Colorado county invests in domestic violence safe house
Douglas County is establishing a domestic violence safe house in the community. Back in November 2024, the county bought a facility, and commissioners recently approved a partnership with a Colorado Springs nonprofit to provide those services.
Douglas County will fund an initial service agreement with TESSA through the end of the year with $350,000, and re-contracting will take place in January.
During the pandemic, Douglas County leaders realized that, as the community grew, they would need a the ability to provide crisis services on a larger scale.
Leaders say the new Douglas County Safehouse will do just that, providing victims not just physical shelter, but legal services, counseling and connection to resources.
"It happens. It can happen to you. It can happen to your neighbor, your family," said Anne Markley, CEO of TESSA.
One in three women and one in four men are impacted by domestic violence, and communities in Douglas County aren't immune.
"Domestic violence knows no bounds. We see it in every socio-economic group. It's across the board," Markley said. "So, yes, to say that this is a wealthy county might even tend to make people want to hide even more because of shame, because of fear, because of whatever they think that looks like for them."
"Douglas County, you know, this is a very healthy, healthiest in the state, wealthiest in the state. You always hear me say that, and it's true," said Commissioner Abe Laydon, chairman of the Board of Douglas County Commissioners. " But that means some of the challenging issues can remain hidden. And so for women and children that may be fleeing a situation where there's economic duress, I mean, we have very high net worth, well-educated individuals that may be afraid to leave their homes because of the financial issues associated with their particular housing. It's a complicated scenario."
It's why the county is partnering with TESSA, a Colorado Springs nonprofit that's served victims of domestic violence for nearly 50 years, to create a Douglas County domestic violence crisis center.
"These people that are escaping these situations have had their choices taken away from them for so long," Markley said. "So we're not here to tell them what to do. Our case managers are here to give them their options and say, 'This is what we can offer. What feels right for you?' So being able to bring them in and being able to help them to navigate their own path of what forward, what the future looks like for them. So during their stay in our Safehouse, we'll be able to provide legal support, clinical support and all types of advocacy and resource navigation for them as well."
"This notion of, can we co-locate domestic violence services in a facility where individuals can receive not only domestic violence sheltering and immediate needs like health care and food, things of that nature, but also legal services, mental health counseling, any sort of resources that would help them transition and just remain safe, and certainly keeping that location very protected so that their abusers would not be able to track them down, was really significant," Laydon said.
The center will include a 22-bed safe house, where women and children can stay for seven weeks.
"TESSA does serve women, men and children, anyone who identifies as being a victim, survivor of domestic violence, sex assault, stalking or human trafficking," Markley explained. "Within the Safehouse facility, that will largely be women and children. For men that need safe housing, we have alternate options for men,"
Its location is a secret, and TESSA's advocates are bound by confidentiality. However, they are mandated to report on child abuse.
"Our hope is to eliminate the shame and the stigma and get people immediate care," Laydon said. "We want to make sure that citizens who are fleeing a tough situation in Douglas County have a safe, confidential place to go, where their abusers will not find them."
The Safehouse hopes to be up and running by the end of this summer. If you need help even before then, you can call the TESSA's 24/7 safe line at 719-633-3819.
"There are so many people that hide because of fear, because of thinking they're not going to be believed," Markley said. "So we really want people to know that there are supportive services here. We believe you. We see you, and we're here to be able to help."
