Safe Nest

Shelter, hotline, and crisis response: Safe Nest's crisis services programs (shelter, hotline, and on-the-scene crisis response program project Safe 417) provide comprehensive services for domestic violence victims and their children, including emergency 24-hour intake, 24-hour crisis hotline services, 24-hour access to emergency temporary protection orders (the sole access point in clark county), case management, employment counseling, housing Assistance, support groups, sobriety support, parenting training, child counseling, and life-skills support, in addition to providing for safety and basic needs. Safe Nest maintains 100+ beds in a confidential location, as well as off- site overflow units, to provide refuge for survivors to recover from trauma and transition to an abuse-free life. Clients access the shelter through Safe Nest's crisis hotline or other direct service programs; referrals come from law enforcement, the court system, other community service providers; or self-referral as a result of Safe Nest's outreach efforts. After a safety assessment is conducted, crisis advocates arrange for clients' transportation to shelter. Food, clothing and all necessities are provided. After the family settles in, a shelter advocate is assigned to the family to help them develop a plan for their stay, including the objectives needed to transition to a new life. Shelter staff provide resources to help the family accomplish their objectives. Shelter stays vary; the current average is 56 days. Shelter clients are also provided with employment counseling, housing Assistance, referrals for financial and legal aid, and many other resources. Through Safe Nest's pet program, families staying at shelter have on-site and off-site options to board their pets while they receive services. In 2017, Safe Nest established project Safe 417 (ps417) in partnership with las vegas metropolitan police department (lvmpd) to decrease domestic violence homicide and address the needs of victims directly at the scenes of domestic violence incidents. Ps417 utilizes Safe Nest volunteers who provide on-the-scene crisis intervention to domestic violence victims in the time immediately following the incident of abuse. This program is designed to address the gap in services between when police officers respond to a domestic violence call and when a survivor connects with Safe Nest and other needed resources to preserve their safety.

Counseling, advocacy, and education: Safe Nest is dedicated to ending abusive patterns within relationships and stopping the cycle of domestic violence within families. Counseling services offered by Safe Nest include individual and group therapy sessions for adult and youth victims conducted by licensed marriage and family therapists and licensed clinical social workers that specifically address domestic violence issues. Counseling is provided free of charge for victims of abuse and for children who have witnessed or suffered the effects of violence in the home. Understanding that ending domestic violence means changing how individuals who use violence manage their emotions and interact with their partners, Safe Nest also provides state-certified batterers' therapy groups for court-ordered and volunteer participants. The goal of the batterers' counseling program is to provide intervention and education to individuals who use violence so they can adopt non-violent strategies to deal with stress and anger. Safe Nest's advocacy program provides advocates both on-site and in the field to assist survivors who are navigating the legal system in pursuit of safety and justice. Safe Nest advocates at family court, the temporary protection order (tpo) office, the district attorney's office, and lvmpd area commands orient victims to court processes; develop safety plans; assist with obtaining protection orders; provide referrals; accompany victims to court; and partner with attorneys, law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, child protective services, and other entities as needed to provide support for survivors. Safe Nest performs community engagement to counter harmful social norms that can encourage intimate partner violence. Interventions include providing education and professional training that challenge myths about domestic violence and striving to correct misconceptions to increase public awareness of domestic violence. Community outreach activities grounded in this premise work to promote services to victims and prevent future domestic violence. Education and outreach services provided by Safe Nest include age-appropriate dating violence prevention classes conducted in the clark county school district, conflict resolution training and mentoring programs for teens, information and resources for faith-based communities, culturally-specific outreach to under-served populations, and training for community partners and professionals who identify and refer victims.