Copy
It's Domestic Violence Awareness Month - time to show your support!
View this email in your browser
The Safe Haven Network is working hard to provide safe solutions for domestic violence victims and their pets.  Join us to celebrate our efforts and help us do more in the year to come!  

Enjoy delicious appetizers and an open bar while you cast your bids on exciting prizes in the silent auction!

Kinmont Restaurant
October 16 at 6:30 p.m.  
$65 before the event
$75 at the door

Get your tickets today!
The 3rd Annual SHN Supply Drive is ON for National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  With the help of the YPB, this year's drive is expected to be bigger than ever! 

We are collecting donations online through our Amazon Wishlist, and at the following locations:
Click here for a list of the most needed donations!
 
Your donations will be distributed to our community partners at domestic violence shelters and animal shelters in and around Chicago, including:
  • Crisis Center for South Suburbia 
  • A.D.O.P.T. Pet Shelter in Naperville 
  • South Suburban Family Shelter 
  • Family Rescue 
  • The Anti-Cruelty Society
  • PAWS Chicago
  • WINGS Program
  • Tree House Humane Society
  • One Tail at a Time

Pets in the Network!
Lucky Charm rescued her mama, YPB member Sharia Soto, two years ago. She loves kids and loves people. She loves to cuddle and loves to watch Netflix with her mama. She has a very spunky personality, and is very vocal about what she likes to eat or not eat.  For the most part, she is a very laid-back dog. She is also an emotional therapy dog and a hospital therapy dog.
  
She doesn't like the snow, but loves the rain. Unlike most canines we know, Lucky Charm won't go for Lucky Charms - she likes dog food more than table food (even though she gets table food like brown rice once a month). She loves to play fetch and catch.

Most importantly, whenever Sharia is going through a tough time or has to make a decision, Lucky Charm is there to give her the strength. It's that support and devotion that makes Lucky Charm so special and such a beloved member of her family!
Is your pet the next big thing?  Tell us about your purr-fect pet and we'll feature her in the e-newsletter!
Order your Bravelet today to show your support for domestic violence victims and their pets!  $10 from every purchase goes to The Safe Haven Network!
The Safe Haven Network Development Team recently opened up the Secure Referral Portal for manual testing!  Big thanks to Adam Moffatt for leading a demo of the workflow for testers last week!
 
We're excited to be able to launch the Referral Portal on October 16th! Come to our Inaugural Benefit for an exclusive demonstration!
 
If you'd like to help us test the Secure Referral Portal, contact Adam Moffatt.
The SHN YPB still has room on our team for Apna Ghar's Strides Against Violence 5K Run/Walk! Join us as a runner, walker, or volunteer! Even better - show your support by donating to our team! Your donation will go to Apna Ghar, a valued community partner in SHN's efforts to aid domestic violence victims in Chicago.


Watch for SHN YPB cheerleaders at the Chicago Marathon on October 11!  We will be at various spots along the race course to cheer on Team Run Domestic Violence Out of Town!  

If you see us, please join us!

The Link in Our Lives
In a 2014 study of men arrested for domestic assault, 41 percent had abused an animal at least once as an adult—compared with only 1.5 percent of men in the general population. A previous study showed that women residing in domestic violence shelters were nearly 11 times more likely to report their partner had hurt or killed a pet than women who had never experienced intimate partner violence.
 
There is evidence that pet abuse is an indicator of heightened danger, and possibly a higher fatality rate, in intimate relationships plagued by violence. Studies show that batterers who abuse pets employ a wider range of abuse techniques, more aggressive forms of violence and more control tactics than batterers who don’t abuse pets. Pet abusers are more likely to engage in sexual violence, marital rape, emotional violence and stalking.
“We have a lot of people that call and say ‘I’m living in my car because I have no place to take my dog,’” says Danielle Gates, spokeswoman for RedRover, a Sacramento-based organization that works to rescue animals from crisis. “Our biggest thing is that we don’t ever want anyone to have to make that choice between their safety and the safety of their pets.”

Less than five percent of the approximately 2,000 domestic violence shelters in the nation provide on-site pets housing, says Gates. In some communities, domestic violence shelters partner with organizations such as the SPCA so that women can flee an abusive situation and know that their pets are safe. Other communities have pet fostering programs where volunteers care for pets while women live at a shelter.

Source: California Health Report, September 27, 2015  Read the full article here
In Illinois, there is only one pet-friendly domestic violence shelter. The Chicago area has several pet rescues and temporary emergency boarding programs, but until recently, domestic violence victims and advocates have had to spend valuable time and resources contacting each individual program, looking for a safe haven for their pets. 

With the launch of the Safe Haven Referral Program, domestic violence advocates in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs have a vital resource that connects them to pet safe havens quickly and efficiently.  
The Safe Haven Referral Program is currently in operation, but will undergo a drastic change with the launch of our secure online portal, which will go live at our Inaugural Benefit on October 16th.

The following kind words from a domestic violence advocate who used the Safe Haven Referral Program exemplify why we do what we do, and why it is so important to expand our service to make it available to as many domestic violence survivors as possible:
“The services you provide, the empathy with which you provide them, and the refreshing accessibility of rapid services are so incredibly important to our survivors... [T]his service has been of great comfort to [our client] and to her children in the midst of a very challenging period of their lives. On behalf of this client and of our shelter staff, please know that we recognize the invaluable nature of your work and send genuine thanks.”

Help us raise awareness for National Domestic Violence Awareness Month!
Share
Tweet
Forward
+1
Pin
Copyright © 2015 The Safe Haven Network, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp