Blue Water Safe Horizons Annual Report 2015-2016
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Blue Water Safe Horizons www.bwsh.org ANNUAL REPORT 2015 -2016 CONTENTS 1 – Message From Executive Director, Diane Baur 2 – Mission & Programs 3 – Programs, Continued 4 – Program Impact 4 – Valuable Community Partnerships 5 – STEPS Program 6 – Promoting Social Change 6 – Honoring Those That Make A Difference 7 – Client Testimonials 8 – Financial Management 9 – We Need Your Help 10 – Donor Acknowledgement Message from Executive Director, Diane Baur Dear Friends, Fiscal year 2015-2016 was a demanding, yet rewarding year for Blue Water Safe Horizons. We experienced a reduction in public and governmental grants, which presented a financial challenge. The challenge was met by an increase in individual giving; however, we still fell short of our fundraising goal. Nonetheless, our dedicated staff did an incredible job at maintaining the services needed to help our community’s most vulnerable citizens; 1,138 people called our 24 hour crisis hotline, and 202 victims of domestic/intimate partner violence and their dependent children received emergency shelter at Carolyn’s Diane Baur, Executive Director Place. Pathway provided emergency shelter to 324 homeless adults Blue Water Safe Horizons and children. Additionally, 551 individuals in the St. Clair County area went from being homeless to moving into a positive housing situation. Of these, 70% moved into their own apartment or home, and the remaining 30% were permanently reunited with family and friends. In July of 2016, our Board of Directors took action to initiate a process wherein our homeless services would be transitioned to another community agency. Blue Water Safe Horizons was founded as an agency to assist victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Returning to our original mission will allow us to expand programs to include things such as children’s services and prevention. The process is currently underway with the goal of completion to be October 1, 2017. Many community leaders and stakeholders are involved as an alternate non-profit agency is being identified. We look forward to the future and optimizing our renewed focus to enhance our domestic violence and sexual assault services for our community. I wish to express my gratitude to the Board of Directors for their leadership and vision for growth over the past year. Additionally, an immense thank you to all of our generous donors, businesses, community partners, and our incredibly dedicated staff and volunteers. Your collaborative spirit and the work you do each and every day make our community a better place to live. Thank you! Diane Baur, LMSW BOARD OFFICERS BOARD MEMBERS EXECUTIVE STAFF Laura Newsome Sue Barber Diane Baur Chair Elien Gaw Executive Director Michael Wendling Nigar Hussain Vice Chair Laurie Irwin Judy Gentry Jim Jones Gary Stoldt Finance Director Secretary Cecil Williams Pastor Michael Williams Lynn Wilhelm Treasurer Amy Zimmer 1 Mission The mission of Blue Water Safe Horizons is to partner with the community to provide the resources, support and education necessary for every individual to become empowered and live a life free from domestic violence, sexual assault and homelessness. Programs Carolyn’s Place Carolyn’s Place is a 26 bed facility which provides emergency shelter to women who are fleeing domestic violence and/or sexual assault, their dependent children, and women impacted by elder abuse and exploitation. The shelter offers survivors safety, support services, and links to community resources to assist them in obtaining self-sufficiency. Carolyn’s Place offers a crisis hotline that can be accessed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Last fiscal year, there were over 1,100 calls placed to the crisis hotline. A unique on-site support is the Dorothea Knight & Patricia Benedict Pet Sanctuary, which houses the companion animals of shelter residents. This allows survivors the comfort of knowing their animal is in a Areiky Whitmore, safe environment. Thanks to donations from the community, the pet shelter Carolyn’s Place is equipped with food, toys, and clean bedding for the animals. Shelter Manager Outreach The Outreach program provides numerous services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse and exploitation. Counseling services provide survivors with an opportunity to meet with the counselors individually as well as attend support group sessions facilitated by the counselors. Sexual Assault Advocacy offers support for survivors of sexual assault, bridging the gaps between systems and accessing available resources. Elder Abuse Advocacy is available to individuals over the age of 60 who feel they have been taken advantage of or abused in some way. The Elder Abuse Advocate helps clients obtain resources available to them based on their unique situation. Legal Advocacy provides assistance to Angela Wallace, clients with court related issues, including court accompaniment, filing for Outreach Program personal protection orders, accessing victim’s rights compensation, and Director offering emotional support. 