Local shelter home away from home for the abused

ESCANABA — A local shelter offers to be a home away from home for those who have suffered from domestic and sexual abuse.

Home is where someone should feel comfortable and safe, but what happens when someone’s home turns into a toxic environment because of an abusive spouse, partner or parent?

That’s where Tri-County Safe Harbor comes in to offer temporary shelter, resources and services to help survivors of domestic and sexual abuse find peace.

Executive Director Lynn Erickson says, “We have 15 beds in here. Last years we served 252 clients, 62 of those were children. We provided 1400 bed-nights, and this year we’re up to 1900 bed-nights and we still have another month to go in this fiscal year.”

It’s headquarters is in an old boarding house in Escanaba. The shelter allows women and children to stay overnight if they need to with advocates on hand to offer legal aid and therapy.

Even though most of the shelter’s clients are women and children, most people don’t realize that it’s services are also available for men who have suffered from domestic and sexual abuse.

Legal Advocate Heather Wentworth says, “I think a lot of people don’t realize that it’s not just the woman that walks into our shelter with a black eye, it not just the woman or the man that walks into our shelter and has been physically hurt by an intimate partner it’s a person who has been controlled, and we serve all of that and we help out with that.”

The shelter mostly relies on grants and partnerships for their funding, however the staff says that their day-to-day services could not be made possible without in-kind donations from the community.

They have more plans and events on the way.

If you are interested in getting involved or are in need of their services you can connect with them on Facebook or check out their website.