LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A safe haven for those escaping domestic violence is now looking for its own protection.
It comes after an incident Wednesday night that's now in the hands of the Louisville Metro Police Department's Sex Crimes Unit.
Every year, the Center for Women and Families houses a few hundred people who live in fear. It serves as a place where victims of abuse can get refuge, but now it's also focusing on gun violence.
In an area prone to shootings, the center's CEO Elizabeth Wessels-Martin said it is especially tough for staff and the clients who have experienced domestic abuse.
"My No. 1 priority is to ensure staff and clients are safe," Wessels-Martin said. "It's very upsetting seeing what's happening in gun violence."
The shelter on South Second Street, just south of West Broadway, is ultimately a safe space for domestic abuse victims.
However, that safe space is now connected to an investigation by LMPD's Sex Crimes Unit.
"We have definitely seen an increase in violence around the center," Wessels-Martin said.
Right now, LMPD is only saying that officers responded to an incident outside the center on Wednesday night.
"We're open 24/7, so we do have cameras on the building so we are always monitoring the building and we have enhanced our lighting on the back of our building," Wessels-Martin said.
The Center for Women and Families and men's halfway house, Beacon House, are neighbors. Bridgehaven, which provides mental health services, sits between the two. Nearly a mile south is Family Scholar House.
"I'm in the process of convening a meeting of all representations of those organizations,” said Wessels-Martin.
She hopes to address the gun violence issue surrounding the treatment centers in the future meeting.
"I'm not sure what all can be done, but we just want to make sure people are aware that this is going on in the city," she said.
The hope, Wessels-Martin said, is that gun violence will be kept at bay and the ones who need and use the resources her center and those nearby offer will be able to feel more secure to come.
"We're going to do everything we possibly can to make sure of that," Wessels-Martin said.
For now, the center is considering part-time on-site security with guards that would help workers on the night shift to and from their vehicles.
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