2 Forensic Nurse Examiner Program (FNEP) Turning Point’s Forensic Nurse Examiner Program (FNEP) continues to partner with the multidisciplinary team in St. Clair County to provide services to community residents. The program services include a medical forensic examination (within 120 hours of assault), medication for STI/HIV exposure, photo documentation of injuries, referrals/follow-up information and crisis intervention provided by staff from Blue Water Safe Horizons. In 2016, the program provided services to 43 patients (six of those being acute pediatric cases). Success is due to the collaborative effort with various law enforcement agencies, community hospitals, Office of the Prosecutor and Michigan State Police crime lab. The philosophy is to work toward ending Gail Lippert, FNEP Program the use of violence as a means of oppressing and controlling others, and Director endorses the concept of helping people assume power over their lives. Housing Assessment Resource Agency (HARA) HARA provides housing related services to homeless individuals and families and to at risk individuals experiencing eviction or utility shut offs. HARA implements 10 Housing programs through various government funded agencies such as the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS). Of the 10 programs HARA implements, 8 of those are considered Permanent Supportive Housing projects. In order to qualify, the individuals must be current residents of St. Clair County, literally homeless via street or shelter, and extremely low income. Erica Grant, HARA Manager Pathway Homeless does not mean hopeless. Pathway is a 20 bed facility that services several hundred homeless men, women, and families each year. Pathway is the only shelter in St. Clair County that services homeless families. Aside from offering the basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter, Pathway staff help clients identify barriers, determine individual goals and then connects them to the appropriate community services in order to achieve self-sufficiency. Bernard Evans, Pathway Shelter Manager 3 Program Impact Blue Water Safe Horizons’ shelter and supportive services offer the safety and space for individuals to begin rebuilding their lives. From October 2015 through September 2016, Blue Water Safe Horizons impacted the lives of 981 men, women, and children! Program Participants 300 269 250 200 184 158 150 125 Children 0-17 93 Adults 18+ 100 54 55 37 Number of Participants 50 6 0 Carolyn's Place Pathway Outreach HARA FNEP Programs Valuable Community Partnerships Blue Water Safe Horizons prides itself on developing lasting relationships with other community organizations that enhance our mission. These agencies provide much needed resources to our clients, which enable us to deliver more complete assistance to those in need. Here are just a few of our valuable community partners: St. Clair County Community Mental Health Professional Counseling Center Department of Health & Human Services St. Vincent De Paul Interagency Service Team Salvation Army HARA Landlords Kids in Distress Comprehensive Youth Services Community First Health Centers Blue Water Center for Independent Living Council on Aging St. Clair County RESA Baker College St. Clair County Community College Grace Episcopal Church Mid-City Nutrition Port Huron Police Department St. Clair County Prosecutor’s Office Lake Huron Medical Center 4 STEPS STEPS Affordable Housing, a subsidiary of Blue Water Safe Horizons, is a housing program designed to provide permanent, affordable, safe, and stable housing for survivors of domestic violence and their children. There are four designated STEPS homes located in the city of Port Huron, Michigan. In addition to housing, Blue Water Safe Horizons offers program participants outreach and supportive services, including safety planning, legal advocacy, individual and group counseling, and referrals to community resources. STEPS is made possible by grant funding from the James C. Acheson Foundation and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. These indispensable relationships help us provide survivors with a safe and secure place to live, enabling them to move forward with their lives. STEPS is governed by board of directors comprised of community leaders dedicated to providing safe and affordable housing for survivors and their children. Board Chairperson Kathy Swantek Secretary Denise Foote