This DeKalb agency offers 24/7 help with domestic violence crisis – Shaw Local

DeKALB – Are you or someone you know in an abusive relationship and unsure of how to leave safely? Workers Safe Passage DeKalb He said they were here to help.

Safe Passage Inc. is a DeKalb-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals who find themselves in a violent or abusive relationship through advocacy, intervention and prevention. It is DeKalb County’s only shelter for survivors of domestic violence, offering a safe haven for those seeking to leave violent situations.

A Safe Passage employee told Shaw Local on Friday that anyone in immediate danger should call 911. For those seeking longer-term help who are not in imminent danger, Safe Passage’s 24-hour crisis hotline (815-756-5228) is here to help. Hotline reporters offer real-time advice and guidance.

Melissa McGraw, Safe Passage’s clinical director, said the organization’s primary goal is to first consider safety for anyone who reaches out for help.

“(Safe Passage workers) help them get to safety or understand what they need to do to be safe,” McGraw said. “Sometimes this doesn’t just mean running away and taking shelter in a shelter. People leaving an abusive relationship is when risks such as domestic homicide increase. That’s why it’s not that easy to give up such a situation.”

People don’t even need to tell us their names. They can talk to us anonymously, and we will talk to them. We will never share their information with anyone else. This is 100% confidential.”

— Melissa McGraw, clinical director of Safe Passage DeKalb

Safe Passage shares a link on its website Johns Hopkins School of Nursing hazard assessment. The self-administered survey asks participants a variety of questions about their partners, and groups score according to four categories of danger: extreme, severe, increasing and variable.

McGraw said Safe Passage aims to meet people wherever they are by providing services to help them make the safest decision possible. The organization has free counseling services, assists with legal advocacy, and can assist people seeking to obtain a protective order in court against an abusive or violent partner.

Safe Passage’s shelter is ready to take people in at any time of the day, no matter what time of the week they call the agency’s crisis line. Safe Passage workers also inform people about how to recognize domestic violence and what their rights are in concerning scenarios, McGraw said.

“If they’re ready to seek help, we try to help the person figure out how they want to do that,” McGraw said. “People don’t even need to tell us their names. They can talk to us anonymously, and we will talk to them. We will never share their information with others. This is 100% confidential.”

McGraw said Safe Passage staff are happy to talk to anyone with questions about domestic violence, even if they’re not sure their situation qualifies.

McGraw said those who are family or friends of someone who is not in an abusive relationship but might be can play an important role in helping anyone escape abuse. The public can also call Safe Passage’s crisis line to discuss situations they may be facing.

McGraw said she thinks “most survivors or victims of domestic violence are left extremely alone.”

“So, ‘Don’t talk to your friends, don’t talk to your family, don’t tell people what’s going on here. It’s a big secret,” McGraw said, describing an abuser’s behavior. “This can be another barrier that prevents people from leaving or seeking help because they’re disconnected from their support systems.”

McGraw said he thinks it’s important for the public to support those who admit to being in an abusive situation. People at risk may feel even more isolated from needed help if they are cut off from those around them.

Based in Washington DC Violence Policy CenterThe national nonprofit that advocates for reducing gun-related violence estimates that nearly 1,200 Americans died from murder-suicide each year in 2020. Data shows that almost two-thirds of this involves an intimate partner. In these casesThe victim is a woman in 95% of cases.

“When you hear about these murder-suicides, they almost always involve domestic violence,” McGraw said. “And it’s usually not the first time something happens. “This is not the beginning of domestic violence, but the end,” he said.