Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness among women in Salem. The Center for Hope and Safety wants to change that with a new three-story apartment building.
With affordable housing scarce in Salem, the Center for Hope and Safety is looking to become a landlord.
The center, a 46-year-old nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, is planning to build a $10 million, three-story apartment complex with retail and business space on the ground floor in the next three years.
Survivors of domestic violence in Salem often stay at the nonprofit’s emergency shelter after fleeing from an abuser.
But increasingly, staff find that people who are safe and working to rebuild their lives after domestic violence don’t have a place to go from the shelter.
“Affordable housing right now is not affordable for (most of) the folks coming out of the shelter,” said Jayne Downing, center executive director. “They’re starting over from nothing.”
As a result, the average stay in the shelter has tripled to 40 days over the past six years, she said.
To read the full article written by Rachel Alexander, click HERE
Comments (0)