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Coastal
Women's Shelter is dedicated to the development of
the family as an essential and responsible part of
American society.
To this end, the Board of Directors established a
program in 1986 to assist family members, primarily
women and children, who suffer when there is a
breakdown in the family system, which results in
domestic violence. Thus, Coastal Women's Shelter's
mission is to provide support, education and
alternatives to individuals and their families whose
lives have been disrupted by the devastating effects
of domestic violence. Coastal Women's Shelter is the
sole agency in Craven, Jones and Pamlico Counties to
offer a comprehensive program to assist victims of
domestic and family violence.
Victim services include: a 24-hour crisis hotline,
emergency temporary and transitional shelter, court
advocacy, weekly support groups for both women and
children, assistance with law enforcement and the
judicial process, transportation, employment
resources, housing assistance, and interagency
information and referrals. Client outreach,
increasing community awareness regarding the
dynamics of domestic violence and available
resources, and offering training and educational
workshops continue to be integral parts of the
program. Services are provided primarily to women
and children in Craven, Jones and Pamlico Counties
who are experiencing domestic violence. We also
provide services to men and individuals from other
counties, states, and countries, as needed.
Coastal Women's Shelter employs 10 full time staff
members: Executive Director, three Court Advocates,
Shelter Manager, Shelter Evening Manager, Shelter
Night Manager, Office/Financial Manager,
Administrative Assistant and Helping Hands Shoppe
Manager. Others employed or contracted are a New
Choices Coordinator (for Displaced Homemakers),
seven part-time Relief Workers, two Sales
Associates, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker,
Licensed Occupational Therapist and a Child Care
Leader.
The Shelter Managers supervise the Relief Workers,
while the Executive Director supervises the
full-time and contract staff and is responsible to
the Board of Directors. Approximately 75 volunteers
participate actively in our agency. They assist with
childcare, transportation, clerical work, thrift
store duties, court advocacy, public education and
awareness presentations, fundraisers, and staffing
the 24-hour crisis hotline.
Coastal Women's Shelter maintains a safe and
confidential shelter in a residential area of Craven
County. Through a special NC Legislation
appropriation and a Community Development Block
Grant obtained by the City of New Bern, Coastal
Women's Shelter was able to purchase the shelter
house with cash in December of 1987. The shelter is
fully furnished with donated items and consists of a
staff office, computer/resource room, laundry room,
food pantry, kitchen, living room, playroom, three
bedrooms and two bathrooms. There is also a large
fenced-in backyard and a storage area for donated
items intended for shelter residents (they also
receive vouchers for needed items from our thrift
store, free of charge.)
The shelter can accommodate twelve to fifteen women
and children. The shelter is staffed and operated
seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day, three
hundred and sixty-five days a year. During weekdays
between 8:00am and 5:00pm, victims of domestic
violence contact the office for shelter assistance.
After office house, on weekends, and on holidays,
victims can contact the 24-hour crisis hotline for
assistance. When the shelter is full to capacity,
arrangements are made for victims to stay at a local
motel or referrals are made to shelters in
surrounding counties.
The immediate goal of the shelter program is to
provide victims of domestic violence with a safe and
confidential haven. The shelter's long-range goal is
to empower victims with information and resources so
that they may achieve a future free from violence.
Victims of domestic violence come from all races,
religions, and socio-economic backgrounds. They are
physically battered and emotionally distraught. They
fear for their safety and that of their children.
They typically suffer from low self-esteem, lack of
self-confidence, and poor problem-solving skills due
to the long term psychological battering they have
received from their abusers. They are commonly kept
isolated from their family and friends, often have
no means of transportation, or access to any money.
This translates into no support system, no knowledge
of resources, no mobility, and a constant sense of
fear for their safety.
Shelter program staff and volunteers strive to meet
the victim's immediate needs by assisting them with
emotional support, safety plans, food, clothing, and
in some cases, medical attention. Once their
immediate needs are met, staff and volunteers assist
victims in establishing and attaining goals by
offering victims housing referrals, employment
resources, information on legal avenues available,
assistance in accessing the court system, and
transportation and child care resources.
To further empower the victims' decision-making
processes with regard to the future, staff members
educate them with literature, videos, and
conversation on the dynamics of domestic violence,
the effects of family violence on children, and
alternatives to physical discipline. To enhance
self-esteem building, networking, and the recovery
process, it is required that residents attend the
weekly support group while at the shelter. It is
also suggested that the victims obtain individual
counseling to secure optimum mental health during
this difficult time of transition. Victims are made
aware of and are encouraged to utilize all agency
services as well as community resources. Without
intervention services, domestic violence will
continue to be a devastating and growing social
epidemic resulting in debilitating injuries and
death.
To measure the success of the immediate goals of the
shelter programs, victim feedback and exit
interviews (written and verbal) are requested. Also,
informal and formal evaluations of shelter programs
are sought from Board Members, grantors, and
cooperating agencies. Since the shelter program
strives to meet the victim's needs, as well as the
community's needs, this information is brought to
the Board's and staff's attention to discuss
potential policy changes, enhance current service,
and/or change services offered. The task becomes
more difficult when measuring long-range goals, as
statistics reveal that progress toward a
violence-free future is often slow and arduous.
However, the immediate goals of providing support,
education, and resources are always accomplished and
directly affect the success of the long-range goals.
Success of long-range goals can be measured through
follow-up with clients, many of whom make the
transition from victim to survivor. Some survivors
become volunteers with the shelter programs so that
they might share their experiences and
accomplishments with current victims and possibly
offer inspiration in that way.
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