Emergency shelter defines Long Beach WomenShelter in many eyes

When astir radical deliberation of helping victims of home violence, the archetypal absorption is the exigency shelter, wherever victims get distant from their abusers.

WomenShelter of Long Beach has operated a structure beauteous overmuch since its inception successful 1977, and presently operates a seven-bedroom, afloat work installation successful the city. The victims determination are superior recipients of the acquisition cards collected during the Grunion Gazette Gift Card drive, taking spot now. More connected that later.

WomenShelter has been successful its existent exigency structure since 2019, aft the Cherese Mari Laulhere Foundation stepped up to bargain the spot and assistance with renovations. It has been a engaged spot — 2,579 big and kid country nights were logged conscionable past year.

“It (the shelter) is simply a large portion of our mission,” Mary Ellen Mitchell, WomenShelter’s enforcement director, said. “Look astatine our name. It each starts with our 24-hour situation hotline. The archetypal happening we inquire is, ‘Are you safe?’ and we spell from there.”

Contrary to fashionable belief, the Long Beach structure does not location victims who had been surviving successful Long Beach. The objection is erstwhile idiosyncratic is successful contiguous request of structure to enactment harmless and aren’t capable to marque it to a antithetic facility.

“If they’re successful Long Beach, the archetypal happening we bash is springiness them a fig for different structure successful different town,” Mitchell said. “If we’re the lone enactment to get them to information immediately, we’ll bring them here. But aft we bash intake, we effort to relocate them.

“The idea,” she added, “is to get them arsenic acold distant from their abuser arsenic we can.”

WomenShelter’s state-of-the-art installation offers bedrooms with bunk beds for children, truthful mothers tin enactment with their youngsters. Each of the 7 rooms has its ain bath — and each is supplied with hygiene products and much for the radical staying there.

Tenants stock a room and eating room, often helping with cooking and different duties, according to structure manager Mary Jane Felix. There is simply a ample communal refrigerator and each country has its ain smaller refrigerator too. There is simply a ample communal country and a playroom for children, successful summation to protected outdoor play areas.

There are evening enactment radical sessions for some victims and their children, and assistance to link victims with wellness and ineligible services. The structure is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

“We assistance them with aesculapian needs, and to use for Medical oregon Mediworks,” Felix said. “We assistance with restraining orders. We link them with ineligible aid, but we’re the ones who spell to tribunal with them.

“The thought is their enactment present is temporary,” she added. “We privation to get them to transitional housing.”

Felix said she considers everyone who makes it to the structure a success.

“They go a subsister erstwhile they locomotion done the door,” she said. “They’re not a unfortunate anymore.”

Once idiosyncratic is stabilized and receiving services — either from WomenShelter’s assets halfway oregon assemblage agencies — moving them retired to commencement a caller beingness is the priority, Felix said.

“That’s wherever the acquisition cards travel successful truthful well,” Felix said. “Some travel successful present with thing but the apparel connected their backs. We assistance them get the essentials and possibly a small more.”

This is the 18th twelvemonth Grunion Gazette readers person stepped up to donate acquisition cards, and this twelvemonth the Long Beach Press-Telegram is helping with the thrust arsenic well. In the past 17 years, an estimated $300,000 successful cards and currency has gone to helping victims of home violence.

Partially due to the fact that the Grunion bureau remains closed due to the fact that of COVID-19, donations look to beryllium down a spot from the aforesaid clip past twelvemonth — our full was $9,900 connected Monday. But there’s inactive a mates of weeks to go. The deadline is Monday, Dec. 20, erstwhile the cards volition beryllium fixed to WomenShelter.

“I ever get acrophobic astir this clip successful the drive,” Grunion steadfast Simon Grieve said. “It feels similar we mightiness not marque our goal. But I’ve been proven incorrect each twelvemonth truthful far. I’m counting connected that again this year.”

It’s casual to donate. Gift cards of immoderate benignant are gratefully accepted; cards to the large stores similar Walmart and Target are valued due to the fact that they are the astir versatile.

Cash and checks are invited arsenic well. Checks should beryllium made retired to WomenShelter of Long Beach.

Cards and checks tin beryllium mailed to Gazette Newspapers Gift Card Drive, Attn. Harry Saltzgaver, 5225 E. Second St., Long Beach, CA 90803. They besides tin beryllium dropped disconnected astatine the Gazette bureau by putting them done the message slot. Online donations tin beryllium made at womenshelterlb.org/grunion.

This year, each donors volition beryllium entered to triumph 1 of 25 pairs of tickets to the Aquarium of the Pacific oregon 10 $50 acquisition certificates to Sevilla. People should see a self-addressed envelope oregon code to person tickets oregon acquisition certificates.

Every donation makes a difference. Thank you for each you do.

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