Crisis Center offers help for domestic violence victims

Loretta George/Tribune photo Paige Powell, program director of Safehouse Crisis Center, Inc. of Pittsburg, left, provides information to the Bourbon County Coalition Wednesday afternoon at First Baptist Church. Also pictured are Department of Children and Families (DCF) employees Michele Lyon, Tisha Miller, Sara Mills, Holli Mason and Nicole Howard. DCF was one of 15 agencies represented at the program.

Coinciding with October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the director of a nearby safe house provided information on their services during the Bourbon County Coalition meeting Wednesday.

From July 1 to Sept. 30, there were 230 victims who were provided services for domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking at Safehouse Crisis Center of Pittsburg, Brooke Powell, program director with the center said.

The center provides services for victims of Bourbon, Cherokee, Crawford and Linn counties.

Thirty people, representing 15 agencies listened as Powell explained the services provided by the center.

"We provide shelter, victim advocacy, crises intervention, court advocacy, a support group, outreach advocacy," Powell said. "Whatever the victim needs. We are there to make sure victims are safe and to help them rebuild their lives the way they want them."

The shelter, a house at an undisclosed location in Pittsburg, serves domestic violence victims.

"There is no cost to victims and everything we do is confidential," Powell said.

Domestic violence can be physical, mental, verbal, financial and spiritual abuse, she said.

"Abusers look to maintain power," Powell said. "To get the victim in a situation and keep them in that situation."

Many victims say the mental and verbal abuse is worse than the physical abuse, because the physical abuse heals, she said.

"But the mental and verbal abuse doesn't ever go away," Powell said. "You can only be called stupid so long before you believe you are stupid."

Current needs

Donations of cleaning supplies, such as dish soap, bleach, trash bags and personal hygiene products are always a need of the center, Powell said.

Vigil

Powell said there is a candlelight vigil planned for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Gorilla Village at Pittsburg State University. The purpose of the vigil is to remember victims of domestic violence and to raise awareness of domestic violence, Powell said.

The event is hosted by Safehouse Crisis Center in collaboration with Students For Violence Prevention at PSU, she said.

Potential warning signs

There is no way to spot an abuser in a crowd, but most abusers share some common characteristics, according to the National Network to End Domestic Violence website.

Some of the subtle warning signs of an abuser include:

* They insist on moving too quickly into a relationship.

* They can be very charming and may seem too good to be true.

* They insist that you stop participating in leisure activities or spending time with family and friends.

* They are extremely jealous or controlling.

* They do not take responsibility for their actions and blame others for everything that goes wrong.

* They criticize their partner's appearance and make frequent put-downs.

* Their words and actions don't match.

Any one of these behaviors may not indicate abusive actions, but it's important to know the red flags and take time to explore them, according to the website.

For more information, call the Safehouse Crisis Center at (620) 231-8692 or (800) 794-9148. The office is located at 409 N. Walnut, Pittsburg.