NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- A New Albany organization known for helping women and children has noticed an increase in domestic violence, so it's adding a new program to help with the issue.
"We are thrilled to be able to have another resource for families when they call," said Erin Goodlett, social services director with St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities. "It is heartbreaking when they call and you don't have some additional resources to give them, so this is just another layer of support."
Currently, St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities has an emergency shelter for women and children experiencing homelessness.
But Goodlett says, thanks to a recent grant of $133,000 from the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, they'll be adding a transitional housing and rapid rehousing program specifically for families experiencing domestic violence.
This program differs from a crisis center.
"We know after someone has experienced domestic violence it takes a long time to heal and get back on track," said Goodlett. "So, this program provides up to six months to two years of ongoing support. They receive case management and help so they can reach their housing goal."
Transitional housing is something St. Elizabeth will provide directly through the shelter spaces they have, rapid rehousing helps families obtain their own space.
"We know that domestic violence isn't just physical abuse it could be financial abuse, they could have been isolated from their families, a lot of things are kind of in play here," Goodlett said. "So a transitional housing program allows for us to continue partnering with that family to put the pieces back together when it's more than just the immediate safety."
"During COVID, we certainly saw the rise in domestic violence, and the need was there and it really fits in well with our mission and our skill sets and our resources to add it to our other shelter programs," Mark Casper, Agency Director for St. Elizabeth Catholic Charities, said.
Goodlett says in 2020, 43% of their intake reported they had experienced domestic violence.
"There's a lot of families in our emergency shelter that unfortunately have experienced domestic violence, but we take it very seriously to be adding this new component where it's so focused on a specific population," said Goodlett. "So we want to make sure we're trained and ready."
The Center for Women and Families is providing that training. The Homeless Coalition of Southern Indiana is assisting with the rehousing portion of the program.
"We don't try to be everything for everybody," said Casper. "We try to fill our niche and we rely on our partners where their skill and expertise can help us, you know, take care of whoever and whatever their need is."
The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority grant is a yearly, renewable fund. It's something St. Elizabeth plans to utilize for years to come.
"This is just unfortunately something that has become more prevalent and I'm thrilled that St. Elizabeth's is able to provide that support for our community," said Goodlett.
They hope to start the new program by the end of January.
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