You Can Help

SC ranked #5 in the US for the number of deaths of women by men, up from #6. Just a few years ago, we were #1. We need your continued support to move that number down.

The federal grant, VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) has been reduced by 18% in 2020, cutting into critical services like shelter, counseling and advocacy for victims of domestic violence.

United Way funding has been drastically reduced because of decreased workplace giving campaigns.

COVID-19 will not cause domestic abuse in otherwise healthy families—just like substance abuse or mental illness do not cause domestic abuse. However, COVID-19 will almost certainly and quickly make at-risk families tip into abuse and will cause abusive relationships to get worse. Worse can be deadly.

The rates of domestic abuse incidents have historically spiked following natural disasters, so we are expecting a spike during COVID-19. According to a recent WYFF report, the number of domestic violence arrests in Greenville County during the month of March 2020 increased by double the number of arrests in March 2019.

Research is showing us that people are drinking more during this pandemic. Additionally, March 2020 saw the highest number of gun sales ever recorded. Domestic violence and guns are a deadly combination. The presence of a gun in domestic violence situations increases the risk of homicide by 500 percent.

Additional family stress—24/7 togetherness, home-schooling children, increased isolation, job losses and overall economic uncertainties—accelerates domestic abuse. Other community resources, such as faith-based organizations, schools, and other non-profit organizations are scaling back services. Victims don’t have outlets for escape, and networks of support aren’t available to provide help and accountability for families at risk for domestic abuse.

Safe Harbor shelters are set up as community living environments and beginning March 25th, we temporarily moved our shelter residents into hotel stays and have been serving clients through our shelter hotel program ever since. While utilizing hotels, we are continuing to provide 24/7 staff availability on-site, mobile advocacy and case management, and access to all basic essential needs (food, toiletries, baby/children’s supplies, etc.)

As you can imagine, the added expense of hotel accommodations is significant. The week of May 19th, we began transitioning some clients from hotels back into our shelter spaces. To safely do so, each family has a bedroom with a temporary kitchenette. Our Amazon Wishlist includes items needed to successfully make this transition and still allow for social distancing. Can you help? If you have any of these items in gently-used condition, we would be grateful for those as well. Donations may be taken (or mailed) to our Community Offices (429 N. Main St., Ste. 1, Greenville, SC 29601) Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm.

Our long-term plan is create a new domestic abuse shelter in Greenville, where families will have their own private space. Currently, our facility is set up as a community living environment with shared bedrooms and bathrooms. We have long needed increased capacity to provide shelter for more individuals, as well as adequate space for all victims within the family - including children and teens. COVID-19 has created an enhanced need for this new shelter.

Fundraisers held during this time are postponed indefinitely and/or cancelled. Overall giving, because of economic instability, will be stalled or decreased. Safe Harbor depended on fundraisers and individual giving to not only fund regular budget operations, but also to shore up additional funding for 2020 decreased grant funding. Read more about how Safe Harbor's fundraising was affected by COVID-19 on our blog.

Domestic abuse agencies are first responders to very lethal situations. Many survivors will call for safety from domestic abuse organizations before or instead of law enforcement assistance.

Safe Harbor direct service staff will continue to provide emergency shelter, mobile counseling and advocacy, and safety planning. The lives survivors depend on immediate response and on-going shelter, counseling and advocacy from experts in domestic abuse, especially during a time of increased stress, isolation and community crisis.

Safe Harbor prevention and education staff will continue to provide e-learning curriculum, social media support and virtual connectivity, maintaining our efforts to curb the next generation of domestic abuse and provide resources in ways that our community can access during times of social distancing and quarantine.

For a detailed list of what our current services look like please see: Safe Harbor Service Updates in Response to COVID-19/Coronavirus.

Safe Harbor is here for you. Though services are temporarily being delivered via telephone and online platforms, our staff are still available for counseling, case management and advocacy.

For a detailed list of what our current services look like, please see: Safe Harbor Service Updates in Response to COVID-19/Coronavirus.

If you are interested in seeking services, please call our 24/7 line at 1.800.291.2139 (select option 1 to speak with someone.)

To learn more about available resources in our community, please see: Information for Survivors During COVID-19.