Celebrating Our Veterans

Hello Friends,

Every November we celebrate our Veterans, those of all branches of service and all conflicts. The holiday and its timing grew out of the victories won by “The Greatest Generation” in overcoming the tyranny that created World War II. In that spirit, I want to tell you about a woman I recently met named Debbie Sprague, an overcomer in her own right. She is the author of “A Stranger in my Bed” ($19.86 Amazon.com). The book chronicles the near destruction of her family as a result of the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) suffered by her husband as a result of his experiences in the Viet Nam war.

As a community we are doing more for Veterans. Thanks to the relentless work by Sen. Maurice Johannessen and many others, our community now boasts a new Veterans Home. I have felt for a long time that there is more we at One SAFE Place can do to help families of abuse, and particularly veterans. In learning more about Debbie’s story, I gained inspiration. While our first and foremost concern is to help victims find safety and healing, we know that there is more to the equation than that. And, Debbie’s book prompted me to take a fresh look at how we at One SAFE Place serve Veterans. Since meeting her, I have met with several veterans organizations, read countless articles and am now passionately committed to making OSP a resource for our veterans affected by PTSD.

We know that as a community we need to address the whole issue of domestic and sexual abuse, not just pieces. That’s why we continue to reach out to and work with others in the community who can help. One such resource is the Batterers Intervention Program (BIP) started by Hope City that will be launching soon. This program is a resource to those who recognize their need for help in overcoming their anger or tendencies toward abusive behavior. In the last two years we have begun to emphasize the need for prevention and we applaud Hope City for recognizing and responding to this need in our community. We would encourage anyone to seek help who honestly seeks to avoid resorting to abusive behavior.

I don’t want anyone to misunderstand me. We as a society cannot tolerate abuse. However, we can do more to overcome it. And, while One SAFE Place will always remain committed to the safety of victims, Debbie’s book, her story and her experience have shown me that we as a community can do more to assist them in their journey toward healing. I think these sentiments can best be summarized by the actor, Patrick Stewart whose first hand experience with this issue has inspired him to become active in the cause. He, too, has refocused his efforts based on revelations in recent years of the impact of his father’s wartime military service on the family. You’ll understand more as you watch the video.

Warm regards, 

Jean King
Executive Director

Domestic Violence Awareness

Hello Friends:

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. What does that mean? It means that we at One SAFE Place are committed to partnering with our community in eliminating abuse. As I meet people in our community, I’m continually astonished at how many share with me their personal experiences of abuse. Nationally, it’s estimated that 25-33% of the population has experienced abuse. Did you know that the Redding Police Chief recently highlighted the fact that nearly half of the Department’s aggravated assault calls were domestic abuse related? And, we were all shocked by recent news stories including multiple murders that appear to be related to domestic abuse. Despite making great strides in the past, these events remind us that there is so much more to do.

In recent months, you’ve seen a lot of changes at One SAFE Place. These changes are motivated by a belief that as an organization and as a region we can do better, that we have to do better. This October is the perfect time to not only reflect and pay homage to the past, but also to cast a new vision for the future. We are not willing to rest on our laurels. We believe that one victim is too many, and that domestic abuse needs to be addressed in all its ugly forms, whether it’s against men or women, young or old, parents or children.

We are encouraged that both the Redding City Council and the Shasta County Board of Supervisors have proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I know our community is not willing to stand idly by and watch while our neighbors, friends and family are beaten, violated or controlled. At One SAFE Place, we are committed to providing all abuse victims and their loved ones with hope for the future, a future that will affirm their dignity, their rights as individuals and their value to our community.

With the adoption of the co-located model, we have expanded our services to include help for victims of all forms of familial abuse. Since doing so, we’ve seen parents seeking help from their abusive children and vice-versa. We now offer help to victims of elder abuse and neglect. And, our team of trained educators is working diligently to prevent future abuse by educating school children from kindergarten through twelfth grade on subjects such as how to communicate with respect, how to protect yourself from teen dating violence and how to help others through bystander intervention.

One SAFE Place is not going to stop there. Next month I’ll tell you more about our vision for partnering with other service providers to help veterans and their families. And, in the months ahead, we’ll continue to share with you the groundbreaking work of our talented and innovative staff and service.

Warm regards,

Jean King
Executive Director

Our New Name

We are extremely proud to announce our new name, "One Safe Place.” We made this change to reflect the full scope of our services, which expanded when the Shasta Women’s Refuge merged with the Shasta Family Justice Center in January 2012. The unveiling of the name and logo took place on June 22, 2013 at our “Dancing with the Stars, Shasta County Style” event at the Cascade Theatre.

We are proud to be the first of our kind in the nation. Our merger combined a traditional domestic violence shelter with the innovative Family Justice Center, with its model of multiple co-located services. All partners collaborate in real-time, face-to-face, to help victims and survivors access services in a single location. Our collaboration is a cultural shift in the domestic violence and sexual assault field by providing greater cooperation among service providers in this critical area. Our partners include Intertribal Services, Child Abuse Prevention Coordinating Council with their Parent Partner program, the District Attorney’s Office with their Crime Victims Assistance program and Health and Human Services Child and Elder Abuse program, to name just a few. In addition, we are fortunate to utilize an array of volunteers to provide counseling, legal assistance and other services.

Last year we had over 5,000 visits for service, which is a 50% increase over the previous year. In addition, there was a 28% increase in women seeking safety in our shelter. Our Education and Outreach Department educated nearly 2,000 children in local schools on issues such as bullying, date rape and stalking. In June, we will sponsor our 2nd Camp Hope, a camp for children of domestic violence.

Please join us in our next step forward as we work to end domestic and sexual abuse in Shasta County. You can help us in this goal by sharing our good news with your friends. Your support is the reason we are able to make a difference.

Warm regards,

Jean King
Executive Director