Breaking News

Hundreds of local families rely on ALIVE's Nights of Safety Emergency Shelter each year to escape domestic abuse. Today, that lifeline is at risk, and we need your help.

On October 1, ALIVE will lose $150,000 in annual federal and state funding that supports our emergency shelter program. Unless we can close this gap, fewer families will be able to access the safety, advocacy, and support they need to escape abuse.

As a flexible, nontraditional shelter program partnering with trauma-informed motels in undisclosed locations to provide sanctuary, NOS is a community safety net in Eastern Missouri when traditional DV shelters are full—and we take this responsibility seriously. Because we don’t have a physical shelter with space restrictions, our capacity to provide shelter to families fleeing abuse is based on available funding –for motel rooms, emergency transportation, meals, basic supplies, and most importantly, dedicated, expert ALIVE advocates specializing in providing crisis intervention and in-depth case management for DV survivors. Put simply, reduced funding means that fewer families can rely on safe refuge this year, and victims fleeing abuse may have no choice but to return to an unsafe home.

These cuts stem from Missouri's newly approved FY2027 budget, which reduces funding for victim services due to declining federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) revenue and decreased state support.

We need your help to close the gap. In the face of these devastating budget cuts, we are appealing to our supporters’ generosity and understanding of the importance of ALIVE’s role as a safety net for families in our community. Staying in ALIVE’s shelter program provides immediate safety to families fleeing violence, and it sets them on a path to a life free from abuse. The case management, safety planning, and connection to resources provided by ALIVE advocates empower victims to choose healing and hope for themselves and their children, emerging as survivors in pursuit of happy, healthy futures.

Make a gift today to ensure local victims of domestic violence can become survivors.

As our country celebrates 250 years of independence, we are thinking of all the domestic abuse survivors who make the brave choice to reach out to ALIVE in pursuit of that very freedom-- independence from an unsafe household and abusive partner. A line of The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus, the poem inscribed under the Statue of Liberty, feels appropriate for the work we do at ALIVE:

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”

Upon entering NOS, survivors are exhausted, and their resources are depleted, but they can breathe freely for the first time in ages. Lady Liberty is the perfect representation of a survivor at ALIVE! The skills and resources with which ALIVE advocates equip clients forge a path to freedom and independence.

As you celebrate this weekend, please remember the families staying in ALIVE’s shelter program. Think of the survivors yearning to breathe free when you see Lady Liberty. Consider making a gift to commemorate this special Independence Day. Ensure that families fleeing abuse can continue to pursue the freedom and independence that we’re celebrating.

Remember, tax-deductible gifts to ALIVE are eligible for Missouri Domestic Violence Shelter tax credits worth 70% of the donation amount.

Visit https://alivestl.org/tc/ to learn more, and consult your tax advisor.

ALIVE (Alternatives to Living in Violent Environments) was founded in 1983 through the shared vision of two women graduates of Washington University who worked as advocates for abused women. Aware of the critical need for safe shelter for women and children victimized by domestic violence (DV) in St. Louis, they launched ALIVE from two rooms donated by a local church. These volunteer co-directors recruited and coordinated six safe home providers who shared their homes with abused women and their children when safe shelter options were unavailable. ALIVE volunteers also provided transportation to victims and facilitated four weekly support groups.

ALIVE has since expanded into a comprehensive DV services agency. The innovative Nights of Safety program now partners with confidentially located motels to safely grant short term shelter to survivors fleeing abuse, remaining true to the founders’ original vision of providing emergency sanctuary when traditional DV shelters are full or cannot meet victim needs. ALIVE’s services supporting DV survivors include:

a 24-hour crisis line.
emergency transportation for DV survivors in immediate danger.
individual and group adult counseling.
a children’s treatment program.
court advocacy.
community education and outreach.

ALIVE’s staff has grown to a team of nearly 40 professionals staffing our two offices — one in St. Louis area and the other in Franklin County. The operational volunteer corps that started with eight women now number over 100 strong annually.

Learn more at https://alivestl.org/.

BREAKING NEWS

Empowering New Beginnings

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