Paul Leavy | the Valdosta Daily Times Michelle Girtman, executive director of The Haven, speaks on the needs of the new shelter in Lowndes County during the campaign kick-off and press conference Thursday.

City officials and supporters attended The Haven Battered Women’s Shelter press conference Thursday at the new Judicial Complex.

The shelter has applied for a $500,000 Department of Community Affairs grant in order to build a new, energy-efficient shelter which will be specifically designed to accommodate the needs of the shelter residents.

The shelter is located in Valdosta and began as a remodeled duplex in 1986. Today, it is at a 94.5 percent capacity rate.

The Haven houses battered women and their children from nine counties in Georgia, including Lanier, Cook, Lowndes, Echols, Clinch, Berrien and Brooks.

The press conference was held to kick off the capital campaign aimed at raising $200,000 from area communities in order to have the needed funds for the 20 percent cash match by the state for the grant and other necessary expenses involved in the operation of the shelter.

“The current facility is really ill-suited for the residents,” said Southern Judicial Circuit District Attorney J. David Miller. “We now have the opportunity to build a new and more efficient facility when the time comes. We have to step out on faith and take advantage of it now. This is something we need to do as a community.”

Miller went on to say, “I know we’re in a recession right now, but our goal of $200,000 is a realistic goal. As we know, when the economy is bad, domestic violence goes up. We need to have a better facility for the people who need it.”

Michelle Girtman, executive director for The Haven, said the current facility is too small and too old to meet the needs of the residents.

“The stairs are not safe,” Girtman said, “the laundry room is upstairs and poses a problem for those with disabilities, the bedrooms aren’t big enough for mothers with children, there is no storage space for the amount of food we need, the facility is not handicap accessible and the energy bill is through the roof.”

Girtman added that, from 2008 to 2009, there has been a 45 percent increase in victims being housed at the shelter.

The proposed new shelter will include seven bedrooms, a kitchen, children’s playroom, laundry area and a multi-purpose area with computers. The funds need to be raised by the end of June in order for The Haven to be able to take advantage of the grant opportunity. Members of The Haven’s board of directors and staff, as well as local and state officials, were at the press conference to lend their support.

Valdosta Police Chief Frank Simons said there is a big need for a larger facility here in Valdosta.

“We have to protect these women and children,” Simons said. “The shelter not only gives them protection from the abuser, but also gives them a better life through the resources it offers.”

Last year, four women from Lowndes County were killed in a domestic situation.

Carla Williams, the victim/witness coordinator at the District Attorney’s Office in Lowndes County, said, even though domestic violence will never be eradicated, the community can still pull together and give the victims safety, support and hope.

Top position holders stated the importance of the new facility, but the press conference also added a human feel to it.

A survivor of domestic abuse, who asked not to be identified for safety reasons, talked about the peace she feels while at the shelter.

“I am finally at peace,” the victim said. “I have been abused for the past three years. The Haven has been phenomenal. I’m glad there is a shelter in place for me.”

Call Michelle Girtman at (229) 244-3176 to learn more about The Haven or the campaign to build a new shelter.