The closing of Promise Place in New Bern earlier this summer left a gap in local organizations that deal specifically with victims of sexual trauma. Now another New Bern-based organization, Coastal Women’s Shelter, is stepping up to meet that need by expanding its services.
During the July 17 meeting of the Craven County Board of Commissioners, Executive Director Amanda Delgado said that with Promise Place shutting its doors unexpectedly, Coastal Women’s Shelter is hoping to add additional services to its existing domestic violence programming for ages 18 and up covering Craven, Jones and Pamlico counties.
“Promise Place has recently closed and we are now expanding our services to support individuals who are victims of sexual assault as well,” Delgado said. “With that we will continue to provide our services that we already provide for victims of domestic violence but expand beyond that reach.”
Delgado explained that Coastal Women’s Shelter provides court advocacy for individuals involving issues such as obtaining a protective order or filing charges against their abuser.
“We provide crisis counseling, so with that our main focus is the safety of the individual that needs our assistance,” she noted.
Coastal Women’s Shelter also operates a 24 hour, seven days a week crisis hotline at 252-638-5995.
“If it’s 2:00 in the morning, 5:00 in the morning and someone is going through a crisis they can call that number and reach a staff individual that is trained to get them connected to services within our agency,” Delgado said.
According to Delgado part of Coastal Women’s Shelter work is offering “moral support, making sure that those who go through these situations never feel alone.”
One of the organization’s most important services is its emergency shelter, which provides a safe haven for those fleeing from domestic violence.
Delgado said Coastal Women’s Shelter is looking to expand into a “safe house 2.0” to replace the existing structure, which dates back to the late 1960s or early 1970s. She noted that, although its name may suggest otherwise, the nonprofit doesn’t solely serve women.
“The dream is to expand the safe house so we can take in more than 16 individuals at a time, so we can bring in those of different identifying genders in a safe manner,” she commented.
Reverend Jim Daub, president of the Coastal Women’s Shelter Board of Directors, said the safe house is one of the organization’s most pressing needs. He said with the expanded services, staff would also require more space for offices, counseling and programming services for those in need.
“If you own a house and it’s from the late ’60s or early ’70s, it’s coming to the end of its livelihood,” Daub said. “So we’re looking at our dream of safe house 2.0 so that we can reach out to our community even greater.”
Daub said last year Coastal Women’s Shelter had more than 700 calls for service and housed 47 residents at its shelter.
Quoting statistics from the NC Council for Women, Daub noted that nationally 20 people are affected every minute by domestic violence, or around 10 million people each year. One in four women and one in six men are affected by domestic violence, he said.
For fiscal year 2021-22, the NC Council for Women received 12,00 calls for service for sexual assault, 78% from women and 13% from men.
Daub, who has served as a pastor in the Havelock area for 21 years, admitted he was initially unaware of the seriousness of the local domestic abuse problem.
“I have to admit, in all those years I never thought of domestic violence,” he commented. “I never thought it was something to be concerned of because it just wasn’t something out in the open. But it is real.”
Like many nonprofits, Daub said one of Coastal Women’s Shelter’s is always seeking new funding sources.
“We also need help getting the word out. We need folks who can help with the opportunity to volunteer,” he commented.
Commissioner ET Mitchell said Coastal Women’s Shelter has received some of the state funding that was once earmarked for Promise Place. She said she wasn’t sure what had happened to the rest of the money.
The Board of Commissioners approved a request from Mitchell to send a letter from the board to the NC General Assembly “supporting this organization and asking all assistance possible.”
Delgado and Daub were also presented with a check for $526 that was raised by Craven County government employees as part of a recent charitable day fundraiser.
“Just because the organization (Promise Place) closed does not mean that the need ceased,” Mitchell commented.
By Todd Wetherington, co-editor. Send an email with questions or comments.