.E. in his own unique and creative ways, participating in their Take Back the Night and White Ribbon Campaigns, composing a rap poem last year for their annual gala, and periodically allowing the public the opportunity to throw a ball at a target and, if their aim is good, dump the mayor into a water tank.

The City itself, along with the Human Resource Council, was instrumental in obtaining a Community Development Block Grant for over a million dollars to help out with the current building expansion. They also provided S.A.F.E. with temporary office space in the old police department for use during the expansion project.

“We recognize the good work they do in our community,” said Farrenkopf, “and would like to thank them for their service, encourage them to continue and congratulate them on the recognition they have recently received from the state.”

The Mayor will also be showing up in his turtle outfit at Hieronymus Park on June 29 for the Turbo Turtle Derby, a fundraiser sponsored by the Soroptimists, who will be putting about 2,000 plastic turtles up for ‘adoption’. For $5, the turtles can be entered in a race down the Corvallis Canal and the winner will get $500. The rest of the proceeds go to S.A.F.E. There is also a “modified race” in which, for $25, you can enter a turtle that has been equipped with a sail or a motor or any other creative modification.

According to Umhey, the building expansion project has also received donations from the Otto Bremer Foundation, the Steele-Reese Foundation, the Washington Foundation, the Cadeau Foundation, the Gianforte Foundation and NorthWestern Energy.

The Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office has also raised over $20,000 for S.A.F.E. with its Man Up crusade, involving the Ravalli County Rodeo during the county fair at which the public is encouraged to wear purple and local individuals and businesses sponsor a bull and a bronc which are powdered purple. The rider gets a $250 bonus and a belt buckle and the rest of the money goes to S.A.F.E.

“I’m pretty excited about this expansion project,” said Sheriff Steve Holton, who also serves on the S.A.F.E. board of directors. “Not only for the increased emergency shelter space but for all the other programming that it will benefit.” This includes legal advocacy, help in obtaining restraining orders, dealing with violations of the orders and stalking, as well as in helping convicted offenders to reduce recidivism.

Holton said that about half the caseload at the Sheriff’s Office is dealing with domestic violence and the caseload is always increasing with an increase in population.

“Whether it’s a partner or family member assault call, an order of protection, a contact order violation, or a stalking case, it’s pretty much 50% of our case load,” he said, “and unfortunately that’s par for the country.”

Umhey said that the expansion was going to help significantly in providing more space for programming and make life easier for the residents.

“Our staff works a lot with local property managers and community groups in our efforts related to housing issues, child care and mental health,” she said. “We will have more room for hosting our support groups and for holding educational events.”

She said they learned a lot from operating in their existing facility and incorporated those lessons into the new building design.

“We saw that people coming into an unfamiliar space in the midst of a crisis is exacerbated by cramped space and having to share bathrooms,” said Umhey. She said that, after expansion, six of the eight bedrooms would have their own bathrooms. There will also be a couple of rooms separated off with doors for even more added privacy and potentially for quarantine in case of illness. 

There will also be more room for making meals. “We had only one table against a wall that only had two places to sit for 12 people,” she said. “Now we are going to have more quiet, private places for people to eat and talk.”

The building expansion project will add 4,200 square feet to S.A.F.E.’s current footprint. 

Umhey said the cost of the expansion project increased a lot from initial projections and now totals about $3,211,472, so the group is still looking for more funds and is planning its own fundraiser for the spring. A Barbie Party is planned for May 11 at the Bitterroot River Inn. An associated on-line auction will start on May 5.

Umhey said she initially  balked at the idea of a Barbie theme but her cohorts urged her to view the new “Barbie” movie that has been drawing crowds. They said it would change her mind. 

“I watched it,” she said, “and now I’m OK with the thing.”

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic or intimate partner abuse, call the Crisis Line at 406-363-4600 anytime, day or night.