Shelter Numbers High at SAFV
And How YOU Can Help
Sitkans Against Family Violence (SAFV) wants to share with the public their annual numbers for direct services provided.
- Between Oct. 1, 2023 and Sept. 30, 2024, the SAFV shelter housed 48 adults and 16 children seeking refuge from domestic or interpersonal violence or suffering from the trauma of having lived through this kind of adversity.
“Most surprising is the amount of 6,219 bed nights during the year,” said Natalie Wojcik, Executive Director. “This is an average of 17 individuals, both adults and children, living and receiving services at SAFV every day.”
- SAFV’s advocates also responded to almost 300 crisis calls.
Another service SAFV picked up and kept during and after the pandemic is providing food boxes for those who find themselves confronted by food insecurity, or simply said, hunger. Many Sitka businesses and individuals have stepped up in support of this lifeline. SAFV is grateful for this and all kinds of support received from locals.
How YOU Can Help: If you want to support SAFV clients, the shelter always accepts donations of frozen or shelf-stable food, toiletries, feminine products, as well as some specific clothing items:
-new or gently used unisex sweatshirts and sweatpants sizes small-3xl
-new or gently used children’s sweatshirts and sweatpants of all sizes
-new underwear (women’s, kid’s and men’s)
-new sports bras (various sizes)
-new socks (all sizes, kids, women, men)
SAFV Advocates are available 24/7 on the phone at (907) 747-3370 or (800) 478-6511 within Alaska, or via text message at (907) 623-7820. Among other services, they can refer to a counselor or a pro-bono lawyer, for victims of domestic violence or sexual assault who need support with family law cases or orders of protection. Nobody should ever hesitate making a call or sending a text.
Ed. note (explanation of flags by Crescent Harbor 10/28/24): Every October, SAFV displays flags to raise awareness about the prevalence of Domestic Violence in our community. The flags are a visual representation of Sitka’s statistics from the past year. Every flag represents a statistic, for example, yellow flags represent the number of bed nights SAFV has provided to residents in the past year.
