NEW SAFEHOUSE IN CAPE BUYS HOUSE; PLANNING ABUSE HOTLINE

Safe House for Women Inc. has purchased a two-story brick house near City Hall for use as a shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence.

The board of directors of the organization approved the purchase at a meeting Wednesday night at Centenary United Methodist Church.

Pat Strom, president of the board, said the group has purchased the property for $40,000, which includes furnishings.

The shelter should be in operation by mid-October, she said. The facility, which is now vacant, was formerly used as a boarding house.

"It's furnished for 10 people right now, but there would be room for more than that," said Strom.

"We are so excited because it is an absolutely perfect shelter for our needs," she said.

Strom said the group is keeping the address confidential for security reasons.

Board member Mary Spell said the building is "actually in very good shape.

"It isn't going to take much of anything to be able to move in," said Spell, noting that the only real improvements needed are security items like extra locks and perhaps a fence around the yard.

Spell said the safe house will not serve as a long-term care facility for victims of domestic violence. "It is a crisis shelter.

"We are not going to get into drug and alcohol treatment or anything like that."

The organization is in the process of setting up a hotline. It will be funded with a $9,000 grant from the Missouri Department of Public Safety and $6,000 of the organization's funds.

Spell said that Safe House for Women is now seeking to hire a part-time volunteer coordinator who will find and train volunteers to man the 24-hour hotline.

Strom said the hotline could be in operation by September. "It just depends on how long it takes to recruit the necessary volunteers and get them trained."

Safe House for Women is currently in the middle of a fund-raising campaign. About $7,000 has been raised so far.

Spell said the organization received $3,338 this week from the Cape Girardeau County Domestic Violence Fund, as well as a three-year pledge totaling $3,600 from Union Electric.

In addition, the group is seeking federal funding to help pay for staff and other operating expenses.

"We really feel blessed," said Strom. "People have been very cooperative.

"We're just very excited to actually have a piece of property and to know that we will be able to offer services to victims of domestic violence."