For Immediate Release
Date:  June 18, 2007

Contact:    Rick Liebel
                Public Relations and Development Director
                (814) 455-1774 Ext. 234
                (814) 881-6530 cell

SafeNet to Dedicate New Shelter Annex

On Wednesday, June 20 at 10:00 a.m. local business and government leaders, SafeNet board members, staff, and volunteers will gather to dedicate the new shelter annex located behind our current shelter.

Construction began in December 2006 and has continued into the spring with the completion of the new annex and the renovation of the Hospitality House Emergency Shelter. Overcrowding promoted this building and renovation project, which is part of SafeNet's Two Million Dollar Capital Campaign.

When SafeNet began over 30 years ago, we never imagined how the need for our Hospitality House shelter would grow. Our shelter is a house that was built for a family of five; today it houses as many as 28 victims of domestic violence and their children at the same time for week long stretches or more. In the kitchen, there is an old white stove we have to cook meals on for all 28 people from all different cultural, economic, and social backgrounds ranging in age of two months to 75 years old. In our dining room families must eat in shifts because there are not enough chairs for everybody to sit down. In our living room, there are only two couches and a single TV for 28 people. When it's time to sleep, the bedrooms upstairs (which are small by today's standards) often have to be shared by two or three unrelated families. The overcrowding in our shelter, which on any given day may include as many as 20 children who have been uprooted from their homes, impacts on our ability to provide the best service and crisis resolution we can for each family member. According to SafeNet's Executive Director, "with the addition of our annex, we will continue to offer our clients support and safety in their quest to survive and make a better life."

SafeNet is committed to ending domestic violence, affirming human dignity, and delivering comprehensive direct services to victims of domestic violence. SafeNet provides sanctuary, support, education, and advocacy and promotes change in legislation and social policies. We believe every individual has a right to be respected and to live a life free from abuse.

SafeNet is not a homeless shelter, but a safe and confidential place specifically for men, women and children who are victims of domestic violence.  From every city and township in the area, victims come to SafeNet seeking shelter, safety and support from physical abuse and threats of violence occurring at home.  After more than 30 years of providing shelter and many other supportive services, SafeNet knows first-hand that there is hope and there is help. SafeNet is Pennsylvania's oldest continuous running domestic violence shelter.

PLEASE NOTE: For interviews with SafeNet's, Executive Director or any staff member of SafeNet, contact Rick Liebel, Public Relations and Development Director at 455-1774 extension 234, cell 814-881-6530 or email at rliebel@safeneterie.org.